MSc International Accounting and Banking

Program Overview

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This course equips you with in-depth financial knowledge and the practical skills needed for a rewarding career in accounting or banking in multinational organisations. MSc International Accounting and Banking is a unique degree amongst UK universities, giving you a competitive edge by combining theory and practice with real-life examples. You gain an advanced understanding of contemporary accounting and banking issues and produce a business report on a listed company. You develop your ability to research issues, analyse and solve business problems and operate effectively in a fast-paced international business environment. Whether you have a first degree in accounting, or are looking to study the subject for the first time, this course is for you if you’re looking for a career in international organisations, such as banks, accountancy firms, accountancy and finance departments or business consultancy. You explore topics including:

• international management accounting
• international financial reporting
• corporate reporting and analysis
• modern banking
• bank strategy and risk

Essex Business School , where this course is taught, is an internationally diverse place to study, with more than half of our staff and students joining us from overseas. As a result, this course is informed by a wide range of global perspectives, preparing you for the demands of an international career in accounting or banking. You benefit from academic excellence in two fields where you work with researchers who are at the cutting-edge of accounting and banking theory:

• The Essex Finance Centre (EFiC) works with leading financial services firms and public sector organisations, governments and policy institutions to produce work that makes real-world impact across the globe.
• The Essex Accounting Centre is at the forefront of the field of accounting and produce empirical and theoretical research.

Professional accreditation

Accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) for the purpose of exemptions from some professional examinations. Completion of this course gives you accreditation exemptions from up to four professional examination papers with The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) . This means that you are able to gain a professional qualification more quickly by taking fewer exams when you graduate, giving your career a head start. Why we're great.

• Accredited by ACCA with up to four exemptions from ACCA professional examination papers.
• You don’t need a first degree in accounting or banking to study this course.
• Our Bloomberg virtual trading floor will give you hands-on experience of working in a busy financial hub.

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Our expert staff

Essex Business School has a number of established research strengths in accounting, including:

• accounting in emerging economies
• sustainable accounting
• governance
• global development
• public sector accounting
• regulation and reporting

Our researchers make a significant impact on the lives of people all around the world, with past and current research projects covering five continents. The experience and findings of our experts will feature throughout your teaching. For example, you’ll hear from Professor Ileana Steccolini , Professor of Accounting. Professor Steccolini’s research explores accounting in the context of public administration and management. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was granted rapid response funding for a project to help vulnerable communities in Brazil . Through the project, Ileana helped local community leaders to work with their populations to identify how public interventions (such as vaccinations) could be most effectively rolled out to those most in need. Two research centres support the research activities taking place in the accounting group. They organise seminars by external invited speakers, Essex Business School staff and research students; coordinate workshop programmes; and schedule bi-annual conferences of international renown. These offer a further excellent opportunity for you to engage with the very latest research and ideas in the field of accounting. The Essex Accounting Centre conducts distinctive world-class research, with a particular focus on accounting research applied in developing countries, including topics such as social responsibility and corporate governance; management accounting change; and corruption and accountability. Our new interdisciplinary centre, the Centre for Accountability and Global Development (CAGD) , is a dynamic hub for social justice research, with a particular focus on accountability across all sectors in both developed and emerging economies. The Centre contributes to impactful global development through rigorous research and engagement with the policy community, which complements the existing research strengths and expertise established within the Essex Accounting Centre.

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Specialist facilities

MSc International Accounting and Banking is based at our Colchester Campus . You’ll be studying at Essex Business School , home to the first zero carbon business school in the UK – demonstrating our sustainable approach to business first-hand. Set around a lush winter garden, with shared spaces to encourage collaborative working, you’ll find a wealth of inspiring teaching and study zones:

• a virtual trading floor with Bloomberg Financial Market Labs, where you’ll gain hands-on experience and learn how to model financial data in a practical setting
• access to company reporting databases, Passport (GMID) and NEXIS advance UK
• learn in modern lecture theatres with ‘listen again’ recording to aid your study
• utilise study booths in our winter garden and versatile break out areas for group working throughout the building
• study skills support provided by the Essex Business School Learning Team
• networking opportunities with visiting businesses and careers events
• Bonds café and adjacent foyer to enjoy on-site fresh food and drink

You'll also benefit from fantastic University facilities located close by, including our state-of-the-art Silberrad Student Centre, complete with an open-access 24-hour Learning Hub and a cutting-edge media centre. Our building is located on the Knowledge Gateway , home to some of the region’s most exciting enterprises in the science, technology and creative sectors. The Knowledge Gateway provides potential networking and career opportunities for students directly on campus.

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Your future

We develop your creativity, innovation and ethical awareness to prepare you for a successful business career. Our Masters courses foster the business leaders of the future, equipping them with the skills to handle the many challenges the international world of business continues to present. As well as exploring their own entrepreneurial ventures, our graduates have gained fulfilling roles in financial analysis, management, public administration and accountancy. Essex Business School graduates have progressed to work for high-profile organisations and innovative SMEs, such as:

• PwC
• Hiscox
• Access Group
• Bank of England
• EY
• Credit Data Research, SME finance provider
• Footprint Digital, a fast-growing digital marketing agency

Our Student Support team work closely with the University’s Employability and Careers service to help you with careers information and advice and CV support. They will help you find work experience, internships, placements and voluntary opportunities and provide access to employer talks on campus. We also work closely with the Essex Startups team to support our budding entrepreneurs get their business ideas off the ground.

Program Outline

Course structure

We offer a flexible course structure with a mixture of core/compulsory modules, and optional modules chosen from lists. Please be aware that we are planning changes to our first year to make it more relevant to your chosen course. Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, such as in response to COVID-19, we’ll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

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Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose. Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

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Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits. In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available. Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code . For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

HR	100	4	FY
The department or school the module will be taught by. In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.	The module number.	The UK academic level of the module. A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course. A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules. A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.	The term the module will be taught in. AU : Autumn term SP : Spring term SU : Summer term FY : Full year AP : Autumn and Spring terms PS: Spring and Summer terms AS: Autumn and Summer terms

Year 1 Analyse the changing practices and theorization of management accounting and control in emerging and less-developed countries in the context of environmental change, institutional and socio-economic factors. You examine traditional management control systems in the context of different cultural, political, and socio-economic contexts. View International Management Accounting on our Module Directory Develop a critical understanding of current issues in international financial reporting. You analyse the development of national accounting systems, the role of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and its impact on financial reporting internationally, and the particular financial reporting needs of developing countries. View International Financial Reporting on our Module Directory This module introduces you to financial reporting, governance, regulation, and analysis of financial statements. You also gain an understanding of the role of published financial statements in aiding users in their decision-making. View Corporate Reporting and Analysis on our Module Directory Explore the basics of the structure and environment of banking, and selected aspects of the applied economics of the modern banking firm. You study structure-conduct-performance, competition, bank efficiency, regulation, international banking and bank failures and crises. View Modern Banking on our Module Directory Analyse the key strategic developments in banking and the main aspects of risk management in modern banks. You are introduced to the concept of shareholder value in banking, the main banking strategies to create shareholder value, the key risks in banking, and the most important tools required to manage bank risks. View Bank Strategy and Risk on our Module Directory COMPONENT 06: COMPULSORY WITH OPTIONS EBS (Colchester Campus) option from list (20 CREDITS) COMPONENT 07: CORE WITH OPTIONS BE967-7-PS or BE970-7-PS (60 CREDITS)

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Teaching

• This course combines theory with practice; you gain real-world context through up-to-date research and live case studies.
• Teaching combines lectures, seminars and private study.

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Assessment

This course is assessed through:

• coursework assignments, which may take a number of forms, including essays, reports and examinations

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Dissertation

• Instead of a dissertation, you produce a practically-based business report, evaluating the performance of a listed company of your choice, in addition to a report plan and poster presentation on your chosen company.