PMINACFI - MSc International Accounting and Finance

The MSc International Accounting and Finance is designed to give students the opportunity of developing their skills and understanding of contemporary accounting and finance theory and practice. This postgraduate programme provides highly relevant subject specific knowledge and transferable skills to current or future finance or accounting professionals wishing to gain an academic qualification in international accounting and finance operations.

The course will equip students with the knowledge and with the broad range of skills required to secure and retain employment in the highly competitive labour market in accounting, financial services, and related sectors of the economy. The course will also prepare students for further professional or academic studies.

Areas to be studied will include international financial reporting, advanced financial management, audit and assurance. The course will provide students with a high level of understanding of both the theory and practice of accounting and finance.

Students will develop intellectual skills of comprehension, critical analysis, synthesis, and evaluation and apply these to accounting and finance practices and developments.

Students will gain requisite knowledge and skills in the core subject areas and there will be an emphasis on accounting and finance theory and practice.

Students will be equipped with relevant knowledge and practice to support reasoning and conclusions, assimilating, and using information, structuring problems and solutions and exposure to the impact of technology on businesses and business decisions in the world of accounting and finance.

Structured and independent learning will be supported by case studies, links to relevant external videos, discussion boards, quizzes, oral and written presentations, expert guest appearances, published academic and professional articles etc.

Blended learning strategies will be adopted to provide a combination of face-to-face learning and dynamic digital activities and content that facilitate anytime/anyplace learning. Collaboration tools will be used to support blended learning strategies and promote peer networking.

Students will have the opportunity to use specialist software such as SPSS, EViews and Nvivo. EViews is a statistical package which facilitates statistical analysis of large and varied datasets; SPSS analyses social science data which may be used for market research, surveys, and data mining; and Nvivo employs qualitative and mixed-methods research to analyse unstructured text, audio, video, and image data, such as interviews, focus groups, surveys, social media, and journal articles.

Students will have the opportunity to gain expertise in the use of databases such as Bloomberg in order to develop their abilities at analysing and assessing real-world and real-time data. Bloomberg provides contemporary, historical and forward looking (forecast) business and financial data, news and insight. In addition, Bloomberg provides an array of financial tools which may be used for interrogating financial datasets, and students are enabled to join the elite group of Bloomberg users around the world. Sage accounting software simplifies and facilitates a diverse range of accounting tasks; it may be used for simple accounting assessments to the management of complex financial systems.

Accounting and Finance is a subject area characterised by a high demand for graduates and the course is geared to provide a springboard into employment in the graduate labour market. The course is designed to prepare students for a career in the accounting and finance industry in London, in the UK and internationally.

The Accounting and Financial services sector is expected to grow further post Brexit, and recruitment agencies cite Finance Manager and Management Accountants in the top 10 list of jobs for 2020-21. According to AGCAS (2020) 56% of finance graduates are employed as finance professionals, a further 25% in clerical, secretarial and numerical roles with top jobs in this sector being Chartered accountants, finance and investment analysts, taxation experts and management consultants. This course will enable students to join a high performing sector in London at graduate level and equip them well to seek professional association membership and qualifications.

Note: If there are not sufficient student numbers to make a module viable, the School reserves the right to cancel such a module. If the School cancels a module it will use its reasonable endeavours to provide a suitable alternative.

The course aims to provide students with the opportunity to study the major disciplines in international accounting and finance and to relate these to the business environment. It also aims to provide a sound conceptual foundation for a professional, managerial or business career which will help to understand current thinking, analyse current problems in international accounting and finance and deal with the rapidly changing business environment. It provides a thorough understanding of the multifaceted and diverse roles and functions that accountants perform in organisational settings, such as accounting for business cash inflows and outflows over the year.

The 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 professional practice.

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 Master’s Degree Characteristics Statement set out by the QAA (2020). The subject specific knowledge and skills, cognitive abilities and non-subject specific skills outlined in the benchmark statements are referenced in sections 11 and 16 of this document.

The course will equip students with the skills and attributes that will enable them to compete with success in the complex and challenging International accounting and finance industries and markets. It brings together University and School distinctiveness, and refers to two principal sets of QAA Benchmark Statements:

The QAA Statement for Master’s Degree Characteristics (2020)

The QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Master's degrees in Business and Management (2015).

The University learning outcome that cuts across the entirety of the London Metropolitan University provision is:

On completion of this course, students will be able to: demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity and will act as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible professionals in their discipline (ULO)

Thus, upon graduating with an MSc International Accounting and Finance, students will typically:

1. Have the confidence needed to take leadership decisions in challenging situations
2. Possess extensive communication skills that will help them adopt a global and multicultural perspective in their professional context.
3. Be critically cognisant of the effects of the social and environmental impact of their decisions and will remain active citizens of the places they live and work.
4. Demonstrate application and ability to reflect on creative thinking to practical problems, and possess the analytical and organisational skills to translate creative ideas to operational solutions
5. Have extensive knowledge and understanding of the broad range of areas of international accounting and finance.
6. Demonstrate conceptual understanding that enables the critical evaluation of key theories, current research and methodologies relating to the operations and strategies of international accounting and finance firms, and the nature of the regulatory framework within which they operate.
7. Demonstrate originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge relating to international accounting and finance.
8. Have sufficient theoretical, quantitative and statistical knowledge and understanding to be able to augment this knowledge with new developments in the field and be able to independently improve their analytical skills to a high level to be able to contribute to progress in international accounting and finance practice
9. Deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, use IT to access sources of relevant international accounting, finance and audit-related information, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
10. Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level.

The MSc in International Accounting and Finance degree programme conforms to the Master’s Degree Characteristics Statement set out by the QAA (2020) in their descriptors for a higher education qualification at level 7, and to the Subject Benchmark Statement for Master's degrees in Business and Management (QAA, 2015). Since this is a specialist programme concentrating on the accounting and finance sector, the benchmark statement and subsequent documents must be interpreted in the context of the accounting and finance industry.

Assessment strategy

Principles

The course adopts the four assessment strategy principles of the School that are developed in the spirit of ESJ. These are:

i) The School is committed to ensuring that each student should have no more than 2 assessment points per 20 credit module.

ii) We provide balanced forms of assessment, both in terms of its overall volume and the types used.

iii) At PGT level group activities are part of the learning and teaching strategies but assessment should be at the level of the individual. Thus, assessment should focus on individual reflections and learning from participating in a group activity.

iv) Flexibility/choice in assessment methods will be introduced wherever possible (subject to PSRB requirements and QAA subject benchmarks) in order to facilitate different learning studies and support personalisation

Course Strategy

The Course applies a combination of the above assessment strategies as appropriate for each module. A range of assessment methods are used across the course, reflecting the range of learning outcomes of the modules within the course and the diversity of learning styles amongst students. The volume, timing and nature of assessment enables students to demonstrate the extent to which they have achieved the intended learning outcomes.

In each module the assessments methods chosen are those best suited to measuring the achievement of that particular module’s learning outcomes. For instance, essays and reports are used in modules where learning outcomes include the development of writing skills, referencing, synthesis and critical evaluation. Group work is used in modules where cooperative skills are being developed. Case studies are employed where students are learning how to apply financial analysis to particular scenarios or organisations. Methods of assessment include: presentations, coursework problem sets and mini-projects, in-class tests and unseen exams. The 60-credit alternative core module incorporates assessment of research, planning and organising skills.

Feedback on formative assessment will be provided on an ongoing basis throughout the course.

The University Regulations and policies will be followed in marking and moderating summative assessments.

The University has dedicated careers teams who will assist learners with all aspects of their job search and application.

The course draws on external links with accounting and finance practitioners in the City and elsewhere in the UK. These links give rise to University and GSBL guest lectures, external speaker seminars and other meetings of interest to students. These events throughout the course provide opportunities for students to gain knowledge and experience from outside the University.

Students are able to take an optional single semester Business Work Placement Project (MN7W89); this module is not available along with 60-credit alternative core Work Placement module discussed below.

The one-year Work placement module (MN7W01) is one of the three 60-credit alternative core modules available on the course. It is offered as an alternative to the ‘Dissertation’ and ‘Business Consultancy Project’ with the same credits. There will be a series of work readiness and career preparation workshops / seminars to ensure students are engaging critically with their experiences.

The choice of MN7W01 alternative core module will have the effect of extending the course length by one more year. The student needs to have secured a one-year work placement within 6 months of start of teaching i.e., if their course starts in September/October the deadline for securing the placement will be 31 March of the following year; if their course starts in February/March the deadline for securing the placement will be 31 August of the same year. If students have difficulty securing a placement within the deadlines above they will switch to alternatives bearing equivalent credit without any detriment (e.g. Dissertation or Business Consultancy Project), and the length of their course will be converted from 2 years to 1 year, and the visa office informed accordingly in respect of tier 4 international students.

International students studying on a Student Visa will be required to submit weekly timesheets for the hours undertaken for the work placement. The timesheets will need to be signed by the student’s line manager to meet Visa regulations.

It is a student's responsibility to apply for opportunities and to engage with the University and/or partner organisations as required. The suitability of any opportunities will be assessed by the Module and Work-Based Learning Teams and all placement roles must meet the Health and Safety requirements for Higher Education Accredited Work Placements.

Modules are required to be taken as indicated in section 22 above. Where a student is taking no more than 90 credits in an academic year within the maximum permissible time limit, they may be designated as Part Time.

Modules are required to be taken as indicated in section 22 above.

A student who has passed modules equivalent to 120 credits comprising four core and two option modules will be entitled to the award of a Postgraduate Diploma.

A student who has passed modules equivalent to 60 credits including any two core modules will be entitled to the award of a Postgraduate Certificate.

A Master’s degree shall be awarded to a student who has passed modules equivalent to 180 credits including a dissertation.

Students are introduced to reflective learning in an induction programme which is designed to promote active learning and development from the outset. This will include the principles of individual and team learning and development and preparation for academic study at master’s level. This, it is believed, will lead to an understanding of the students learning to work independently and in collaboration with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

The variety of teaching and learning strategies employed on the course will provide opportunities for students to develop and experience a range of soft skills whilst studying on the course. Students will be encouraged to respond to feedback on formative and summative assessments and to feedback from peers on presentations and group task. These will assist in developing assertiveness skills, building on goal setting and time management, teamwork and collaborative working skills, and learning more about resilience and self-awareness.

Students will be encouraged to think deeply and critically about a particular learning experience or set of experiences in each module and to record these for later reflection.

Students will be encouraged to actively set goals and targets for later reflection for their personal, professional and academic development which they can draw upon to enhance their employability prospects

The final alternative core module requires students to engage in reflection and self-directed learning in undertaking an independent research project report.

Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) (2014)

Employability and other career opportunities will be enhanced by the relevant skills developed on the course including problem-solving, decision-making and interpersonal skills. Students will be able to communicate complex ideas and analysis in accounting and finance through oral and written presentations.

Students will be confident to use IT to access and manipulate information and to analyse and present financial and non-financial data.

Career guidance and career information is provided to students at both the course and the institutional level. At the course level there are two main types of support:

• The course leader has specific expertise about the course and the labour market conditions and is able to provide guidance about career opportunities after graduation;
• The ‘guest speakers’ series brings students in contact with professionals from both national and international organisations. These meetings give students the opportunity to know more about future career paths and the best strategies to pursue their own career aspirations.

At the institutional level students are provided with two types of support:

• The alumni association keeps an updated record of the destinations of former masters’ graduates. Contacts between former graduates and present students is favoured in order to provide career guidance and suggest future job opportunities.
• The careers development and employment service is a university-wide resource made available to students and that provides information about labour market opportunities and career development. The University’s Careers and Employability Service disseminates information on Employer Panel events, Recruitment events, Internships, Employability events organised by professional bodies and Career fairs; see for example https://blogs.londonmet.ac.uk/careersandemployability/

Students are also reminded that they have access to our Careers and Employability service for careers and employability related advice guidance for three years after graduation.

There is a high demand for highly skilled graduates in accounting and finance, so this course would be a great opportunity to either launch or progress your career in this industry. Successful graduates could go on to work in London, the UK or internationally.

By choosing to study in one of the world’s epicentres for financial services, you’ll benefit from a huge number of regional employers such as HSBC, JP Morgan, Google, Deloitte, Barclays, P&G, plus many other organisations including charities and local government.

You could also go on to take professional courses and qualifications from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) or The London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF).

You'll be required to have:

• a 2.1 degree in any subject from the UK or undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK Second Class Upper Division; or
• a 2.2 honours degree in a relevant subject area or equivalent international qualification.
• IELTs 6.0 as a standard University entry requirement.

Other qualifications plus relevant business experience will be considered on an individual basis; please get in touch to be considered.

For mature applicants without a degree, you may be considered on merit of 2+ years of appropriate work experience and other professional development or professional qualifications.