Intro

Prepare for a senior leadership role within accountancy by combining a university qualification with your Chartered Certified Accountant study.

By following the ACCA’s syllabus for the Strategic Professional stage, you can graduate with a Masters degree or Postgraduate Diploma alongside studying the relevant modules required to become a Chartered Certified Accountant. In order to gain the ACCA qualification, you'll need to pass the ACCA's external exams.

Our Accounting ACCA programme is offered on a part-time and full-time basis. The part-time study option is available to UK (home) applicants only.

This course is an embedded Masters as accredited by the ACCA. The university is proud to be an ACCA Gold Learning Partner.

ACCA membership also provides you with access to the institute's resources, and the opportunity to network with senior professionals and executives.

The University of Brighton is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) – an accreditation achieved by fewer than 6% of business schools globally.

Find out about postgraduate events

Key facts

Location Brighton: Moulsecoomb

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 2 years

Accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

ACCA Gold Learning Partner

Apply online

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.

Apply now for your place

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

You will need to provide documentary evidence from the ACCA that you have passed/gained exemptions from all nine papers from the Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills stages (formerly papers F1-F9). The University of Brighton runs a Diploma in Professional Studies in Accounting for people who need to complete the Applied Skills stage papers (formerly papers F4–F9).

If you are already fully ACCA qualified (completed all ACCA papers) and are a UK student contact us (sbl-office@brighton.ac.uk) to discuss direct entry to the final stage of the MSc.

English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

ACCA student membership
You need to be a current registered student of the ACCA. It is advisable to apply for membership as soon as possible, since the process of obtaining membership takes much longer between September and December. Membership brings a number of advantages, including a subscription to Student Accountant magazine and practical online support.

For more information about ACCA student membership, registration and exemptions see www.accaglobal.com.

International students
Read our advice and guidance on applying for a visa, and ask us any questions you may have. Find out more about student visa applications.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language centre

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Course content

Course structure

You will be following the ACCA’s Strategic Professional papers as part of the Masters/Postgraduate Diploma qualification.

The Masters and Postgraduate Diploma are mapped to the ACCA’s two Strategic Professional essential papers as well as two of the ACCA Strategic Professional option papers.

On the Masters programme, in addition to the four modules, you'll be required to complete either a dissertation or a work placement project report. The report would be based on a 6–12 month work placement, which would extend the length of the course.

On the Postgraduate Diploma route, you complete four modules and a project report.

You'll be allocated a subject-specialist supervisor who will be available for support, advice, and to discuss your personal research needs for the dissertation or research project. There will also be opportunities to attend workshops that cover research methods, ethical issues, and to share ideas and strategies.

The ACCA will require you to have completed their Ethics and Professional Skills module, and have a minimum of three years' work experience before you can be fully qualified.

Syllabus

Core modules

Strategic Business Reporting
Strategic Business Leader
Dissertation or Work Placement Project

Options*

Two from:

Advanced Financial Management
Advanced Performance Management
Advanced Taxation
Advanced Audit and Assurance

*Please note we run two option modules from this list annually – one in each semester. The choice of option modules run annually may change depending upon timetabling and staff availability.

Flexible study

You can tailor the course to your individual strengths through your professional project or dissertation – focusing on an area you, or your current employer, is interested in.

The programme can be completed either full-time (two days per week over one year) or part-time (one day per week over two years). The part-time option is available to UK Home students only. Studying part-time allows you to choose the number of papers you take each year, meaning you can study at a flexible pace.

You have the option to graduate with a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting by completing a shorter professional project in place of a dissertation.

If you would like to just receive tuition only from the university for any of the professional papers (core essential and option) and sit exams directly with the ACCA, please email SBL-office@brighton.ac.uk for further information. More details about individual papers are available from the ACCA website.

Learning support

Online learning tools and libraries ensure academic journals, e-books, business articles and other resources are available to you 24/7, both for use at the university and at
home.

You will also have access to our Careers Service, including CV checking, mock interviews and advice on setting up your own business.

Course leader

Nigel Padbury

Nigel is a principal lecturer and the course leader on our ACCA Professional Accountancy programmes.

He is a qualified chartered accountant and spent a number of years working at KPMG followed by considerable experience in the commercial sector in various managerial roles.

Nigel joined the University of Brighton in 2013. In addition to his Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) qualification, he's also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Nigel’s main interests are corporate reporting, taxation, plus audit and assurance.

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Careers

Career prospects

An Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualification will help your career progress in any organisation. Employers worldwide will understand and respect your qualification. You will be in demand for your finance and accounting knowledge regardless of employment sector.

This qualification, subject to ACCA's practical experience requirements, enables you to become a chartered certified accountant.

ACCA accreditation

This course is accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Accredited as an embedded Masters programme, the course is recognised as aligning with the ACCA syllabus at the Strategic Professional level.

As an ACCA Gold Learning Partner, the university is recognised as providing high quality standards of tuition and excellent student support.

Our ACCA Accounting Postgraduate Diploma/Masters has been designed to run alongside the ACCA's Strategic Professional (Essential) papers and one of the ACCA option papers – enabling you to become a qualified accountant alongside your MSc Accounting.

To become fully qualified by the ACCA you will also need to complete the ACCA's ethics and professional skills module and have three years work experience.

Becoming a member of the ACCA means you will also benefit from access to networking events and online resources.

AACSB accreditation

The University of Brighton is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

AACSB accredited schools lead business and management education, industry engagement and impactful research and enable our students to collaborate with academics in other world-leading universities.

Currently fewer than 6% of business schools globally are AACSB accredited. By gaining AACSB accreditation, the university has achieved its ambition to join a group of institutions considered to be the best business schools in the world.

Work-related experience

JobTeaser
We are one of the first UK universities to use JobTeaser, a new online placements system presenting placement options in the UK and Europe. It gathers together all the job opportunities, events and resources you need to help you with your professional development.

Placement and recruitment events
Placement fairs are held twice a year involving companies from well-known names such as Enterprise-Rent-a-Car, Nike, BMW and IBM, through to smaller and more local businesses.

Our regular Employability Weeks offer activities designed to enhance your employability, including LinkedIn workshops, sessions on working abroad, advice from the university’s volunteering service and support from the Careers team.

Careers advice and support

Careers Service provides help and advice from the very start of your studies, on subjects including careers counselling sessions, CV checking, mock interviews and advice on setting up your own business. Find out more on our careers service website.

Mentoring scheme

Momentum is our award-winning mentoring scheme. It pairs students with professionals who wish to share their experience. Students and their mentors meet regularly to exchange ideas. The scheme helps students to develop new skills and enhance their career prospects.

Starting your own business

Beepurple is the university’s entrepreneurship support network. They offer free support for any student or graduate with their business ideas, freelance plan or social enterprise project.

Beepurple run events throughout the academic year, designed to equip you with skills that will improve your employability and help you grow a successful business.

By taking part in beepurple activities, you will meet like-minded people, hear how other recent graduates have set up their own businesses and gain key enterprise skills that will help you stand out from the crowd.

For more information visit beepurple.

Fees and costs

Course fees

MSc: UK (full-time) 10,500 GBP

MSc: International (full-time)15,900 GBP

Tuition for just the Strategic Professional stage papers (without completing the MSc or PGDip) is also available. Contact us for detail and fees at SBL-office@brighton.ac.uk.

Fees exclude study manuals and textbooks.

ACCA exam fees are applicable for your professional qualification and will need to be paid direct to the ACCA. Contact them for further details.

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2024–25.

Further tuition fees are payable for each year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees, including fee status, payment and refunds, in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included, while studying a course in the School of Business and Law in the 2022–23 academic year are listed here.

Students who choose to take an optional placement will have travel and living expenses. The cost of this depends on where and how long your placement is.
Textbooks are available from the university library (many as e-books) but you may wish to budget up to £200 to buy your own copies.
For the International Tourism Management BSc, International Tourism Management with Marketing BSc, International Event Management BSc, and International Event Management with Marketing BSc, field trips are an optional activity, but we do strongly advise participation as they contribute to the overall experience of studying this degree. The cost for field trips is not included in the tuition fee and must be paid for by students, however please be assured we do try to keep field trip costs to a minimum and don't anticipate the total cost of a few field trips each year to exceed £30. If you would struggle to meet this cost, there is a hardship fund that you may be able to access.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Two miles north of Brighton seafront, Moulsecoomb is our largest campus and student village. Moulsecoomb has been transformed by a recent development of our estate. On campus you'll find new Students' Union, events venue, and sports and fitness facilities, alongside the library and student centre.

Over 900 students live here in our halls, Moulsecoomb Place and the new Mithras halls – Brunswick, Goldstone, Hanover, Preston and Regency.

Moulsecoomb has easy access to buses and trains and to all the exciting things happening in our home city.

Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students. So if you applied for halls by the deadline you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence.

Brighton: Moulsecoomb

Halls of residence
We have self-catered halls on all our campuses, within minutes of your classes, and other options that are very nearby.

You can apply for any of our halls, but the options closest to your study location are:

Mithras Halls are stylish new high-rises in the heart of the student village at our revitalised Moulsecoomb campus with ensuite rooms for more than 800 students.
Varley Park is a popular dedicated halls site, offering a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices. It is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre, and is easy to get to by bus.

Want to live independently?
We can help – find out more about private renting.

Modern accommodation at Moulsecoomb

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Student Union social space at Moulsecoomb

Local area

About Brighton

The city of Brighton & Hove is a forward-thinking place which leads the way in the arts, technology, sustainability and creativity. You'll find living here plays a key role in your learning experience.

Brighton is a leading centre for creative media technology, recently named the startup capital of the UK.

The city is home to a national 5G testbed and over 1,000 tech businesses. The digital sector is worth over £1bn a year to the local economy - as much as tourism.

All of our full-time undergraduate courses involve work-based learning - this could be through placements, live briefs and guest lectures. Many of these opportunities are provided by local businesses and organisations.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Maps

Moulsecoomb campus map

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our Brighton Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more.

Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition.

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

Student views

James Field, winner of PQ Magazine's Accountant of the Year Award 2014

"I thoroughly enjoyed my time studying ACCA qualifications at Brighton and put down much of my success to my time there.

"I always enjoyed the interaction in the classroom, meeting like-minded people, making friends, bouncing ideas of each other and working as a team. Since a successful career in accountancy involves a high degree of interaction with colleagues and clients, I feel these softer skills are as important as the academic ones taught in the classroom.

"I liked the discipline and routine of the classroom. Being someone who can get easily distracted I knew that to remain focused I needed to be somewhere where I was away from such distractions and in an environment that would get my full attention.

"During my time on the course I was always impressed with the standard of teaching. Most of the tutors have clearly worked in the industry and I always found their life experiences and stories to be most useful, as they helped me to better understand and visualise the theory.

"I found the pace at which the course is taught to be well balanced in that it catered for students of all abilities. The tutors were also always keen to help, whether in the classroom or on a one to one.

"Furthermore I believe that much of my success is down to the fact that at the university you are not simply taught to pass exams – as is often the case with other learning providers – but to fully understand and comprehend the subject matter. I honestly feel that this deeper understanding helped fine-tune my skills and gave me the confidence to have the strength and conviction to put forward suggestions and ideas to my board, and to see through any such proposals.

"For anyone thinking of studying at the University of Brighton, the above average pass rates for the ACCA exams and its Gold Approved Learning Provider Status are both testament to the pride taken in ensuring that every student not only develops the skills to pass exams, but are suitably equipped for the challenges that lie after. I for one acknowledge the large part the university has had to play in my career and my recent success at the PQ Awards."

Stay in touch

Find out about postgraduate events

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

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Accounting (ACCA) MSc (PGCert PGDip)