Accounting and Finance BSc(Hons)

Course structure

In your first year, you will acquire core knowledge and skills of accounting and finance, as well as basic principles of economics.

In your second year, you will learn about the transformation of financial reporting and accounting using modern management information systems, and through case studies you will also learn the fundamentals of business ethics, corporate governance and basic principles of corporate taxation.

As you progress, the flexibility of this course allows you to tailor your learning to your interests through option modules, many of which attract exemptions from professional bodies.

You can choose to take a paid placement year between your second and third year, which allows you to put your learning into practice and improves your skills and employability.

In your final year, you will become more critical and analytical in your thinking, applying your skills to problem solving whilst also focusing on key subjects of your choice.

Learning is delivered through a stimulating mix of seminars, academic and industry lectures and workshops. You will mainly be assessed through group work, presentations, exams and essays.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. If you apply to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through Student View.

Year 1

In your first year, you will be introduced to the core disciplines of economics, finance and accounting.

Modules

• Fundamentals of Accounting

  This module introduces the concepts, principles and techniques of financial and management accounting, essential to the world of business and finance. You'll develop a foundation of knowledge enabling you to develop a further understanding of basic accounting data flows within an organisation, as well as preparation of financial and managerial reports.

• Intermediate Accounting

  Building on what you've learned in Fundamentals of Accounting, you'll further develop knowledge of preparing and interpreting company accounts for internal and external stakeholders. You'll also begin to develop a framework of accounting data flows, used to assist planning, decision-making, performance measurement and control.

• Economics

  You'll gain the relevant economic tools for the understanding of economic principles and key related concepts and their relationship with micro and macro economic issues.

• Financial Skills

  This module will provide you with insights to a wide range of mathematical techniques in order to develop and enhance your capacity for solving practical problems. The areas covered include arithmetic, algebra with elements of pre-calculus, probabilities and statistics.

• Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management

  This module will introduce you to a range of concepts, principles and theories that have been adopted within the study of organisational behaviour and human resource management.

  This module will provide you with a grounding for understanding how people are managed and organised in the workplace.

• Academic and Professional Skills

  This module will provide you with the underpinning skills and strategies required to study successfully at undergraduate level as well as developing attributes that contribute to employability. You will also develop skills to prepare you for the employability (and work placement) process.

Year 2

In your second year, you will take more advanced modules to build upon the topics from your first year, equipping you with the required skills for a career in finance.

Placement year

The paid work placement year is a vital part of the course. It gives you the chance to apply your learning to real-life situations and challenges, to meet and network with potential employers, and have opportunities to get real work experience before you graduate – something that employers value highly.

Our students have completed placements at:

• American Express
• Bank of America
• Merrill Lynch
• Credit Suisse
• Dow Jones
• Ernst & Young
• Financial Services Authority
• FTSE Group
• HM Revenue and Customs
• KPMG
• PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
• The Bank of England.

On your placement, you will complete a business project. This project contributes to your degree and, depending on the topic you choose, could provide valuable insight for your placement employer.

Final year

In addition to tailoring your degree through option modules such as international finance, taxation and auditing, you will learn practical skills such as financial reporting. Depending on your module choices, this may give you exemptions from the examinations of the accrediting bodies.

Modules

• Financial Reporting: Theory and Practice
• Finance and Risk Management
• Management Control Systems

Options*

• Financial Econometrics
• Audit and Assurance
• Corporate Strategy
• Taxation
• International Finance
• Investment Management
• Game Theory in Finance and Business
• Happiness: Work and Society
• International Law and Development
• Employment Law
• Intellectual Property Law
• Organisational Change
• Placement Project

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

International requirements and visas

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

Visas and immigration advice

Course fees

If you choose to take the professional placement (sandwich) year offered on this course you will pay a reduced fee during this year. Our fee for the professional placement year is £1,330 for UK students and £2,100 for international students. This fee may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.

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 Brighton Business School 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.
• Some courses include optional field trips for which the school pays – you may incur minimal costs such as for food and drink and should budget up to £15.
• You will be required to buy textbooks and should budget up to £150.

You can chat with our enquiries team through the Stay in touch panel at the end of this page if you require further 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.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2021–22.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent 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 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.

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