MSc INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE

Overview

Mode	Duration	Start date	Application code	Application method
ModeFull-time	Duration24 months	Start dateSeptember	Application code3466	Application method Direct to LSBU
ModeFull-time	Duration15 months	Start dateJanuary	Application code5332	Application method Direct to LSBU

International students

The course is not currently open to international students.

International (non Home) applicants should follow our international how to apply guide.

Home/EU applicants

Mode	Duration	Start date	Application code	Application method
Mode Full-time	Duration 24 months	Start date September	Application code 3466	Application method Direct to LSBU
Mode Full-time	Duration 15 months	Start date January	Application code 5332	Application method Direct to LSBU

Postgraduate students and research students should apply through our dedicated application system. Full details of how to do this are supplied on our How to apply section for postgraduate students and our How to apply section for research students.

See our admissions policy (PDF File 1,043 KB) and complaints policy (PDF File 516 KB).

Accommodation

Students should apply for accommodation at London South Bank University (LSBU) as soon as possible, once we have made an offer of a place on one of our academic courses. Read more about applying for accommodation at LSBU.

Finance

It's a good idea to think about how you'll pay university tuition and maintenance costs while you're still applying for a place to study. Remember – you don't need to wait for a confirmed place on a course to start applying for student finance. Read how to pay your fees as a postgraduate student.

Postgraduate Application Service

Book a session with one of our specialist Postgraduate Advisors. Over a one on one Advice Session they'll advise you on postgraduate degrees at LSBU that match your interests and experience.

Prepare to start

We help our students prepare for university even before the semester starts. To find out when you should apply for your LSBU accommodation or student finance read How to apply tab for this course.

Enrolment and Induction

Enrolment takes place before you start your course. On completing the process, new students formally join the University. Enrolment consists of two stages: online, and your face-to-face enrolment meeting. The online process is an online data gathering exercise that you will complete yourself, then you will be invited to your face-to-face enrolment meeting.

In September, applicants who have accepted an unconditional offer to study at LSBU will be sent details of induction, which is when they are welcomed to the University and their School. Induction helps you get the best out of your university experience, and makes sure you have all the tools to succeed in your studies.

Read more about Enrolment and Induction.

Suggested reading

• Alexander,Britton and Jorissen. (2011). International Financial Reporting & Analysis.5th edition. South Western - Cengage Learning.
  Hillier, D, Ross S. A., Westerfield R. W., Jaffe J., Jordan, B. (2011). Corporate Finance, European Edition,McGraw-Hill.
  Cottrell S. (2005). Critical Thinking Skills: Developing effective analysis and argument, Palgrave MacMillan, New York, New York, USA.

You could also read background material on:

• International Financial Reporting Standards
• Financial Analysis
• Look at the on-line annual report of a FTSE 100 company.

You could visit the following websites to read current issues in International Banking, Investment and Finance

• www.economist.com
• www.liffe.com
• www.marketeye.co.uk
• www.bankofengland.co.uk
• www.imf.org
• www.cme.com
• www.yahoofinance.com
• www.bloomberg.co.uk
• www.ftse.com
• www.globalinvestor.com
• www.fsa.gov.uk
• www.isda.com

All modules are assessed by a mix of coursework, individual and group presentations and written exams. A typical 20 credit taught module involves a total of 200 study hours (52 contact hours and 148 group and private study hours).

The use of Bloomberg is embedded within modules

Core modules

• Audit Risk This module equips students to develop their knowledge and understanding of the process of carrying out the assurance engagement and its application in the context of the professional regulatory framework. This module will make students critically evaluate the nature and purpose of internal audit and describe its role as part of overall performance and its relationship with external audit. In addition, this module will explore the evaluation of information systems, internal controls, audit evidence, audit planning and the audit report.
• Consultancy, Enterprise and InnovationThis module is designed to develop students' awareness of entrepreneurial mindsets and management consultancy skills. They will perform business evaluation analysis and consultancy assignments on business cases. The module will present and consolidate principles of company inception and consulting drawn from contemporary practices, specific tools, methods, and approaches designed to create and diagnose organizations, develop implementations, evaluate options, and effectively communicate objectives/recommendations. The students will look at the companies from 2 perspectives: the entrepreneur and the consultancy one.
• Corporate Financial ManagementThe module deals with the theory and techniques of making value-maximising investment and financing decisions based on key factors such as cash, risk and time. It also incorporates the study of the economic environment in which such decisions are taken and addresses other specialised areas such as the profit distribution decision, merger and acquisition strategy, management of working capital and international financial management. It applies concepts and theories that are central modern financial management.
• Financial Reporting This module develops skills in the comprehension and application of accounting standards as related to the preparation of financial statements. The module covers the preparation of financial statements for individual reporting entities. Key technical aspects of corporate reporting are addresses, theoretical issues such as earnings management and the arguments for and against regulation of corporate reporting.
• Theories and Issues in Accounting and Finance
  The purpose of this module is to develop the higher-level cognitive skills required at postgraduate level, and the inquisitiveness about current issues in the subject area that is required from the reflective practitioner. This is achieved through emphasis on scholarly reading and research, introducing students to current developments in the theories of accounting and finance, including the major approaches to financial management and environmental accounting.
• Research Methods
  This module introduces students to the research process and the mind-set of the researcher.  In this module, students will identify potential topics for their Capstone Projects and identify a research problem. They will then map a suitable research question(s) and edit and refine their questions in order to express clear research questions and objectives. They will support their research questions by making use of the relevant literature and theoretical concepts. This Module then focuses on the nature, approaches, methods, tools and techniques of research within relevant disciplines from the business environment.  In doing so it attempts to develop the skills and knowledge required to complete a capstone project where the emphasis of the research is in improving aspects of business process and business practice. Thus, the module is practically oriented towards the completion of a research proposal that will form the basis of the final practice-based project module.

Optional modules

• Big Data Analytics
  Big Data analytics include tools and techniques from Data Science, for the transformation of raw big data into meaningful and actionable information for business analysis. Every major industry has powerful transaction-oriented systems, which stores the big data gathered from daily operations into repositories. To remain competitive, enterprises need the ability to rediscover and utilise the big data they already hold. The module will provide students with the skills to derive insights from a pool of big data available, delivering precise, actionable and timely inputs for decision making.
• Digital and Social Media Marketing
  This module provides a practical introduction to digital and social media technologies (such as Twitter, Facebook, connected devices – the internet of things and affiliate networks) and their application within marketing. The module examines the key characteristics of digital and social media, identifies the theoretical underpinnings such as issues of trust and customer engagement together with trends and usage patterns to provide a framework through which to understand and evaluate them. In addition, the module examines the legal and ethical considerations that marketing in a digital world raises.
• Everyday Sustainability for Business
  Sustainability, CSR, ESG are all consistent topics in business management and this module introduces the student to addressing these issues in a practical, integrated and coherent manner. The contents of the module reflect this by looking at everyday sustainability from a project’s conception to the end of life. The module contents are delivered with references to current events as they evolve and invites the students to draw their own conclusions to how current events impact on everyday sustainability and how to address problems arising from changing business demands.
• Global Operations and Logistics
  The global market-place is typified by new and changing trade agreements, advancing ICT, product and service innovations, improved transport and shipping within a constantly changing regulatory environment. This module introduces students to the ways in which logistics management adds value to the flow of materials into and through manufacturing facilities, and to the distribution of products to consumers as firms endeavor to remain competitive. The module places emphasis on recent trends in the globalisation of the operations and logistics function, and explores the scope of alternatives  in; organising international production and distribution, alternative strategies for competing in the global marketplace, the advantages of locating manufacturing facilities abroad, and which products should be allocated to offshore facilities.
• Governance and Leadership
  The module examines the area of governance and leadership within organisations in the broad context of the agency relationship and focuses on the respective roles and responsibilities of directors and officers to organisational stakeholders. The module explores internal review and feedback to implement and support effective governance and leadership. The module also assesses key aspects of responsible management and covers personal and professional ethics, ethical frameworks – and professional behaviour and conduct in a variety of contexts.
• Managing Virtual Work
  The module enables course participants to understand the specifics of managing different aspects of virtual work, such as distributed teams, remote employees, remote clients or collaboration partners, and organisations that are entirely virtual. One of the important aspects is the switches between off-site and on-site work that most people do in today’s work environments and its implications for perception and behaviour for both employees and management.
• Investment Management and Behavioral Finance
  This module is designed to provide students with an understanding of the theory and practice of investment management, particularly as it relates to the UK. The coverage will include portfolio creation and management, asset allocation and stock selection, and portfolio performance measurement, including the use of benchmarks and their relationship with performance targets and portfolio risk. Building upon the established, conventional principles of finance and then moves into psychological principles of behavioural finance focusing on contemporary issues. Errors and bias permeate the entire financial landscape affecting individual investors, institutional investors, analysts, portfolio managers, currency traders, financial executives amongst others. Students will understand how human behaviour impacts on the decision making of financial agents.
• Organisational Risk Management and Internal Controls
  The module explores internal review, control, and feedback to implement and support effective governance, including compliance issues related to decision-making and decision-support functions. The module also examines the whole area of identifying, assessing, and controlling risk as a key aspect of responsible management.
• Short Internship All students have the option to study for a 20 credit 4 weeks Internship (instead of taking two 10 credit optional modules). This module allows the student to gain valuable work experience while studying for a master’s degree. Responsibility for securing the work placement lies with the student; however, the student is supported by the School of Business Employability and Student Commercial Experience teams, both during the search process and when the student is actually working. The work placement should have some direct bearing on what the student is studying: for example, a student studying MSc Marketing would be expected to secure an internship with some connection – however weak – with aspects of marketing within the business community.
• Capstone Business Project
  This capstone, independent research project draws upon the students’ skills and knowledge gained thus far enabling application of learning to a scenario resulting in added value to an organisation and creating real world impact. This student driven project must address a current issue or opportunity in an organisational or industrial context.  Projects can relate to a student’s current role or students can use this opportunity to deepen their knowledge of different sectors or organisations thus make connections utilising the project as a vehicle to impress future employers creating a possible stepping stone to their next job. Alternatively they may wish to investigate possible entrepreneurial opportunities.

Facilities

Specialist industry software prepares our students with the digital skills that employers' value. Students on our programmes have access to Bloomberg, SAGE, FAME, NVivo, and SPSS.

Read more about LSBU Business School's specialist facilities and software.