Course overview

Accounting and finance are vital functions of any economy. In the UK alone, the financial services sector accounts for a larger proportion of national output than the manufacturing industry. This shift in demand reflects the UK's evolution into a service-based economy, which has accelerated in the last two decades. As the trend continues, this sector steadily employs more people and generates more wealth.

If you wish to use your analytical and numeric skills to pursue a career in commerce or if you wish to use your financial expertise to forge a career within finance and the financial services sector then our BA (Hons) Finance and Business degree is the course for you.

To prepare you for your future career we believe that your course must be industry relevant, give you the opportunity to build your CV and give you an opportunity to stand out.

Students on our finance courses benefit from training on the industry-standard Bloomberg system in our dedicated Bloomberg Suite.

Work placement

The BA (Hons) Finance and Business degree has the option to undertake a one-year placement working in a paid, full-time role consisting of continuous progression and a suitable level of responsibility.

A placement enables you to return to your studies for the fourth year with contemporary business experience enabling you to engage in debate and develop your strategic thinking. The indirect effect of which is a boost to your degree classification. Upon successful completion of this programme students can also obtain an external employability Senior Award from the City & Guilds Institute.

With employers now requiring graduates to have the key business competencies and experience alongside a good degree, work experience is more vital than ever. Due to its very nature a placement year is the best and most involving type of work experience you can do during your time at University. As such a placement will help insure you are as employable as possible upon graduation.

The PBS Placements Office will support you not only during your placement search and the subsequent recruitment processes, but also once you secure your placement and are working away from the university.

Don’t just take our word for it though; read what our students say.

Career focused

The entrance criteria of this degree have been designed to comply with the requirements of the major accounting firms' graduate programmes.

Competent students can have the opportunity to apply their skills to real-life practical problems as part of the department’s partnership scheme with local charities. Recent projects have included re-design of financial reporting systems and identification of weaknesses in financial control over a network of charity shops.

Links with the profession

We constantly work to build and maintain our links with accounting and finance professionals, which brings practical benefits to our students. One example is our professional mentoring scheme, by which level two and three students may be paired up with a practising accountant in the area to enable them to get real-world advice and feedback.

Counselling

We are proud to be able to offer some students the opportunity to train as financial counsellors, and use their new skills to help others. In particular, each year a small number of students train as Citizens Advice Bureau counsellors in order to specialise in offering debt advice to the population of Portsmouth.

Course content

Year one

In your first year, all units are core and common to all of the undergraduate accounting and finance degrees. Finance does not exist in a vacuum; to apply and fully understand the techniques and concepts that you will study in your second and third year you will need an appreciation of the other key business disciplines. The units you will study during your first year provide those firm conceptual and technical foundations which form the essential base for your development.

They include:

• Principles of Financial Accounting
• Quantitative Methods for Finance Pathways
• Toolbox for Finance Professionals
• Principles of Finance
• Business Law for Finance Pathways
• Economics for Businesss

Financial skills workshops will also help you get the most from your course.

Year two

The second year has a very different feel. Alongside the core elements of your degree, you will now be able to choose from a range of interesting optional units. The rationale is to give you the choice to tailor your study for your interests and career choice.

Core units include:

• Human Resource Management
• Financial Reporting for Finance Pathways
• Corporate Finance
• Portfolio Theory
• Human Resource Management
• Managing Business Relationships

Optional units include:

• Personal Finance
• Professional Advisor
• Accounting Packages
• Information Systems
• Taxation for Finance Pathways
• Financial Crime and Fraud Investigation
• Management Science
• Language

Work placement

Our Placements Office will support you in maintaining and developing business contacts, advise you of vacancies and help you prepare for interviews and other selection methods. Please refer to Course Overview for further information.

Final year

This year represents the culmination of your studies. You will undertake a project or dissertation, which allows you to carry out an in-depth investigation of a subject of your own choice. Optional unit choices will enable you to further tailor your degree to meet your own interests and needs.

Core units include:

• Behavioural Finance and the Psychology of Investment
• Strategic Management
• Enterprise World Futures
• International Financial Management

Optional units include:

• Dissertation (Accounting)
• Work-based Financial Project
• Independent Study for Accountants
• International Accounting

Additional optional units

We constantly review the options on offer to ensure topicality.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching and learning are usually undertaken in lectures or workshops supported by smaller group seminars, tutorials and practical sessions. Extensive use is made of information technology and other teaching innovations. Staff research and consultancy expertise also actively contribute to the relevance of the programme.

You will encounter a range of assessment methods. Many units use a combination of formal examinations and coursework assessment. Coursework can be the analysis of topical case studies, written reports or essays and formal presentations. The assessed work you complete from the start of the second year onwards can count towards the class of degree you will be awarded.

The University goes to great lengths to ensure all students have an excellent learning experience. Courses are managed by teams of academic and administrative staff who work together to provide a high level of support.

Each course has a course leader who will maintain a close relationship with you throughout your studies. They are also supported by a number of tutors and the University has a range of additional support facilities such as the Academic Skills Unit, the Maths Café, Careers and Recruitment unit and counselling that you can access if you need to. You will be assigned a personal tutor who will give you general support and act as the first point of contact for any problems.

In addition, if English is not your first language, there are free courses available to help familiarise you with the use of English for academic purposes.

Career prospects

Careers in finance

Finance is the UK's competitive advantage. Because of this, the range and variety of roles available to numerate, commercially astute and dedicated graduates reflects the UK's role as the bank of the world. Sectors within finance include:

• Commercial banking
• Corporate finance
• Financial planning
• Insurance
• Investment banking
• Money management
• Real estate

Careers in management and commerce

If you wish to widen your focus to industry and commerce in fields such as operations, consultancy and general management, this highly numerate and practical degree will put you ahead of the game.

Postgraduate opportunities

Many students have also gone on to do taught or research-based courses at a higher level. The University of Portsmouth is an Accredited Centre for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The Department of Accounting and Finance has developed a range of interesting and relevant postgraduate courses such as the MSc Forensic Accounting and MSc Finance. There are plenty of research opportunities at Portsmouth, which you can explore when you join us.

What our alumni are doing now

Emma Lockley
Course: BA (Hons) Accounting with Finance
Current position: ACA graduate trainee, Menzies Chartered Accountants

'I like the fact that my job is very challenging and gives me the opportunity to work on various different aspects of accounting from accounts preparation to taxation and audit. My job gives me the opportunity to meet new people and travel to various different companies to carry out audits. This position also involves studying towards my ACA qualification, so I am able to revise and take my exams while completing valuable work experience which allows me to put all of this into practice.'

Luke Freeman
Course: BA (Hons) Accounting
Current position: Account Manager, Tennyson Fund Solutions

'The degree followed the structure of the ACCA qualification closely, meaning I found it easier than most when it came to my professional studies. It also combined practical experience with the year in industry, which helped a great deal. Most importantly, the University and course had some fantastic fellow students and lecturers which always helps...

...Being a startup company means that my role is varied, being involved in all aspects of the running of the company. It also means that I have a great deal of freedom in moulding my role into what I want it to be. I am also in the hedge fund world, an industry difficult to get into and very innovative as the industry grows, which is exciting.'

Linda Luu
Course: BA (Hons) Accounting
Current position: Financial Accountant, Paragon Insurance

'I loved my time at Portsmouth; maybe it was the course, the sea, I have never really thought about it. I was lucky - for my placement I worked for one of the world's largest engineering companies in France. When I left Portsmouth I knew that I wanted to work in the City. It's very social; you could be out every night of the week if you had the energy.'

Jennifer Cave
Course: BA (Hons) International Finance and Trade
Current position: Barclays Capital Money Markets Middle Office

'I studied international finance and trade. The course was varied and not focused on one area. I now work in the money markets middle office for Barclays in Canary Wharf and I will start studying for my Chartered Financial Analyst exams soon.'

Kirsty Smith
Course: BA (Hons) Accounting with Business Law
Current position: Graduate scheme, VT Group PLC

'I love my job. I still don't know exactly what I want to do, so the graduate scheme enables me to develop my career every six months. I get huge support and development as well as being able to study my MSc part time. The company is very diverse, so I get to work in a multitude of cultures with different customers, and divisional aims. For the past six months I have been working with fire brigades and I am now going to work in the nuclear industry - hugely different jobs and fairly different roles, but the opportunity to do that is amazing. I would thoroughly recommend VT as a company to work for to everyone.'

Sonia Brandon
Course: BA (Hons) International Finance and Trade
Current position: Senior Lecturer, University of Portsmouth

'I left Portsmouth in 2001 after doing both an undergraduate and postgraduate degree within the Department. I then started my ACCA exams whilst working as an analyst for one of the major tour operators. However, I loved the theoretical aspect of my studies and when I had an opportunity to come back to Portsmouth as a lecturer, I jumped at the chance.'

Facilities and features

The University has substantially invested in modern facilities. You will attend lectures in the purpose-built Richmond Building, where the Business School is located. Our lecture theatres are equipped with the latest multimedia audiovisual equipment and we have a computer drop-in centre equipped with state-of-the-art computers and software.

The University Library is at the centre of academic life and is only a short walk away. Open from 8am until midnight every day during term-time, it provides a variety of information to help with study and research.

The Library has also invested heavily in the purchase of electronic resources. There are thousands of electronic journals and ebooks which can be accessed across campus, from home or wherever there is an internet connection.

For international students we have a dedicated team of advisors to support you as you settle into life in Portsmouth and at the University. One of the team almost certainly has direct experience of your culture and may even speak your language.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) Finance and Business for the academic year 2012/13 (opens in new window).