Course specification and structure
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UDACFINA - BA Accounting and Finance

Course Specification


Validation status Validated
Highest award Bachelor of Arts Level Honours
Possible interim awards Bachelor of Arts, Diploma of Higher Education, Certificate of Higher Education, Bachelor of Arts
Total credits for course 360
Awarding institution London Metropolitan University
Teaching institutions London Metropolitan University
School Guildhall School of Business and Law
Subject Area Business and Management
Attendance options
Option Minimum duration Maximum duration
Full-time 3 YEARS  
Part-time 4 YEARS 6 YEARS
Course leader  

About the course and its strategy towards teaching and learning and towards blended learning/e-learning

The majority of the programme will be taught through lectures and seminars, where lectures are designed to convey the broad outlines of knowledge pertinent to each module whilst the seminars are built around student activity in response to a set of prepared tasks that require students to apply knowledge, discuss and analyse. Students will be expected to prepare for the seminars using a variety of learning resources that will normally include textbook, module handout/Weblearn site including learning/stimulus materials, references to sources in the learning centre, and materials available on academically reputable internet sites

Technical skills are developed, with guidance from the professional bodies and the subject benchmark. These include, where appropriate, numeracy, technical language and current practices, contemporary theory, technical and qualitative analysis and dealing with empirical analysis of relevant material.

Teaching, study and assessment methods ensure that practical knowledge is developed through lectures and practiced, with guidance in seminars. Direct teaching is supported through text books, journal articles and electronic sources, with every component being supported with its own web site. The knowledge developed and subsequent understanding is assessed in a variety of ways, including reports, essays presentations, group work and unseen examination.

Intellectual skills, identified in the subject benchmarks are developed throughout the courses. These include critical evaluation of arguments and evidence, the ability to analyse and draw reasoned conclusions from a given set of data, the ability to locate, extract and analyse data from multiple sources, including the referencing of sources.

Independent and self-managed learning is encouraged and the capacity to develop these skills is developed from the earliest stages of the courses. Participants are required to develop these essential skills as they are key components to both academic and lifelong learning.

Participants are encouraged to engage in their own learning in the subject. This is achieved by relating as much as possible to the real world. This enables participants to understand the relevance of the subject to their own lives, and to the lives of others.

Course aims

To deliver an academically rigorous programme of study, which provides students with the opportunity to study the major disciplines in accounting and finance and to relate these to the business environment.

To provide a sound conceptual foundation for a professional, managerial or business career and to help students understand current thinking, analyse current problems in accounting and finance and help them deal with the rapidly changing business environment. It will enable students to enhance their employability and/or gain admission to a masters programme or study for a professional qualification. The core modules of the course satisfy some of the requirements of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales ( ICAEW ) and the Association of International Accountants ( AIA ). Students can use the Level 6 option modules on the course to gain further exemptions.

The programme promotes the use of a range of teaching, learning and assessment methods, which develop the students’ intellectual abilities, self-confidence and ability to study independently.

The course has been devised with reference to the subject benchmark statement for Accounting developed by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. The subject specific knowledge and skills, cognitive abilities and non-subject specific skills outlined in the benchmark statement are referenced in the relevant sections of this document.

Course learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to :

Knowledge and understanding

1. Evaluate the nature and problems of traditional costing methods and activity-based costing (ABC), calculate and evaluate budgets including functional budgets and critically appraise alternatives to traditional budgeting techniques and their behavioural implications.

2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the basic principles of the English legal system, relevant legal institutions and the principal areas of law, which relate to business. Analyse the legal issues which arise in a given business context and demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the basic legal principles of employment law and an ability to analyse and critically interpret legal issues which arise in an employment context.

3. Have developed a knowledge and critical understanding of the theoretical models, analytical methods and practical aspects of financial decision making and management accounting in competitive business environments and dynamic capital markets.

4. Understand the basic theory of finance, develop the skills of valuing investment instruments and critically evaluate the conceptual frameworks for pricing securities.

5. Have a critical understanding of the corporate social reporting, corporate governance and ethical issues involved in accounting.

6. Perform a range of advanced techniques in the context of current international financial reporting practice and articulate the current debates on issues and controversies in reporting in the UK and internationally.

Subject specific skills

1. Prepare financial statements in compliance with external reporting requirements.

2.Prepare given data in a form usable for decision-making using Excel spreadsheets.

3.Use financial management techniques for investment appraisal decisions.

4.Communicate financial information, both quantitative and qualitative to different audiences in a variety of idioms. Acknowledge and reference sources correctly in written work.

5.Work independently, take responsibility for their own work and manage their time effectively.

6.Maintain computerised accounting records using Sage Accounting system.

Transferable skills

1.Communicate ideas, principles, theories and information effectively by oral, written and visual means.

2.Demonstrate their ability to work within a professional framework and apply that framework tothe political and theoretical debates about the changing uses of accounting information. The ethical implications of the use of data follow from this.

3.Work effectively as part of a group, or independently.

4.Evaluate the appropriateness of data for alternate purposes and handle complex data.

Intellectual skills

1. Critically evaluate intellectual discussion, scholarly research, arguments and evidence.

2.Develop the ability to analyse and draw reasoned conclusions concerning structured and unstructured problems from a given set of data.

3.Apply and analyse appropriate investment appraisal techniques to situations.

4.Manipulate financial and non-financial information for short- and long-term decision making.

5.Analyse corporate finance decisions and critically evaluate the decision making process.

6.Identify problem areas in current financial reporting practice.

Course learning outcomes / Module cross reference

Knowledge and understanding

- On completion of the course students will :

Be able to evaluate the nature and problems of
traditional costing methods and activity-based costing (ABC), calculate and evaluate budgets including functional budgets and critically appraise alternatives to traditional budgeting techniques
and their behavioural implications:

Introduction to Accounting, Management
Accounting, Principles of Finance, Strategic
Financial Management

- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the basic principles of the English legal system, relevant legal institutions and the principal areas of law, which relate to business. Analyse the legal issues which arise in a given business context and demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the
basic legal principles of employment law and an ability to analyse and critically interpret legal issues which arise in an employment context:

Legal and Economic Framework, International
Financial Reporting, Management Accounting

- Have developed knowledge and critical understanding of the theoretical models, analytical methods and practical aspects of financial decision making and management accounting in competitive business environments and dynamic capital markets:

Principles of Finance, Principles of Taxation,
Management Accounting, Strategic Financial
Management

- Understand the basic theory of finance, develop the skills of valuing investment instruments and critically evaluate the conceptual frameworks for pricing securities:

Principles of Finance, Strategic Financial
Management

- Have a critical understanding of the corporate social reporting, corporate governance and ethical issues involved in accounting:

Introduction to Accounting, International
Financial Reporting, Advanced Financial
Reporting, Current Issues in Accounting and
Finance

- Perform a range of advanced techniques in the context of current international financial reporting practice and articulate the current debates on issues and controversies in reporting in the UK and internationally:

International Financial Reporting, Advanced
Financial Reporting, Current Issues in Accounting
and Finance.

- Produce a critical paper on a current accounting issue which examines the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of accounting practice in its widest context:

Current Issues in Accounting and Finance

Intellectual skills

The course develops the following intellectual
skills:

- A capacity for critical evaluation of arguments and
evidence:

All core modules
- Analyse and draw reasoned conclusions concerning structured and unstructured problems from a given set of data:

All core modules

- Apply and analyse appropriate investment appraisal techniques to situations:
Introduction to Accounting, Management
Accounting, Strategic Financial Management

- Manipulate financial and non-financial information for short and long term decision making:

Introduction to Accounting, Management
Accounting, Principles of Finance, Strategic
Financial Management

- Analysis of corporate finance decisions and critical evaluation of the decision making process:

Principles of Finance, Strategic Financial
Management
- Identify problem areas in current financial reporting practice:

International Financial Reporting, Advanced
Financial Reporting, Current Issues in Accounting
and Finance

Transferable/key skills

By the end of the course students are expected to
be able to :

- Communicate ideas, principles, theories and information effectively by oral, written and visual means:

Professional Skills for Accounting, Legal and
Economic Framework, Accounting Information
Systems, Level 5 and Level 6 core modules

- Demonstrate their ability to work within a professional framework and apply that framework to the political and theoretical debates about the changing uses of accounting information. The ethical implications of the use of data follow from this:

All core modules

- Work effectively as part of a group, or independently:
All core modules

- Evaluate the appropriateness of data for alternate purposes and handle complex data:

All Level 5 and Level 6 core modules

Subject-specific practical skills

The subject-specific practical skills developed on the course are :

- Prepare financial statements in compliance with external reporting requirements:

Introduction to Accounting, Principles of
Taxation, International Financial Reporting,
Advanced Financial Reporting

- Prepare given data in a form usable for decision making using Excel spread sheets:

Introduction to Accounting, Accounting
Information Systems, Management Accounting

- Use financial management techniques for investment appraisal decisions:

Introduction to Accounting, Management
Accounting, Strategic Financial Management

Principle QAA benchmark statements

Accounting

Assessment strategy

There are a variety of assessment tools used in the core modules. Students will be provided with the opportunity to demonstrate their writing skills by writing essays and reports. They will demonstrate their presentation skills in a number of modules, which in turn will prepare them for the employment market on completion of the course. Some modules use more traditional methods of assessment, such as closed book examinations in order to gain professional body exemption.

Organised work experience, work based learning, sandwich year or year abroad

Students are able to experience a real-world business environment through the compulsory work-related learning element in the final year of their course programme or 12 month sandwich placement option.

Course specific regulations

In order to pass the course the following modules must be passed with a minimum overall mark of 40% and a minimum mark of 35% in each component of assessment. This is to meet the exemption requirements of CIMA.

Level 4 - Introduction to Accounting ; Legal and Economic Framework ; Accounting Information Systems ;

Level 5 - International Financial Reporting ; Management Accounting ; Principles of Taxation ; Principles of Finance ;

Level 6 - Advanced Financial Reporting ; Strategic Financial Management ; Financial Analysis ;

Modules required for interim awards

All core modules must be taken at each level to gain the relevant award at that level.

Professional Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) accreditations & exemptions

This course qualifies you for exemption from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)’s fundamental exam papers, F1 to F9.

The core modules of the course satisfy many of the requirements of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW), the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants (CIPFA), the Association of International Accountants (AIA) as well as the award of full membership of the Institute of Financial Accountants (IFA) and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

Career opportunities

Accounting is a subject field with a high demand for graduates.

Opportunities for qualified accountants are extensive, and our graduates have found work with companies such as Angel Finance, BBC, Grant Thornton, Hays Agency, Hartley Fowler LLP, The Courtauld Institute of Art and The Royal Opera House.

Entry requirements

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

  • a minimum of grades CCC in three A levels (or a minimum of 96 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC National, OCR Diploma or Advanced Diploma)
  • English Language and Mathematics GCSEs at grade C (grade 4 from 2017) or above (or equivalent)

All applicants must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Applicants who require a Tier 4 student visa may need to provide a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. For more information about English qualifications please see our English language requirements.

Official use and codes

Approved to run from 2013/14 Specification version 1 Specification status Validated
Original validation date 10 Apr 2012 Last validation date 10 Apr 2012  
Sources of funding HE FUNDING COUNCIL FOR ENGLAND
JACS codes N400 (Accounting): 50% , N300 (Finance): 50%
Route code ACFINA

Course Structure

Stage 1 Level 04 September start Offered

Code Module title Info Type Credits Location Period Day Time
AC4002 Introduction to Accounting Core 30        
AC4003 Professional Skills for Accounting Core 30        
BA4001 Accounting Information Systems Core 30        
BL4003 Legal and Economic Framework Core 30        

Stage 1 Level 04 January start Offered

Code Module title Info Type Credits Location Period Day Time
AC4002 Introduction to Accounting Core 30        
AC4003 Professional Skills for Accounting Core 30        
BA4001 Accounting Information Systems Core 30        
BL4003 Legal and Economic Framework Core 30        

Stage 2 Level 05 September start Offered

Code Module title Info Type Credits Location Period Day Time
AC5001 International Financial Reporting Core 30        
AC5002 Management Accounting Core 30        
AC5003 Principles of Finance Core 30        
AC5004 Principles of Taxation Core 30        

Stage 3 Level 06 September start Offered

Code Module title Info Type Credits Location Period Day Time
AC6002 Advanced Financial Reporting Core 30        
AC6005 Strategic Financial Management Core 30        
AC6P04 Current Issues in Accounting and Finance Core 30        
AC6051 Audit and Assurance Services Option 15        
AC6052 Audit and Risk Management Option 15        
AC6053 Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics Option 15        
BA6050 Systems Auditing Option 15        
BA6052 Project Management Option 15        

Stage 4 Level 06 August start Not currently offered

Code Module title Info Type Credits Location Period Day Time
MN6W04 Professional Experience Year Placement Option 30