Accounting and Finance MSc

MSc Accounting and Finance

postgraduate student sitting outside university campus

UCAS Code

Non-UCAS

Mode of Study

Part-time, Full-time

Duration

1 year full-time, 30 months part-time

Start Date

September 2019

Accredited

Yes

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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

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 module worth 30 credits and 1 module worth 60 credits.

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

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.

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.

Emine Trampova, MSc Accounting and Finance

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 writing
note taking
time management
critical thinking
presentation skills
referencing
working in groups
revision, 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 to December – teaching block 1
January 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.

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.

Course costs

Tuition fees (2019 start)

UK/EU/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students:

Full time: £10,200 (subject to annual increase)
Part time: £3,400 (subject to annual increase)

International students:

Full time: £14,700 (subject to annual increase)
Part time: £4,900 (subject to annual increase)

Tuition fees terms and conditions

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

Apply for this course using our online application form.

International students

If you're from outside of the UK, you can apply directly to us 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.

Admissions terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study with us, you also agree to our terms and conditions as well as the University’s policies, rules and regulations. You should read and consider these before you apply.

Contact Information