Accounting and Business Management BA Honours

Program Overview

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Accounting and Business Management BA Honours

Overview

This degree is designed to equip you with a unique set of accounting and managerial skills to analyse and evaluate company and industry trends. You’ll learn how to receive, interpret and communicate financial and other information in a globalised profession. Gaining a deeper understanding of how finances affect company performance, you’ll be better placed to help firms make effective business decisions. Upon completion of the degree, students will be eligible to apply for eight CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) exemptions and up to six ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants).

Course Structure

This degree combines general business knowledge with specialist financial analysis and reporting that helps inform and monitor business strategy. In each year of study, you will take a combination of core modules and one optional, which cover specialisms such as personal finance or international financial management, for example, or an elective module, which includes the Polylang languages programme.

Year 1

You are introduced to the functions of business organisations, the broader business environment, and key management skills and competencies, including information gathering and analysis, accounting, marketing and organisational behaviour. We consider business organisations – their purposes, structures and governance in a global context, together with cultural differences and ethical constraints. You’ll learn about basic management accounting concepts and deepen your understanding of company financial information, in particular how this information gets reported and analysed. Drawing on real-life data, you’ll be tasked with analysing the financial performance of an organisation of your choice.

Subjects of study may include:

• Accounting and Finance Fundamentals
• Fundamentals of Management Accounting
• Marketing for Finance and Accounting
• Organisational Behaviour for Finance and Accounting
• Quantitative Methods for Accountants

You will also have the opportunity to take one option module from: Creating and Managing an Online Presence, The Role of the Manager. You may also choose a foreign language as your option module.

Year 2

You’ll take financial statement analysis to the next level by analysing the annual report of a chosen real-life company. Applying a ratio analysis, you will provide recommendations to existing and potential investors and present your findings in the report. Management modules will also concentrate on developing key transferable skills more, such as looking into explaining the process of managing the project, evaluating the role of individuals in a company and how this can be used to plan a business better. You’ll learn to make decisions regarding overall resource management and how to influence a company’s future direction and strategies to add value.

Subjects of study may include:

• Financial Reporting and Analysis
• Intermediate Management Accounting
• Managing and Leading People for Finance and Accounting
• Project Management

Plus two options from: Corporate Governance, Digital Business for Finance and Accounting and other areas of business including languages.

Optional Work Placement/Study Abroad Year

Between Years 2 and 3, you can take an optional work placement or study year abroad. The work placement year is a one-year full-time business work placement.

Past students have completed placements in a variety of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and prestigious organisations, including Barclays Bank, British Airways, Disney UK, IBM and the National Health Service (NHS).

The study abroad year allows you to follow a programme of study at one of our partner institutions, giving you an opportunity to experience life in another country and learn Business from a different cultural viewpoint.

You can also choose to split your year abroad into a first semester exchange and a second semester work placement, both conducted overseas.

Year 3

We’ll look in-depth at financial information analysis, building your competence to use relevant and emerging technologies in the field of accounting and management. You’ll analyse detailed accounting information, including consolidated financial statements, making informed decisions and reviewing current research in the area of accounting. You’ll also explore the process of working in a team, applying personal and professional responsibility. Consolidating your learning, you will explore strategic leadership and assess the international environment of an organisation in the complex and unpredictable competitive environment of today’s turbulent economy.

Subjects of study may include:

• Accounting Theory and Practice
• Advanced Aspects of Management Accounting
• Financial Management
• Strategic Perspectives for Finance and Accounting

Plus two options from: Contemporary Issues in Accounting, Taxation and other areas of business including languages.

Programme Recognition

The Accounting and Business Management BA is accredited by CIMA, the world's largest professional body of management accountants. Students aiming to obtain the internationally recognized CIMA qualification can receive exemptions from eight exams upon successful completion. For those pursuing ACCA accreditation, the global body for professional accountants, the number of exemptions depends on your choice of optional modules and can be up to seven. Additionally, for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), four to five exemptions can be received depending on your choice of optional modules.

Entry Requirements

• A levels – BBC (112 UCAS Tariff points)
• T levels – 112 UCAS Tariff points
• International Baccalaureate – 112 UCAS Tariff points from all components of the Diploma Programme. International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme will be considered on a case-by-case basis
• BTEC Extended Diploma – DMM
• BTEC Diploma – DD
• Access – 112 UCAS Tariff points from the Access course

In addition to one of the above, you should have:

• GCSE English Language grade 4/C – IB grade 4 Higher Level, GCSE Maths grade 4/C – IB grade 4

If your first language is not English, you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 overall, with 5.5 in each component.

Fees and Funding

• UK tuition fee: £9,535 (Price per academic year)
• International tuition fee: £17,000 (Price per academic year)

Careers

This degree is designed to prepare you for a financial management and management accounting roles across all sectors of business, anywhere in the world. You will become a confident analyst and advisor, learning to interpret cost or profit figures produced by an accountant to support managerial decision making. You will graduate with knowledge and professional skills, and a heightened sense of commercial awareness that will be immediately transferable in a business environment. You could enter a wide range of business careers such as banking, insurance, financial services and general management. Many of our students go on to postgraduate study here and at a range of other universities.

Teaching and Assessment

Teaching methods across all our undergraduate courses focus on active student learning through lectures, seminars, workshops, problem-based and blended learning, and where appropriate practical application. Learning typically falls into three broad categories:

• Scheduled hours: examples include lectures, seminars, practical classes, workshops, supervised time in a studio
• Placement: placement hours normally include placement opportunities, but may also include live projects or virtual activity involving employers
• Independent study: non-scheduled time in which students are expected to study independently. This may include preparation for scheduled sessions, follow-up work, wider reading or practice, completion of assessment tasks, or revision

Assessments typically fall into three broad categories:

• Practical: examples include presentations, videos, podcasts, lab work, creating artefacts
• Written exams: end of semester exams
• Coursework: examples include essays, reports, in-class tests, portfolios, dissertation

Facilities

Our Marylebone Campus has benefited from a multi-million-pound refurbishment resulting in new workshops, digital studios and development of the Marylebone Library. The campus is home to Westminster Business School and our award-winning Architecture, Planning and Tourism courses.

Program Outline

Careers