Diploma in Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance

Program Overview

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Diploma in Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance

Overview

The Online Diploma in Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance is run wholly online and provides students with introductory knowledge to four key finance and accounting areas. These are Finance management, Financial accounting (including Sage), Management accounting and Business management and administration. It is taught in recorded weekly scheduled classes, using a cloud based app that works on any device. In addition students will have access to the Moodle learning management system that brings the class and teacher together for activities and access to resources. It can also act as a gateway to further academic qualifications.

Programme Aims and Objectives

The Online Diploma in Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance aims to provide students with both academic knowledge and practical management skills. Students will apply appropriate academic theories and concepts to a range of business and management issues. During the course, students have the opportunity to add value to both their employers and themselves on a daily basis. In addition to providing a comprehensive knowledge of the major financial disciplines, the programme is designed to ensure that students will have the widest range of career and further education opportunities open to them upon completion.

Timetable

The provisional timetable is available upon request.

Assessment

Assessment for the DBS Online Diploma in Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance will be conducted through 100% continuous assessments. There will be 2 CAs during the course.

DBS Student Facilities

• Online Learning Environment - is an eLearning system designed to provide you with a range of course material, interactive education sessions, and is home to your virtual online classroom which will enhance and support your learning experience within DBS.
• DBS Online Library - The Online Library provides a programme of introductory videos and virtual classroom sessions in the areas of Library resources, essay writing skills, avoiding plagiarism and referencing to assist you in your studies. These will be facilitated through the DBS Online Learning Environment prior to your commencement on the Diploma programme.
• DBS Virtual Community of Learners – You will become part of DBS Online’s Virtual Community of Learners where you can network and share with your fellow online students.

Programme Content

The programme will introduce you to four accounting areas:

1. Finance
2. Financial accounting
3. Management accounting
4. Business management

Finance will include:

• Understanding and managing working capital
• Interpretation of Accounts (Ratio analysis)
• Financing of businesses
• Capital investment

Financial accounting will include:

• Introduction to the theory of financial accounting
• Introduction to accounting on ‘Sage’

Management accounting will include:

• Introduction to cost terms
• Inventory valuations
• Budgeting

Business management will include:

• Business legal structures
• Payroll systems (Thesaurus)

Structure

The Diploma in Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance will run wholly online including workshops, tutorials and programme assessment.

Technical Requirements for DBS Online Diploma Programmes

The virtual learning environment that we use to deliver these programmes is centred around two applications – Moodle (a learning management system) and Zoom (an online classroom).

• Moodle provides the information about the course, the lecturer and the timetable. You will find materials and activities here, as well as links to the live sessions
• Zoom is an online collaboration tool that enables both the lecturer and the students to interact with each other and the materials being presented on the whiteboard

To use Moodle you will need:

• A desktop or laptop PC or Mac, a tablet, iPad or mobile phone
• Any internet browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer, Safari etc.) or either the Apple or Android app for your tablet, iPad or mobile phone
• Materials are normally PDF, Word or PowerPoint documents. If you do not already have apps that can open these files, these can be made freely available to you for the duration of the course

For the live classes in Zoom it is important that you are able to both see and hear the class, and to be able tointeract with the other participants. For this you will need to have:

• a microphone
• speakers
• a webcam

Most modern devices come with all of these built in. If yours does not have all of these (or it is broken) there are a few options you can explore:

• Use the Zoom app on your mobile phone to attend classes
• Purchase an external webcam with a built in microphone (these are available from around €15)
• Purchase a headset with a microphone (also around €15)
• Use a combination or your PC and phone by dialling in to the Zoom session for the audio (numbers available for most countries)

Career Progression Opportunities

On completion of the programme students will have the knowledge and skills required to work and assist in a variety of finance, accounting and management roles. The content of the programme can also enhance the career profile of non-business candidates, as it will demystify finance. It can also be beneficial for small business owners to gain an understanding of the workings of financial accounting, finance and management accounting. For some students, this programme is also a gateway to further finance studies, up to and including a professional accountancy qualification.

Student Profile

This programme is suited to professionals with little or no finance knowledge who want to start a career in this area. It is also suitable for aspiring or newly appointed managers and self-employed interested in enhancing personal performance. The online availability makes this course suitable for people already busy with work or family commitments.

Fees

The fee for the Diploma in Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance is €1,500. This is inclusive of tuition, registration, exam fees and DBS library membership. This fee must be paid in full before the course begins.

Next Steps

The course is scheduled to start in September 2025 and will run for 12 weeks. The course will be delivered online, with one online class per week and one weekly podcast.