BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance (Accelerated) 2023/24

This course covers a broad range of areas including auditing, taxation, corporate finance, company law and economics, practical skills and professional body accreditation. Take a look at the detail below.

Year 1

• Finance and the Economy You’ll be introduced to a range of economic and financial topics and shows how these can be applied to understand the world around us. You’ll develop your understanding of the external environment businesses face, and aspects of finance relevant to the business context. The module aims to develop your understanding of the context in which modern business operates. Thus, enabling you to appreciate and apply simple economic concepts to facilitate business decision making in an increasingly dynamic and resource constrained global business environment. It further aims to equip you with the understanding of financial tools and markets and the knowledge to make financial decisions for your personal or professional lives. 
• The LSBU Discovery Project You'll utilise business project frameworks, problem solving skills and ideas generation techniques that will support you through the key stages required to complete a business project from concept to delivery. Throughout the stages of your project, and by incorporating a facilitated coaching process, you will be supported to develop key skills vital to successful leadership and management.  
• Elements of Financial Accounting This module will introduce you to the fundamentals of the regulatory framework of accounting together with the qualitative characteristics of useful accounting information. It will also develop knowledge and understanding of the underlying principles and methods used in the recording of financial data and preparation and presentation of financial statements. This module aims to build up your knowledge and understanding of the principles and concepts relating to financial accounting and, in so doing, to develop your technical proficiency in the preparation and interpretation of financial statements. 
• Management and Organisations You’ll be introduced to concepts of management in organisations, giving you an appreciation of the complexities of organisations, which affect employee the behaviour within them. You’ll learn about human resource management strategies to manage people in organisations, as well as key management, organisational behaviour and people management theories and practices. 
• Data for Decision Making In this module, you'll examine a range of ways of handling, analysing and presenting quantitative information.  The underlying theme is to look at data in a variety of forms, to determine the ‘story’ that this data is telling, and to use that ‘story’ to justify decisions. This module will  equip students with the quantitative skills necessary for them to be able to understand and analyse the information contained in numerical data, and to use this analysis to make business decisions. 
• Managerial Accounting You will learn about the basics of management accounting and how to apply your knowledge in various contexts. It will enable you to understand how to use a variety of management accounting techniques in supporting the management processes of planning, controlling and decision-making within organisations. It will cover cost accounting principles, conventions and practices as applied to the ascertainment of costs and the analysis, interpretation and presentation of cost information.   
• Legal Environment of Business
  The module will introduce you to the general principles of Business and Corporate Law as well as ethical behaviour and implication for accountants.  It also introduces you to the English Legal System and examines the general principles of English Law, which have a major impact in the business and legal environment in which accountants operate. 
• Financial Accounting and Reporting This module will build upon the Level 4 module, Financial Accounting and will introduce you to the conceptual and regulatory framework of financial reporting as well as ethical behaviour and implication for accountants.  The module will enable you to prepare, interpret and analysis financial statements for single entity and business combination in accordance with IAS and IFRS. Students who successfully complete the module should have a solid base from which to continue onto the Level 6 module, Corporate Reporting. 
• Finance in a Digital World  *New

Year 2

• Managing Business Performance
  This module will introduce advanced aspects of management accounting particularly to do with performance management within organisations that operate within competitive environments.  The module will help you understand the use of quantitative and qualitative information as well as cost, quality and process management systems used by organisations to measure and manage performance and implement optimal strategies in a changing and competitive environment.
• Taxation Practice
  This module introduces you to the UK taxation system. This includes the study of various different kinds of taxes, how these taxes are calculated and how HMRC works. The main taxes covered will be income tax for individuals (both employment income and income from self-employment), corporation tax, simple group structures, and value added tax. You will learn to not only calculate tax liabilities for these taxes but also to plan tax affairs to efficiently manage the taxes of individuals and companies. You will also learn the basic compliance requirements for both individuals and companies.
• Professional and Digital Skills
  This module provides comprehensive insights into graduate employability and your career development as an Accounting & Finance. It teaches you essential techniques of self-awareness building, career exploration, job search, succeeding in recruitment and selection processes and teamwork, enabling you to secure employment and thrive in the world of work. In addition, you will covers specific skills of particular relevance to Accounting & Finance students, with particular hands-on Excel and accounting software skills, and also knowledge of technological innovations such as Blockchain, cryptocurrency, and others. The module is taught as a mix of lectures, practitioner guest lectures, hands-on skills seminars and computer lab sessions. The portfolio assignment consists of two reflective pieces, encouraging you to embark on your own exploration and learning journey, relating the content covered in this module to and own individual career ambitions.
• Finance in a Digital World In this module, you will develop an understanding of the basic principles of contemporary finance and investment. It seeks to provide an elementary knowledge of the subject, simultaneously highlighting the essential links between accounting & finance concepts and practical financial management in a digital world. Through this, you will have a firm foundation in both the theoretical and practical aspects of financial decision-making in a digitised marketplace.
• Contemporary Audit: Principles & Practice
  This module introduces you to the concept of the auditing, assurance and internal audit function. It will examine the relationship between the statutory audit process, corporate governance, ethics and professional conduct. You will be given a firm foundation in the planning, risk assessment, audit testing and providing an audit opinion to a business entity. The main theme of this module is to explore the practical aspects of the auditing process and how this is applied to various business entities and how the audit process can assist businesses with their strategic business decision-making. The module will also consider the contemporary aspects of auditing such as social and environmental audit.
• Corporate Reporting
  This module builds upon the knowledge and skills gained in earlier financial reporting/accounting modules. It covers the preparation and analysis of financial statements for individual reporting entities and groups. The module also addresses key financial reporting standards including those relating to leases, revenue recognition, non-current assets, financial instruments borrowing costs and related parties and addresses theoretical issues such as earnings management and regulation of corporate reporting.
• Financial Decision Making
  This module is about managing the finance function in a business enterprise by making value-maximising financial decisions. Financial value is a function of cash, time and opportunity cost – all key factors that financial managers need to consider when allocating scarce resources to competing uses. Since value maximisation requires the optimum balance of return and risk, the management of risk will be an important theme of the module. You will be provided with a firm foundation in the theoretical as well as practical aspects of financial decision-making.

Choose three options from below:

• Advanced Financial Accounting and Reporting
  This module covers advanced aspects of accounting for business combinations and introduces you to some of the complex areas of financial reporting such as accounting for financial instruments, employee benefits, share options and integrated reporting. The module exposes you to the ethical and professional issues an accountant may face in practice and develops an understanding of how to deal with such issues. The module also exposes you to research on the usefulness of accounting information to investors and the use of accounting ratios to predict corporate distress.
• Advanced Taxation
  This module builds on the taxation principles and concepts introduced in the ‘Taxation Practice’ module. The module is optional and is suitable for those who want to further their knowledge of UK taxation system. The module is of applied nature and provides in-depth knowledge of the main income tax categories namely income tax for individuals, corporation taxes, capital gains tax for individuals, inheritance and trusts taxes, and value added taxes (VAT). 
• Corporate Finance and Risk Management
  The module aims to build on already existing knowledge of the fundamental theory and practice of finance, and provide you with the more advanced technical expertise required to apply these in the context of strategic financial decision making and risk management from the perspective of senior financial executives or consultants. It will also be useful for students seeking a firm grounding in advanced corporate and international finance as a basis for further study or research in the subject area.
• Strategic Leadership and Governance
  Effective design and implementation of organisational strategy depends on intelligent leadership and good governance. Underpinning this are the shared values of the leaders within an organisation. In a context of important technological and geopolitical change, this module explores the principles of sound strategy. And it emphasises the role of styles of leadership and forms of governance in achieving strategic direction. An important theme is the place of integrity and responsibility in a challenging and risk-laden business environment. You will be provided with a firm foundation in core theoretical ideas. You will also, through case studies and an applied coursework, be helped to develop the practical skills of strategy creation and implementation.  
• Organisational Risk and Controls
  Accounting & finance professionals have to be in a position to strategically develop a business and show an awareness of the various risk factors which can have an impact on this development. In addition, accounting & finance professionals have to evaluate the strategic position of the business against the external environment and the availability of internal resources, to identify feasible strategic options particularly in relation to risk management processes.
• Volunteering
  This module allows you to gain valuable volunteering experience while studying for an undergraduate degree. Volunteering adds significant value to your transferable skills and career development, it can also boost wellbeing and personal fulfilment in terms of social impact. Your are encouraged to access support from the Student Commercial Experience team, they will be able to signpost and highlight any opportunities both within the University, or offered by members of its professional network. However, responsibility for securing the volunteering opportunity ultimately lies with yourself, developing employability and job resourcing skills as part of the module offer.
• *New Financial Planning and Wealth Management
• *New Investment Analysis
• *New Forensic Accounting
• *New Global Finance and Technology

Professional qualification exemptions

Your career

Our BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance graduates work in an array of jobs and sectors. Many of our graduates decide to work in a practice whilst completing their professional qualifications. Accountants and finance professionals work in public sector organisations such the NHS and Universities, Banks such as Natwest and Lloyds, accounting firms such as PWC and E&Y, corporations as well as SMEs. You can choose a career in audit, tax, financial accounting, management accounting to name just a few options. We pride ourselves in accompanying our students throughout the degree and beyond, meaning that once you become an LSBU student we work with you to enable you reach your potential and follow the career that suits you.

Employability Service

At LSBU, we want to set you up for a successful career. During your studies – and for two years after you graduate – you’ll have access to our Employability Service, which includes:

• An online board where you can see a wide range of placements :part-time, full-time or voluntary. You can also drop in to see our Job Shop advisers, who are always available to help you take the next step in your search.
• Our Careers Gym offering group workshops on CVs, interview techniques and finding work experience, as well as regular presentations from employers across a range of sectors.

Our Student Enterprise team can also help you start your own business and develop valuable entrepreneurial skills.

In addition to lectures, seminars and tutorials, teaching methods include student presentations, group working, role playing exercises, hands-on computing and computer assisted learning packages. We’ll strengthen your interpersonal skills to help you establish a career in your chosen subject area by supporting you with a personal tutor and a student mentor.

Personal Tutoring

As an undergraduate student in LSBU Business School, your personal development and wellbeing is very important to us, so we have developed a personal tutoring system that is tailored to your individual and group needs.

Firstly, you will be allocated a personal tutor who will be available to you on a 1:1 basis as well as facilitating group personal tutoring sessions which will be designed to enhance your academic and personal development within your degree programme.

In addition to an allocated personal tutor, there will also be a personal tutor available ‘on call’ in a designated room, called ‘Talk’, for confidential 1:1 pastoral care meetings every day of the academic semester from 9am to 8pm. This personal tutor can be seen by appointment or within a few minutes in order to assist you with any concerns that you may have.

Our personal tutoring motto is that we want you to "Achieve, Succeed & Excel".

• A Level ABB or:
• BTEC National Diploma DDM or:
• ACCA: Foundations in Accountancy Intermediate Certificate in Financial and Management Accounting
• ICAEW: Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business
• AAT level 3 or:
• Equivalent Level 3 qualifications worth 128 UCAS points
• Access to HE qualifications with 24 Distinctions and 21 Merits or:
• Applicants must hold 5 GCSEs A-C including Maths and English, or equivalent (reformed GCSEs grade 4 or above).
• We welcome equivalent qualifications from around the world. English language qualifications for international students: IELTS score of 6.0 or Cambridge Proficiency or Advanced Grade C.

For more information, including how and when to pay, see our fees and funding section for undergraduate students.

Please check your fee status and whether you are considered a Home, EU or International student for fee-paying purposes and for our regulatory returns, by reading the UKCISA regulations.

See our Tuition Fees Regulations (PDF File 391 KB) and Refund Policy (PDF File 775 KB).

Possible fee changes

The University reserves the right to increase its fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions.

The fees for international students are reviewed annually and the University reserves the right to increase the tuition fees in line with the RPIX measure of inflation up to 4 per cent.

Scholarships

We offer several types of fee reduction through our scholarships and bursaries. Find the full list and other useful information on our scholarships page.

The individual fee for this course is shown above. For more information, including how and when to pay, see our fees and funding section for postgraduate students.

See our Tuition Fees Regulations (PDF File 391 KB) and Refund Policy (PDF File 775 KB).

We have a range of PhD Scholarships available in partnership with businesses and organisations; read notices of PhD studentships.