Program Overview

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Professional Accounting MSc

Course Overview

This course is designed for accounting professionals who want to enhance their career prospects by gaining advanced knowledge and skills in key areas of accounting and finance.

What You'll Study

Our Professional Accounting MSc course aims to give you a competitive edge, providing advanced knowledge, practical skills and exemptions from CIMA and ACCA. Learn from experienced academics and industry experts, gain hands-on experience, and network with accounting and financial firms. Graduate ready to take on challenging roles in the accounting and finance professions.

Courses

• Strategic Financial Management – 30 credits
  • Gain insights into the financial strategies and decisions that drive successful organisations. Learn how to align financial goals with long-term visions, analyse key performance indicators and manage assets effectively. Delve into capital investment appraisal methods, cost of capital calculations and company valuation techniques. Explore the dynamics of mergers and takeovers and master the art of risk management in the global financial landscape.
• Strategic Performance Management – 30 credits
  • Become an expert in strategic performance management. Learn to analyse the business environment, make informed strategic choices and measure performance effectively. Explore advanced management accounting techniques, including activity-based costing and risk assessment. Gain insights into performance measurement frameworks like the Balanced Scorecard and understand the broader implications of accounting in diverse organisational contexts.
• Financial Reporting and Strategic Analysis – 30 credits
  • Gain the knowledge and skills to excel in financial reporting and strategic analysis. Learn to understand and supervise professional responsibilities related to financial reporting, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Develop the expertise to critically analyse corporate financial information and communicate effectively with stakeholders.
• Advanced Taxation – 30 credits
  • Dive deep into the complexities of the UK tax system. Learn to provide expert tax advice to individuals and businesses, mastering tax planning strategies and incentives. Sharpen your computational skills and develop the ability to offer clear, professional tax advice in various client scenarios.
• Audit, Assurance and Professional Ethics – 30 credits
  • Explore the intricacies of audit and assurance within the context of international standards and ethical frameworks. Gain a deep understanding of the regulatory environment, professional ethics, and practice management. Learn to plan and execute audits, assess risks, and evaluate evidence effectively. Develop the skills to form professional opinions, draft audit reports and stay abreast of emerging issues in the field.

Master's with Professional Practice

This is an extended master's course incorporating a 6-8 month period of professional practice. This will either be an on-campus simulated experience or a six-month external placement.

• Apply your academic knowledge and skills to a real-world project brief related to your field of study
• Gain valuable industry insights and skills as you combine academic learning with practical experience
• Start your professional practice after completing the first 120 credits of your course
• External professional placements must be sourced by the end of semester one, to start at the end of semester two. If you are unsuccessful at sourcing a six-month placement, you will automatically commence the on-campus simulated experience. You'll be assessed on your learning through the 60-credit Professional Practice Project (dissertation). This project will be linked to your professional practice experience

Master's with Professional Placement

If you successfully secure a placement in industry within your first semester, this master's with professional placement option allows you to extend your 12-month master's course up to an additional year to complete the placement before starting your final 60-credit module.

• Gain valuable industry insights and skills as you apply your academic knowledge and skills to a professional placement.
• The placement must be sourced and secured by you during your first semester. Our careers and employability team are available to support you with the sourcing process.
• Start your professional placement after completing the first 120 credits of your course.
• You'll be assessed on your learning through the 60-credit Professional Placement Project (dissertation). This project will be linked to your professional placement experience.

Dissertation – 60 credits

Apply key learnings through an in-depth research project on a chosen topic. You will be guided by an academic supervisor to identify a research problem based on a literature gap or a real-world organisational issue. Through independent research, you will select appropriate methods, critically evaluate findings, and deliver meaningful insights and recommendations.

Internship Project – 60 credits

Apply your knowledge and skills in a real-world setting. Through a supervised nine-week internship, you will work on challenging and hands-on projects with industry mentors. You should develop critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills, while building a strong professional network. Our dedicated careers and employability team will guide you every step of the way from internship sourcing and application to completion.

How You'll Learn

Teaching and learning methods may include:

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Tutorials
• Presentations
• Group projects
• Workshops

Teaching Contact Hours

As a full-time postgraduate student, you will study modules totalling 180 credits each academic year. A typical 30-credit module requires a total of 300 hours of study. Study hours are made up of teaching contact hours, and guided and independent study.

Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which could vary depending on the module.

Assessment methods may include:

• Reports
• Tests
• Exams
• Practical coursework
• Assignments
• Presentations

Entry Requirements

Typical entry requirements:

• UK
• International

An honours degree 2:2 or above (or international equivalent) in an accounting-related discipline, at least two years work experience in the accounting or finance sector or relevant professional qualifications.

English Language Requirements

• IELTS: 6.5 overall, with no component lower than 5.5.

Fees and Funding

Student | Full-time | Part-time
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UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man | £11,200
£13,000 (with professional practice)
£1,500 professional placement fee (if placement secured) | Not available
EU | £11,200 per year with EU Support Bursary**
£13,000 (with professional practice) per year with EU Support Bursary**
£1,500 professional placement fee (if placement secured) per year with EU Support Bursary**
£18,600 per year without EU Support Bursary**
£20,400 (with professional practice) per year without EU Support Bursary**
£1,800 professional placement fee (if placement secured) per year without EU Support Bursary** | Not available
International | £18,600
£20,400 (with professional practice)
£1,800 professional placement fee (if placement secured) | Not available

Facilities

Our MSc Professional Accounting students have access to a wide range of facilities to help them become proficient with some of the leading technology in the financial industry, and prepare for the world of work.

• Career and employability support
• Library services
• Bloomberg Suite

Careers and Opportunities

Successful graduates may seek positions as:

• Financial Analyst
• Auditor
• Tax Advisor
• Investment Banker
• Risk Manager
• Financial Consultant

Where Our Graduates Work

Successful graduates of this course have gone on to work for organisations including PwC, Deloitte, EY, KPMG, Lloyds Bank, NatWest, JD Sports and Sky Broadcasting Corporation.