Accounting and Finance MSc

Postgraduate

In Leicester

£ 7,700 VAT inc.

Description

  • Type

    Postgraduate

  • Location

    Leicester

  • Duration

    12 Months

An ideal choice for both new graduates and finance professionals looking to progress their career, this programme is the opportunity to specialise in different areas of accounting and finance. It helps prepare full-time students for entry-level positions as they start their career, as well as supports learning career development opportunities for those in a range of roles such as accountants, auditors, practising managers, business consultants and finance experts from various backgrounds.

Facilities

Location

Start date

Leicester (Leicestershire)
See map
The Gateway, LE1 9BH

Start date

On request

About this course

This course provides a critical approach to the theoretical underpinnings of accounting and finance. You will get practical experience of tools, techniques, financial databases, and research skills. The programme leads with core taught modules that critically examine the scope of generic accounting and finance, as well as modules such as Contemporary Issues in International Financial Reporting, Evaluation of Management Accounting, and Applied Corporate Finance.

You will also undertake the Research Methods module which not only develops and enhances your research skills but also helps prepare you for your dissertation. As part of the Applied Trading module you will undertake a two-week intensive study with our Trading room facilities, where students can consider the practical aspects of investment and strengthen their knowledge in this area.

You will also be prepared for future self-reflection and career development through the Knowing and Developing Yourself for Professional Success module. In addition to these core areas, students can select an area of interest and specialism from a comprehensive list of elective modules.

This allows you to design your own personal pathway, combining core modules with specialisms that are in line with your interests and career ambitions. Specialisms may include business analytics, governance and social responsibility, assurance and risk, and behavioural finance.

This course provides career entry opportunities for full-time students as well as being an ideal choice for accountants, auditors, practising managers, business consultants and finance experts from various backgrounds to learn new skills that support career development.

Enhance your existing qualifications and global career prospects with a specialist master’s in business economics and business finance. This course will provide advanced preparation for careers in the policy making, organisational decision making and the financial world.

Applicants will normally hold an undergraduate degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Banking or Business-related subjects with a minimum pass of a Second-Class Honours, an equivalent overseas qualification, or an equivalent professional qualification.

Fully qualified Professional Accounting applicants (such as CIMA/ACCA and 3 years work experience plus examinations) are eligible for accelerated entry (90 credits) on to the programme on a part-time basis.

Accreditation
Leicester Castle Business School is accredited by a number of accounting bodies, e.g. ACCA, CIMA and ICAEW.

This programme qualifies successful students for the CIMA Masters Gateway accelerated entry route.

Design your own course through combining core and optional modules, enabling you to devise your own personal pathway and tailor your degree to your areas of interest and future career plans.
Increase your employability by developing a more in-depth understanding of accounting and finance issues for the private and public sectors, both nationally and internationally
You’ll have access to the Executive Business Simulation, a sophisticated, software-driven experience that’s useful for learning to meet deadlines, work as part of a team, and develop team leadership skills through role-play.
Expand your knowledge of applied trading through an intensive experience within our trading room, where you’ll work first-hand with industry-standard tools and techniques.
With our Applied Corporate Finance module you’ll be able to put your theory and learning into practice with real-world scenario-based practical sessions.
Business Analytics is an innovative module that reflects modern business requirements and expectations regarding the handling of large, high dimensional data sets. Your learning will also focus on data structuring, modelling and visualisation techniques.

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2021

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Subjects

  • IT Law
  • Taxation
  • Management
  • Evaluation
  • Financial Accounting
  • Trading
  • Accounting
  • IT
  • Design
  • ACCA
  • International
  • Global
  • Banking
  • Accounting MBA
  • Finance
  • Financial
  • Law
  • Industry
  • Accounting and Finance
  • Management Accounting
  • Financial Training
  • IT Development
  • IT Management

Course programme

Course modules

This is how the programme will look:

Semester One (September -January)
  • LBPG5009 Executive Business Simulation
  • ACFI5067 Contemporary Issues in
  • International Financial Reporting
  • ACFI5068 Management Accounting
  • ACFI5069 Applied Corporate Finance
  • ACFI5070 Research Methods
Semester Two (January - May)
  • ACFI5077 Portfolio Management
  • Choose one from the following:
  • ACFI5073 Business Analytics
  • ACFI5074 Governance & Social Responsibility
  • ACFI5076 Assurance and Risk
  • ACFI5078 Behavioural Finance
  • ACFI5071 Applied Trading
Semester Three (May -September)
  • ACFI5028 Dissertation
  • LBPG5030 Business Research Project
60 credits
(one of two)

Contemporary Issues in International Financial Reporting

This module introduces the learner to broader and deeper understanding of the contemporary and important issues concerning international financial reporting regime. It discusses the increasing role of international financial reporting regulation, the politics thereof and the critical debates in different jurisdictions. As such, this module allows students to deliberate upon the important developments in international financial reporting from a historical, social, political and professional standpoint. It critically evaluates the implications which financial reporting has on businesses and societies. A further focus is on the increasing trend and importance of non-financial reporting areas such as sustainability accounting and corporate social responsibility of businesses.

An Evaluation of Management Accounting

This module examines the application of management accounting within a coherent theoretical framework. You will analyse the fundamentals of costing within a multi-product business environment and contextualise the same through the use of case studies. Control, evaluation and performance measurement techniques will also be critiqued. During this module you will make use of contemporary research literature in the field of management accounting. The module will make use of contemporary research literature in the field of management accounting to examine the role of the management accountant and the application of management accounting techniques in practice

Applied Corporate Finance

This module provides students with a broad understanding of the ways that capital is raised to create, grow and restructure firms. The aim of the module is to guide students on the techniques used to appraise and report on investment and financing decisions. You will be shown how corporate finance decisions impact the value of the firm and impact shareholders and other stakeholders. Case Studies will be used to illustrate the impact of various corporate decisions.

Research Methods

The module provides you with a broad understanding of business and academic research methods. It is designed to help students prepare for a Dissertation, Business Research project, Executive Company Project or Entrepreneurship Project You will be guided on the selection and planning of a suitable research project. The module will review research design, paradigms and ethics, including the broader ethical impact of research. Through undertaking this module you will cover a wide range of quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection and analysis. You will also be guided as to how to use financial datasets available in DMU.

Portfolio Management

Taught from the portfolio manager’s perspective, issues in price formation for all the major asset classes will be explored. Markets will be investigated with particular attention to the fundamental and non-fundamental components of securities pricing. To this end you will examine the standard valuation methods in addition to concepts arising from the behavioural finance literature. Optimal portfolio allocation will also feature. The overriding objective of the module is to provide a framework for well-placed investment decisions and to become familiar with the various investment strategies, providing a knowledge base for those wishing to pursue professional qualifications in this field.

Applied Trading

This module provides a broad understanding of the skills needed to turn clients' investment objectives into trading strategies. It is designed to prepare participants for roles in investment firms, regulators, and clients. Guidance on the links between finance theory and trading will be part of your programme of study. You will manage a simulated sub-portfolio on behalf of a virtual client. During the module, you will report to, and make trading recommendations on behalf of, this client. Your advice will be in response to real-time daily news, and changes in your client's investment objectives. This module offers a unique chance for you to apply your knowledge of finance theory, and portfolio management to a changing situation. You will become familiar with many aspects of the trading floor and you will learn how to analyse the impact of trading strategies on risk, return, and transaction costs. You will also gain an understanding of hedging, and how to manage client cash flows.

Business Analytics

This module integrates accounting and financial theory with the science and art of discovering and analysing patterns, identifying anomalies, and extracting other useful information in financial and economic datasets. This module takes a practical approach to prepare you to analyse and get a grasp of the most required data structuring, modelling and visualization techniques by employers. You will gain business insights for decision making by participating in business analytics simulations and you will be able to present dynamic reports to a diverse audience.

Governance and Social responsibility

The module offers an understanding of corporate governance and social responsibility. The aim is to analyse the effects of corporate governance and social responsibility and to consider the role key stakeholders such as institutional investors play in corporate governance. You will review academic journals and make recommendations with regard to factors that influence corporate governance and social responsibility.

Behavioural Finance

The module will provide you with an understanding of behavioural finance theories. We will examine the impact on stock markets of credit conditions, behaviour (biases and heuristics), institutions, and culture. You will be shown how to use behavioural finance theories to explain financial crises and stock market bubbles. The module reviews the evidence for and against market efficiency, momentum, reversal, over-reaction, and under-reaction. You will be encouraged to think critically about the implications of behavioural finance theories for financial and regulatory decision-making.

Dissertation

You must also undertake a dissertation, providing an invaluable opportunity to work in depth on a particular aspect of accounting and/or finance (in its broadest sense) and to apply and enhance your technical knowledge and critical awareness in a subject of your choice.

Business Research Project

The Business Research Project (BRP) is an individual consultancy project that serves as a commercially and employability-relevant experience, and is an alternative to the dissertation. It requires you to compile a 10,000 word report that acts as a solution to a business research challenge. The assessment is in two phases; A. Situational brief, to ensure that you fully understands the project requirement (in a similar way that a marketing consultancy would send a proposal), and B. Main report, which includes details of the research / analysis / recommendations. Each project is summarised on a BRP brief, a one-page document that gives a succinct description of the organisation, the overall project, the specific skills you have developed, and the expected outcomes

Teaching and assessmentModules include formal lectures, tutorials, workshops and interactive sessions.

Teaching contact hours

This is a full-time course so you should be prepared to devote approximately 38 hours a week to your studies. You will typically have up to 8 synchronous hours of teaching most weeks for semester 1 and 2. Teaching is through a mix of lecturers, tutorials, seminars and lab sessions and the breakdown of these activities is shown in each module description.

In addition each module provides a 2 hour surgery each week available for individual consultation with the lecturer. You may also have some scheduled meetings with your programme leader, personal tutor, and/or careers throughout the year to discuss your academic progress and personal development.

Self-directed study: In order to prepare for, and assimilate, the work in lectures and seminars you will be expected to make regular use of our on-line resources, participate in classroom discussions including on our virtual learning environment (VLE) and engage in personal study, revision and reflection for approximately 24 hours per work during semester 1 and 2.

In semester 3, you will undertake independent research for your dissertation (or In-company project), and again should typically allow around 38 hours per week for this. You will be allocated a dedicated academic supervisor to support you, who you will be able to contact on a regular basis.

Additional information

Programme code: N40080

Accounting and Finance MSc

£ 7,700 VAT inc.