UEACFIEX - BA Accounting and Finance (Extended Degree)

At Level 3 students will gain a broad understanding of accounting, finance, business management and study skills. At Level 4, 5 and 6 students will be exposed to the broader range of professional accounting and finance disciplines including professional sills for accountants and current issues in accounting and finance.

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.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.

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 ), the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy ( CIPFA ) 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

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 to the 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.

Accounting ( 2016 )

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.

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.

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

Reflective learning and personal development planning will be introduced and developed through the Professional Skills for Accounting module at Level 4 and further articulated through the core modules at all levels. This will culminate in a reflective statement and employability portfolio in the Level 6 project module, Current Issues in Accounting and Finance.

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 of 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.

The development of skills for the workplace is integral to the course. These include time management, self-assessment/reflection, interpersonal skills such as working with others, cross cultural awareness and having a positive attitude, business awareness, including corporate social responsibility and governance. For example, written communication skills are developed and assessed through essays and reports; oral communication skills are taught and developed through presentations in seminars; team working skills through group work.

Skills may also be developed through extra-curricular activities including work experience and work with other students. All of the above traits are essential for a graduating student’s career.

The above is strongly supported by dedicated careers advisors and work placement facilitators, who will work closely with the faculty and course leader.

Students will be able to hear presentations from the professional accounting bodies and selected employers and professional accountancy firms on the careers available.

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

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

• at least one A level (or a minimum of 40 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC Subsidiary/National/BTEC Extended 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.