Program Overview

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Accounting and Finance with Foundation Year

Course Overview

Our Accounting and Finance Programme Team have been nominated for the PQ Magazine 2025 award for 'Accountancy College of the Year' in the public sector.

Our hugely rewarding and practical Accounting and Finance course develops the technical knowledge and professional skills required for a modern finance professional in a complex, dynamic world in which technical roles are increasingly automated.

You are taught by academics with professional experience as accountants, who support your personal development and help kick-start rewarding and fulfilling careers in multiple fields.

Throughout the course, you will develop a range of transferable abilities and professional practice skills highly valued by employers. These include critical evaluation, self-direction and problem-solving, as well as a sound grasp of analysis, presentations and negotiation techniques. Learning and teaching takes place in small class sizes to prepare you to work in management teams, and modules focus on applying theory to real business scenarios. You will also have the opportunity to attend occasional field trips during the course.

A Foundation Year is the perfect way to boost your academic skills, build your confidence and develop your wider subject knowledge so you can succeed at Winchester. This course offers an extra year of study at the start (Year 0) which leads onto a full degree programme (Years 1, 2 and 3) where you may choose to spend a year on a paid work placement before your final year.

In Year 0, you will study a set of modules from across the Faculty of Business and Digital Technologies which are designed to develop your academic and practical skills. This broader focus in your first year introduces you to studying at university level and provides you with a better understanding of Accounting and related subjects. You will also receive support to boost your academic skills to prepare you for the rest of your time at Winchester.

We tend to favour workshop-style sessions over lectures and you will have the opportunity to apply cutting-edge knowledge and skills to real life scenarios. Live briefs, simulations, role play and live case studies will be used to recreate workplace conditions.

What you need to know

Course start date

September

Location

Winchester campus

Course length

• 4 years full-time
• 5 years sandwich (with industry placement)

Apply

NN3X

Typical offer

48 points

Fees

From £5,760 pa (Foundation year)

Course features

• Develop a systematic understanding of current issues in accounting to meet the needs of a globalised profession in the 21st century
• Apply your advanced knowledge to real business scenarios
• Receive exemptions from selected professional examinations from the main accounting institutes depending on the choice of modules you study
• The BA (Hons) degree is Accredited by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

Course details

Our aim is to shape 'confident learners' by enabling you to develop the skills needed to excel in your studies here and as well as onto further studies or the employment market.

You are taught primarily through a combination of lectures and seminars, allowing opportunities to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups.

In addition to the formally scheduled contact time such as lectures and seminars, you are encouraged to access academic support from staff within the course team and the wide range of services available to you within the University.

Independent learning

Over the duration of your course, you will be expected to develop independent and critical learning, progressively building confidence and expertise through independent and collaborative research, problem-solving and analysis with the support of staff. You take responsibility for your own learning and are encouraged to make use of the wide range of available learning resources available.

Overall workload

Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, independent learning and assessment activity.

While your actual contact hours may depend on the optional modules you select, the following information gives an indication of how much time you will need to allocate to different activities at each level of the course.

Year 0 (Level 3): Timetabled teaching and learning activity

• Teaching, learning and assessment: 288 hours
• Independent learning: 912 hours

Year 1 (Level 4): Timetabled teaching and learning activity

• Teaching, learning and assessment: 288 hours
• Independent learning: 912 hours

Year 2 (Level 5): Timetabled teaching and learning activity

• Teaching, learning and assessment: 288 hours
• Independent learning: 912 hours

Year 3 (Level 6): Timetabled teaching and learning activity

• Teaching, learning and assessment: 240 hours
• Independent learning: 960 hours

*Please note these are indicative hours for the course.

Location

Taught elements of the course take place on campus in Winchester.

Teaching hours

All class based teaching takes places between 9am – 6pm, Monday to Friday during term time. Wednesday afternoons are kept free from timetabled teaching for personal study time and for sports clubs and societies to train, meet and play matches. There may be some occasional learning opportunities (for example, an evening guest lecturer or performance) that take places outside of these hours for which you will be given forewarning.

Assessment

Our validated courses may adopt a range of means of assessing your learning. An indicative, and not necessarily comprehensive, list of assessment types you might encounter includes essays, portfolios, supervised independent work, presentations, written exams, or practical performances.

We ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve module learning outcomes. As such, where appropriate and necessary, students with recognised disabilities may have alternative assignments set that continue to test how successfully they have met the module's learning outcomes. Further details on assessment types used on the course you are interested in can be found on the course page, by attending an Open Day or Open Evening, or contacting our teaching staff.

Percentage of the course assessed by coursework

The assessment balance between examination and coursework depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessed by different assessment modes is as follows:

Year 0 (Level 3)

• 83% coursework
• 17% practical exams

Year 1 (Level 4)

• 29% coursework
• 60% written exams
• 11% practical assessment

Year 2 (Level 5)

• 47% coursework
• 42% written exams
• 11% practical assessment

Year 3 (Level 6)

• 36% coursework
• 53% written exams
• 11% practical assessment

*Please note these are indicative percentages and modes for the programme.

Feedback

We are committed to providing timely and appropriate feedback to you on your academic progress and achievement in order to enable you to reflect on your progress and plan your academic and skills development effectively. You are also encouraged to seek additional feedback from your course tutors.

Further information

For more information about our regulations for this course, please see our Academic Regulations, Policies and Procedures.

Student satisfaction

As rated by final year undergraduate students in the 2017 National Student Survey, Accounting and Finance achieved greater than 90 % overall satisfaction.

Modules

Year 1

• Developing Academic Skills and a Sense of Vocation 40 Credits
• World of Business 40 Credits
• Responsible Business 40 Credits

Year 2

• Financial Accounting 30 Credits
• Management Accounting 30 Credits
• The Business Environment 30 Credits
• Discovering Your Subject 30 Credits

Year 3

• Research and Consulting Skills 30 Credits
• International Financial Reporting 30 Credits
• Financial Management 30 Credits
• Optional Modules Credits
  • Personal Income Taxation - 15 credits
  • Data Analysis - 15 credits
  • Financial Modelling - 15 credits
  • Business and Corporate Taxation - 15 credits

Year 4

• Investments & Financial Risk Management 30 Credits
• Advanced Financial Reporting & Analysis 30 Credits
• Optional Modules Credits
  • Strategic Performance Management - 15 credits
  • Audit & Assurance - 15 credits
  • Strategic Leadership and Governance - 15 credits
  • Digital Finance - 15 credits
  • Capstone Project: Dissertation - 30 credits
  • Capstone Project: Placement for Good - 30 credits
  • Capstone Project: Consultancy Project - 30 credits
  • Capstone Project: Start Up For Good - 30 credits

Entry requirements

UK

• 48 points
• Our offers are typically made using UCAS tariff points to allow you to include a range of level 3 qualifications and as a guide, the requirements for this course are equivalent to:
  • A-Levels: EEE from 3 A Levels or equivalent grade combinations
  • BTEC/CTEC: PPP from BTEC or Cambridge Technical (CTEC) qualifications
  • International Baccalaureate: To include a minimum of 1 Higher Level certificates at grade H4

International

• 48 points
• If English is not your first language, a formal English language test will most likely be required and you will need to achieve the following:
  • IELTS Academic at 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all four components (for year 1 entry)
  • We also accept other English language qualifications, such as IELTS Indicator, Pearson PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and TOEFL iBT

Tuition fees

2025/6 Course Tuition Fees

UK / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland	International
Foundation year	£5,760	£16,700

Additional tuition fee information

*(UK / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland) £5,760 for the 25/26 academic year. Subsequent years of study currently attract fees of £9,535 per academic year. Please see 3 year programme course page(s) for further details. Fees for future academic years will be determined in line with our Terms and Conditions. The fee is currently subject to a governmental fee cap for each academic year. It is our policy to charge tuition fees at the level of the cap set by the Government. If the cap set by the Government changes, then we may increase our Fees in line with governmental policy.

*(International) £16,700 for the 25/26 academic year. Fees for future academic years will be determined in line with our Terms and Conditions. We decide the annual level of increase of our Tuition Fees by taking into account a range of factors including the cost of delivering the course and change in governmental funding.

Additional costs

As one of our students all of your teaching and assessments are included in your tuition fees, including, lectures/guest lectures and tutorials, seminars, laboratory sessions and specialist teaching facilities. You will also have access to a wide range of student support and IT services.

There might be additional costs you may encounter whilst studying. The following highlights optional costs for this course:

Mandatory

• Volunteering and Placements: Students will incur travel costs on a mandatory volunteering placement in their Foundation Year (Year 0). Indicative cost: £5 - £30 per day

Optional

• Core Text: It is recommended that you purchase the latest editions of all of the core textbooks. Many of these texts relate to extensive online material for which you require an access code supplied with the textbook. It is possible for students to purchase second-hand copies where applicable. Indicative cost is £50 - £200 per year.
• Volunteering and Placements: You may incur travel costs on optional volunteering placements in the second or third year of study. Indicative cost is £5 - £30 per day.
• Smart Clothing: You may be expected to dress formally for oral assessments. Costs will vary depending on the students existing wardrobe. Indicative cost is £0 - £50.

Scholarships, Bursaries and Awards

We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course. To see if you’re eligible, please see our Scholarships and Awards.

Career prospects

Many of our Accounting graduates take up trainee accounting positions with accounting firms or departments and go on to become professionally qualified accountants. Others choose to enter a wide range of business careers such as banking, insurance, financial services and general management. Recent employers of accounting graduates include Deloitte, RSM, Ordnance Survey, Larking Gowen, Aztec Group and PKF Francis Clark.

The University of Winchester ranks in the top 25 in the UK for graduates in employment and further study according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2024, HESA.

Accreditation

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) all offer graduates of this programme exemptions from some professional examinations.

Pre-approved for a Masters

If you study a Bachelor Honours Degree with us, you will be pre-approved to start a Masters degree at Winchester. To be eligible, you will need to apply by the end of March in the final year of your degree and meet the entry requirements of your chosen Masters degree.