Course overview

Accounting and finance are vital functions of any economy. The environment of ongoing change in which organisations now operate – a highly challenging and competitive economy and shifting geographical focus – requires individuals who can demonstrate analytical and numerical skills alongside commerical awareness.

To prepare you for your future career we have ensured this course is relevant to today's global economy and provides you with both theoretical and practical skills. Students on our finance courses benefit from training on the industry-standard Bloomberg system in our dedicated Bloomberg Suite.

We understand that students can find it difficult to choose which particular degree to study and so we have designed a common first year programme that is shared across a number of different courses. This gives you a broad-based understanding of a range of business subjects. It also allows you to transfer on to one of the other courses with the shared common first year should you find you develop an interest and career ambition in a particular subject area (see Course content Year one for further details).

Your skills will be enhanced during your placement year, which is the most involving type of work experience you can undertake during your studies.

Career focused

In addition to the placement year, 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.

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.

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, whereby students may be paired up with a practising accountant in the area to enable them to get real-world advice and feedback.

Course content

Year one

This common first year provides you with a broad understanding of how business operates. At the end of Year one you can, should you wish (and in consultation with the Head of Undergraduate Programmes), transfer on to any of the other courses which share the same common first year (although transfer to BA (Hons) European Business is subject to the language competence you will need for the overseas study elements).

The common first year is made up of the following subject areas:

• Business Accounting
• Business Environment
• Quantitative Methods and Data Analysis
• Marketing Principles and Practice
• Managing People in Organisations
• Operations and Systems

Courses sharing the common first year:

• BA (Hons) Business and Management
• BA (Hons) Business and Human Resource Management
• BA (Hons) Business Enterprise Development
• BA (Hons) Economics and Management
• BA (Hons) European Business
• BA (Hons) International Business
• BA (Hons) Marketing

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:

• Financial Reporting for Finance Pathways
• Corporate Finance
• Portfolio Theory
• 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

Placement year

This degree includes the opportunity to undertake a one-year placement working in a paid full-time role which offers progression and a suitable level of responsibility. You will return to your studies with contemporary business experience which will improve your ability to engage in debate and develop your strategic thinking. Our experience has shown that not only does relevant experience help you to obtain graduate employment (often within your placement company), it also improves academic achievement.

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 ensure you are as employable as possible upon graduation.

The Placements Office will support you during your placement search, the subsequent recruitment processes and when you have secured your placement and are working away from the University. If you’d like to know more about where our placement students are working, please click through to what our students say.

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 and management

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

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 courses at a higher level, 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.

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 Management for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).