MSc Accounting And Finance (Postgraduate Diploma/Postgraduate Certificate)

With a strong practical focus, access to the industry-standard Bloomberg Professional system, and ACCA, CIMA and IFA exemptions, our MSc in Accounting and Finance will act as a springboard into a wide range of finance and accounting-related careers.

Today's business managers need to be able to analyse and interpret financial information and use this to inform business strategy. This course will help you develop this expertise, as well as giving you an indepth understanding of the contemporary issues encountered by financial managers.

The underlying practical focus ensures that the skills and knowledge you gain are highly relevant to the workplace whichever area of accounting or finance you are seeking to engage in.

Strong Practical Focus:

You will develop your knowledge and understanding of accounting and finance, while also enhancing your critical thinking, research and analytical skills. 

During the year, you will:

• analyse and solve complex problems relating to financial reporting, performance measurement and management, corporate strategy and financial management
• be encouraged to think critically and creatively about problems requiring a multi-disciplinary approach
• develop in-depth knowledge in a specialist topic you have chosen for your dissertation
• enhance your key personal skills in time management, information accessing, analysis and interpretation
• develop your interpersonal, communication and management skills through team working, making presentations and writing reports.

As a student at Bristol Business School, you will get to hear from inspiring speakers from the business world. You will also have access to our state-of-the-art trading room, built around the Bloomberg Professional system, the main financial platform used by the large investment banks.

Content:

• The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.
• The Postgraduate Certificate is made up of five of the seven core modules detailed below.
• Core modules
• Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance
• Corporate Governance and Strategy
• Financial Statement Analysis
• Corporate Financial Strategy
• Strategic Management Accounting
• Advanced Corporate Reporting
• Research Methods in Accounting and Finance
• The Postgraduate Diploma is made up of the remaining compulsory modules and one additional optional module, allowing you to specialise in an area relevant to your career plans.
• Optional modules
• Financial Investments in Practice
• Contemporary Issues in Accounting and Finance
• Forensic Accounting
• Consultancy Project in Accounting and Finance
• Masters dissertation
• To achieve a Masters, you must complete a dissertation which gives you the chance to research an area of accounting and finance that is of particular interest to you and of relevance to your career plans. Previous dissertation topics include:
• Pre-production financial accounting issues in oil and gas companies: The accounting policy choices
• Capital Structure and Profitability: An Empirical Research of the Drinks Manufacturing Industry in China
• Human capital disclosures in company annual reports a case study of listed companies on the London Stock Exchange
• Financial Investment Appraisal Incorporating Environmental Externalities

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved we will inform you.

Learning And Teaching:

You will learn through formal classes and seminar sessions, as well as group work and independent study. The course will include assignments, exercises, case studies and presentations, with an emphasis on independent learning to develop your analytical and problem solving skills.

We operate an 'open door' policy, so you will have regular access to your tutors to discuss any aspects of the course. We can also offer you careers advice specific to the financial sector through the faculty's careers consultants and we organise guest speakers and employer events, where you can hear, and learn, from individuals working in various accounting and finance roles.

Entry Requirements:

• You will need:
• an honours degree of 2:2 or above in Accounting and Finance; or
• an honours degree of 2:1 or above in Economics, Mathematics or a Business related subject.
• UWE Bristol's International College
• International students who do not meet the academic or English language requirements to study this course can qualify by completing preparatory study at our International College.
• English language support
• If you meet the academic requirements but require additional support to take your language skills to the required level, you may be able to attend one of our pre-sessional English courses. Students who successfully complete the pre-sessional course can progress onto their chosen degree course without retaking an IELTS or equivalent.