Accounting And Finance BSc (Hons)

Over recent years the demand for qualified accounting and finance professionals has grown. At Nottingham Business School we recognise that demand; creating graduates with not only a degree but also accreditation towards towards four accountancy bodies: the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Association of International Accountants (AIA).

Accounting and Finance is a integral function within the global business environment. This course enables you to make sense of a range of important real-world issues affecting our everyday lives and improve your decision-making skills in ways that are distinctive to the disciplines of accounting and finance. 

Taught by experienced staff from the profession, this degree not only looks at the theories and practices of accounting and finance, but also their context in a business setting and significance within contemporary society.

You will develop the expertise you need to make an effective contribution to decision-making and problem solving, as well as the self-confidence and interpersonal skills needed to operate comfortably and effectively in the workplace. A distinctive part of this course is the way you’ll develop as a team player. 

You will engage in team-based exercises that help you to understand the real issues facing organisations and how financial and accounting ideas can play a part in problem solving.

What You Will Study:

• Year One
• Financial Accounting
• This module will provide you with a foundation in financial accounting. You will develop skills, knowledge and understanding of double entry book keeping and the preparation of financial statements. You will also study the contexts in which corporations operate and the regulatory frameworks and requirements which impact upon their accounting processes. You will be introduced to the interpretation of financial reporting information and learn how to examine the way in which this information is used for decision making by different stakeholder groups.
• Management Accounting
• This module introduces the main concepts and techniques employed by management accountants, and how management accounting fits within the context of the accounting field and in the work place. You will cover theory and practice in the key areas of costing, budgeting and accounting for decision making.
• Areas covered will include:
• costing: including accounting for overheads and absorption and marginal costing
• budgeting: including functional budgets, cash budgets, flexible budgets and variance analysis
• accounting for decision making: including cost volume profit analysis and relevant costs.
• Governance, Ethics and Law
• Focuses on the role and importance of corporate governance and the relationship between shareholders and management; the importance of ethics to society, business and the professional accountant; and introduces the topics of contract law, tort law, agency law, employment law and company and insolvency law.
• The Accounting Environment
• You will consider themes such as business objectives, strategy and culture together with a focus on key topics such as ethics, sustainability and technology. The understanding of the wider business context and relevant economic concepts is crucial for accounting and finance students.
• Economics and Data Analysis for Managers
• This module will introduce you to a range of skills, methods and knowledge that are applied by professional economists. It will enable you to offer a distinctive contribution to business and management decisions involving the deployment of globally scarce resources. The module will enable you to demonstrate a range of applications of economic ideas, principles and techniques, and to identify resource consequences of business and managerial decisions in a national and international context.
• Personal and Academic Development
• Helps you recognise the personal skills, behaviours and attributes you currently have, and supports you in formulating a continuous personal and professional development plan to develop the skills and knowledge you need to achieve your future ambitions and realise your full potential.
• Year Two:
• First half of Year Two – Core modules
• Financial Management
• This module assesses the value creation activity of organisations through their investment and financing strategies, focusing on finance theories and their application in practice. You will be equipped with the ability to analyse scenarios, case studies and actual companies with respect to financial management. You will also learn to evaluate alternative proposals and to communicate information to a business audience in an effective manner.
• Financial Reporting
• This module will develop your technical accounting knowledge whilst contextualising it within a broader regulatory framework. You will study the role of financial reporting and its use to stakeholders and the application of accounting standards in the preparation of financial statements. The module will also focus on the preparation and purpose of group accounts and emerging problem areas in financial reporting. It will enable you to calculate, present and interpret accounting reports with regard to current regulatory requirements and apply current and relevant accounting standards in the preparation of financial statements.
• Management Accounting Information
• This module extends the concepts and techniques that were studied in Management Accounting during Year One, covering cost ascertainment, decision-making and budgetary planning and control. In addition to this, the module will consider business performance measurement and behavioural and environmental issues in management accounting. You will also learn how to choose and apply management accounting tools and techniques in various business contexts in order to support planning, control and decision-making within organisations.
• Second half of Year Two
• You can either select one of our unique opportunities initiatives or continue with your taught modules listed below.
• Option 1 – study abroad
• Experience life in another country by studying at one of our partner universities. Choose from a host of countries in Europe or go further afield and study in the USA, South America, Australasia and South East Asia. This is a great opportunity to develop your independence and explore another culture.
• Option 2 – enterprise project
• Explore your entrepreneurial side and start to develop the meaningful and practical skills needed to run your own business. Supported by NTU Enterprise, NTU's centre for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise, during this opportunity you'll work alongside other young entrepreneurs and a dynamic network of mentors and advisors, to develop your own ideas into a live enterprise project.
• Option 3 – internship
• Get a taste of the working world and gain some essential industry insight with a 16-18 week work placement. The experience will allow you to put your learning in to practice, with the experience gained improving your future career prospects, and sharpening your interpersonal and professional skills.
• Option 4 – continue with taught modules
• If you didn't fancy doing any of the above options then you can continue your studies at university. With a mixture of both compulsory and optional modules, the first will enhance your knowledge and skills set in your area of study, with the later allowing you to tailor your learning experience.
• Students on Sandwich courses are eligible to choose the Enterprise project or continue with taught modules in the second half of their second year. They are not eligible for options 1 and 3. However, they are able to use their sandwich year to study or work abroad.
• Applied Professional Development
• Following on from the Personal Development module in Year One, this module supports you to build upon and reflect on your personal and professional skills, attributes and behaviours. You will attend a conference with a varied programme of events focused on the future of work, and later in the module you will immerse yourself in a period work or work-like experience to develop a range of skills designed to enhance your employability.
• Optional modules (choose one from each pair)
• Forensic Accounting and Assurance
• During this module you will learn about the role of the auditor and develop an understanding of modern audit from both an internal and external perspective. You will be introduced to forensic accounting as a discipline, studying the role and procedures of forensic accounting and the impact of auditing standards on those who undertake assurance engagements.
• Year Three:
• Placement year
• A vital component of our degree courses is the placement year. This time spent working in business provides our students with crucial work experience, which is highly prized and much sought after by employers upon graduation. We have links with a wide range of sectors, firms and organisations that offer student placements. If you have decided to undertake a placement year then this will last for a minimum of 48 weeks during your third year.
• Our Employability Team is here to inspire and enhance every stage of your career planning and as a graduate of NTU, you will be able to access their services for three years after your course has finished.
• Services they provide include:
• finding placements, internships and part-time work
• pursuing self-employment
• taking gap years and time out
• getting into volunteering
• providing advice on further study.
• OR
• Taught modules
• If you have decided to continue with your studies please view the 'Final Year' tab for your list of modules.
• Final Year:
• Strategic Management Accounting
• Designed to give a more integrated view of theory and practice in this area, this module looks at the role of traditional management accounting techniques and evaluates the use of strategic management accounting in global organisations. You will explore the behavioural and strategic contexts in which the management accountant has to operate; and examine the management accountant’s role in analysing and advising on performance, particularly in the context of competitor analysis and to provide insights into the management of change.
• Corporate Finance
• This module is designed to give you a deeper knowledge of theory and practice in the key aspects of corporate finance, and allows you to explore how various aspects of corporate finance are interrelated. You will assess the impact of financial decisions with respect to investments, financing and the management of risk and develop skills in critical analysis and evaluation. The areas you will study include financial strategy, investment appraisal and decisions, valuation of the firm, equity and debt valuation, merger and acquisitions and risk assessment and management including risk theory, interest rate and foreign exchange risk.
• Corporate Reporting
• Develops your critical understanding of the issues surrounding external reporting, whilst also considering different forms of accountability. You will explore issues relating to both the quantitative and qualitative reporting of performance; and study the theoretical framework surrounding financial reporting. The subjects you will study include, accountability and its relationship to corporate reporting, contemporary issues in corporate reporting, corporate citizenship and its broader responsibilities, aspects of relevant accounting theory and accounting and accountability aspects of social and environmental accounting.
• Developing Professional Impact
• This module is designed to expand your horizons and challenge your attitudes and behaviours both in relation to subject specific issues and wider business concerns such as global citizenship and sustainable business practices. It will encourage you to build on your strengths and explore a range of possibilities as you embark on your next steps.