Accounting and Finance MSc
MSc Accounting and Finance
See how you'll be taught in 2021/22 in our Covid information for applicants.
Overview
Accounting and finance experts are always in demand, so if you've studied a business discipline at undergraduate level – and have an eye for detail and the drive to succeed in a challenging business environment – our MSc Accounting and Finance degree course is the way to take your ambitions further.
You'll learn the key principles and practices of accounting and finance and examine how they affect global business. You'll also get transferable skills, such as analytical and problem-solving techniques that will be invaluable in any business environment.
You'll graduate from the MSc Accounting and Finance degree course with the skills needed for a successful career in the accountancy and finance professions, ranging from management accounting to corporate finance, as well as all the skills required to excel in business.
Accredited by
Entry requirements
MSc Accounting and Finance Master's degree entry requirements
Qualifications or experience
- A second-class honours degree in a relevant subject or equivalent qualification and/or equivalent professional experience
English language requirements
- English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.
If you don't meet the English language requirements yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.
What you'll experience
On this course, you'll:
- Learn how to write and interpret financial statements, to monitor, control and plan for the ongoing success of an organisation
- Understand accounting and finance from both a strategic and management perspective, ranging from business planning and strategic management accounting to corporate financial management and corporate governance
- Have the chance to use the University’s Bloomberg terminals to monitor and analyse financial market data movements and trades
- Improve your commercial skills with our business simulation software, with technicians on-hand to help out when needed
- Receive support and mentoring from staff – including our Study Support Tutors – in formal meetings and also via social media
- Tap in to our Library’s vast selection of electronic resources, which include 24-hour internet access and access to our online journals
Careers and opportunities
When you graduate, you'll be exempt from all five Certificate Level papers of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). Additionally, CIMA's 'Gateway' route gives MSc Accounting and Finance graduates the opportunity to sit one paper which combines their Management level papers P2, F2 and E2. If you complete this successfully, you'll also be exempt from all of CIMA's Operational level and Certificate level papers.
For the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), we currently have exemptions from Fundamentals Level papers F1 - F4.
What jobs can you do with an Accounting and Finance degree?
When you graduate, you'll be in a strong position to pursue a career in:
- Audit
- Financial accounting
- Management accounting
- Corporate finance
- Financial planning
- Insurance
- Banking
What you'll study on this MSc Accounting and Finance degree course
Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits.
You need to study modules worth a total of 180 credits. For example, 4 modules worth 30 credits and 1 module worth 60 credits.
Modules
Modules
Core modules on this course include:
- Financial Accounting
- Corporate Finance
- Statistics and Data Modelling
- Managerial Finance and Portfolio Theory
- Corporate Governance and Ethics
- Strategic Management Accounting
- Business Planning
- Business Valuation
- Dissertation
Optional modules currently include:
- Data Processing and Visualisation
- Behavioural Finance
Changes to course content
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn't run, we'll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
The University has helped me understand the accountancy and finance industry better. The thing that I consider to be unique about MSc Accounting and Finance is that the course is accredited which increases my employability. I have the chance to work on Bloomberg, which is a financial software, and get a certificate for my learning.
Work experience and career planning
We'll help you to identify voluntary roles and opportunities that will complement your studies.
When you complete this course, our Careers and Employability service can help you find a job that puts your skills to work in the accountancy and finance sectors.
After you leave the University, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.
Learning support
As well as support by faculty teaching staff and your personal tutor, you can use the University’s Academic Skills Unit (ASK).
ASK provides one-to-one support in areas such as:
academic writingnote takingtime managementcritical thinkingpresentation skillsreferencing working in groupsrevision , memory and exam techniques
Teaching
Teaching methods on this course include:
- lectures
- seminars
- tutorials
- practical sessions
- student presentations
- case studies
Teaching staff profiles
These are some of the expert staff who’ll teach you on this course.
Alan Graham, Senior Lecturer
Alan qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Touche Ross (now Deloitte), working in the areas of audit, tax and management consulting. In the following 15 years he held Financial and Accountant positions in the electronics and heavy manufacturing sectors.His research interests focus on pedagogical issues surrounding the teaching of writing skills, and ethics teaching for accountants. He's also interested in the role of the financial controller in business organisations, and the area of football finance.
Tat-Thanh Nguyen (Frank), Lecturer
Frank is the first ICAEW ( Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales ) Chartered Accountant qualified in Vietnam.He has extensive international work experience in various industries, including: accountancy (KPMG & PwC) and banking (Techcombank and Maritime). His research interests are the intersection of Accounting, Finance & Big Data, Machine Learning and Blockchain.
Christina Philippou, Course Leader
Christina qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PKF (now BDO), undertaking audits across a variety of business sectors, preparing financial statements, performing due diligence work and providing business services to SMEs.
She also spent 8 years working as a forensic accountant for Deloitte in London, including disputes and expert witness work, insider trading, and fraud risk reviews. Her research is in the areas of forensic accounting and sport governance.
How you'll spend your time
Each academic year is divided into 2 teaching blocks:
- September/October to December/January – teaching block 1
- January/February to May – teaching block 2
How you're assessed
You'll be assessed through:
- exams
- coursework
- presentations
You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.
You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.
Course costs and funding
Tuition fees (2021 start)
UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students:
- Full time: £10,700 (subject to annual increase)
- Part time: £3,570 (subject to annual increase)
EU students
(including Transition Scholarship)
- Full time: £10,700 (subject to annual increase)
- Part time: £3,570 (subject to annual increase)
International students:
- Full time: £17,600 (subject to annual increase)
- Part time: £5,870 (subject to annual increase)
Funding your studies
Find out how to fund your studies, including the scholarships and bursaries you could get. You can also find more about tuition fees and living costs, including what your tuition fees cover.
Applying from outside the UK? Find out about funding options for international students.
Additional course costs
These course-related costs aren’t included in the tuition fees. So you’ll need to budget for them when you plan your spending.
Additional costs
Our accommodation section shows your accommodation options and highlights how much it costs to live in Portsmouth.
You may have to read several recommended books or textbooks for each module.
You can borrow most of these from the Library. If you buy these, they may cost up to £60 each.
We recommend that you budget £75 a year for photocopying, memory sticks, DVDs and CDs, printing charges, binding and specialist printing.
If your final year includes a major project, there could be cost for transport or accommodation related to your research activities. The amount will depend on the project you choose.
Apply
Starting in September 2021
- Full time study (1 year)
- Part time study (30 months)
International students
If you're from outside of the UK, you can apply directly to us (above) or you can get an agent to help with your application. Check your country page for details of agents in your region. To find out what to include in your application, head to the how to apply page of our international students section.
If you don’t meet the English language requirements for this course yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.
Admissions terms and conditions
When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.
- Subject area
- Accounting, Economics and Finance
