• Students graduating with the MSc will have expertise in the key areas of financial reporting, management accounting and corporate finance and will also have critical awareness of how these areas contribute to a company’s strategic management.
• You will develop your employability skills such as teamwork, leadership and communication skills.
• You will be exposed to the financial professional environment to start your career transition while you study at QMU.

Structure and exit awards

You can opt to study for the full MSc (180 credits) or a PgDip (120 credits) or a PgCert (60 credits).

You can also register as an associate student to complete a single module for CPD. On completion of a single module, you may wish to complete further modules and progress your studies to a named award.  Contact Dr Mo Yan for further information on single module study.

Teaching, learning and assessment

Teaching comprises a combination of lectures, seminars, guest speakers, tutorials, case studies, software demonstrations, field trips and projects. Independent learning is also important, allowing you to prepare for classes and develop your research skills.

Additionally, you will carry out a dissertation or a Business Consultancy in Practice project.

Your performance on the course will be assessed by essays, reports, reflective logs, exams, presentations and a dissertation.

Teaching hours and attendance

Each module will require you to attend classes and carry out independent work. Most modules consist of two to three hours of class time each week of the semester.

Class sizes

We expect around 25 students to enrol on this course each year.

Teaching staff

You can read more about the teaching staff on this course at the bottom of this page. Please note that teaching staff is subject to change.

• Financial Reporting (20 credits):This module is designed to build your understanding of mid-level financial reporting knowledge, improve your financial analysis skills and help you learn to prepare basic financial statements. The field of financial accounting is vast and with many speciality areas. This module does not require advanced specialised knowledge of any given area of financial accounting (such as taxation, auditing, etc.). Instead, this module attempts to build your general knowledge of financial reporting, to further your understanding of the most fundamental building blocks of the accounting and finance world. 
• Accounting for Managers (20 credits): This module develops critical understanding of essential management accounting and finance topics within a business environment, to develop critical understanding of the importance of managing customer value parameters (cost, quality, and time) through management accounting practices for value creation. 
• Advanced Management Accounting (20 credits): This module is designed to improve your expertise in management accounting, somewhat based on your learning in Accounting for Managers. CIMA is the world's largest management accountant professional body. To become CIMA qualified, you need to have a high level of understanding in the specialty area of management and cost accounting. This module is also crucial to your success in passing the global Management Level Case Study set by CIMA after your study is finished with QMU.
• Fundamentals of Corporate Finance (20 credits): This module aims to introduce students to relevant concepts in finance. Students will learn about the function of capital markets, the trade-off between risk and return, how to price financial assets and the importance of the way a firm finances its operations. The module is designed to develop numeracy and analytical skills.
• Research Methods (20 credits): The Research Methods module aims to provide students with a deep understanding of the way that research is designed, conducted, and communicated and to use this to develop a viable proposal for future research.
• Strategy and Leadership (20 credits): In this fast-paced module, students will critically evaluate the concepts, frameworks and techniques of strategic management and leadership decision-making. Furthermore, students will synthesise competitive conditions, appraise corporate capabilities and consider strategies that lead businesses towards a sustainable and competitive advantage within contemporary industry.

If studying for an MSc, you will also complete a Capstone module (60 credits). This takes the form of either a 12,000-word Dissertation, a Business Consultancy in Practice project, or a Business Incubation Programme.

• Business Consultancy in Practice (60 credits): This is a hands-on practical project where you will work with a business on a live project, determine the project parameters, manage the project, and deliver a consultancy report recommending actions the company can implement. The module aims to develop excellent project and client management skills alongside high-level writing skills that include excellent reflective abilities.
• The Business Incubation Programme (60 credits):The aim of this module is to critically evaluate a range of nascent, micro and family businesses and to develop, through inception, investigation and planning, a new start-up business or social enterprise of your own design. You will work with mentors, QMU’s Business Innovation Zone (BIZ) and the on-campus Business Gateway to take your business from idea to reality
• Accounting or Finance Dissertation (60 credits): To enable students to develop, plan and critically evaluate a piece of research in the relevant degree subject related area, written up in the form of a dissertation. This offers the opportunity to conduct a substantial academic research project around a topic of choice.

NB The modules listed are correct at time of posting (October 2022) but are subject to change. In the event that modules change, QMU will seek to use reasonable endeavours to ensure that there is no detrimental impact on students.

We expect our graduates to find employment in businesses, financial services, public sector organisations, consultancy practices and accountancy firms. Example job titles include: Accountant, Finance Manager, Finance Director, Investment Analyst, Risk Manager, Finance Planning Analyst, Wealth Manager. Additionally, students can start up their own businesses during the course with support from the University. (See a video featuring a recent graduate case study on this page.)