BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance with Foundation Year

Course detail
The course consists of six 20-credit modules in each of the four years. These are all compulsory, except for two modules in the final semester, where students can choose from a range of optional modules. Teaching methods vary from module to module, and include lectures, seminars, workshops and one-to-ones.
Modules

Foundation year (Level 3)
Foundation year studies
Year one (Level 4)
Introduction to Financial Accounting
Introduction to Management Accounting
Professional Skills for Accountants
Quantitative Methods
Introduction to Economics
Computer Skills for Accountants
Year two (Level 5)
Financial Accounting
Management Accounting
Financial Management
Taxation
Auditing in Context
Business and Corporate Law
Year three (Level 6)
Financial Reporting
Corporate Finance
Performance Management and Control
The Project
Plus two option modules from:
Advanced Taxation
Auditing
Financial Modelling
International Business Finance
Year one (Level 4)
Introduction to Financial Accounting
This module gives you the knowledge and skills to prepare accounts for interested parties outside of the business.
Introduction to Management Accounting
This is a similar module, but focuses on preparing information for managers within the business.
Professional Skills for Accountants
Here you will gain a range of skills that will help you move into employment.
Quantitative Methods
In this module, you will enhance your numeracy skills.
Introduction to Economics
This module provides an overview of both macro and micro economics, which forms a basis for studying Financial Management and Corporate Finance in Years Two and Three.
Computer Skills for Accountants
Here you will develop practical skills in Excel and Sage - the latter being the most popular small business accounting software in the UK.
Year two (Level 5)
Financial Accounting
This module follows on from Introduction to Financial Accounting in Year One, and aims to further develop both preparation and interpretation skills.
Management Accounting
Here you will gain a range of skills and techniques used by accountants every day in the workplace.
Financial Management
In this module, you will cover raising finance, investment appraisal, the cost of capital and dividend policy in large organisations.
Taxation
This module deals with various taxes levied in the UK.
Auditing in Context
This is an introductory module, dealing mainly with external auditing in large companies.
Business and Corporate Law
Another introductory module, this provides potential accountants with background information on business and corporate law.
Year three (Level 6)
Financial Reporting
This module follows on from Financial Accounting in Year Two, teaching you to be more critical when considering financial statements. By the end of this module, you will have a detailed knowledge and understanding of financial reporting and its limitations in a variety of unpredictable situations. You will be able to propose appropriate solutions to a wide range of financial accounting problems, understand the nature of the international standard-setting process for financial reporting, and focus in detail on the financial accounts for one major company. You will also gain a detailed understanding of how financial accounts are constructed.

Corporate Finance
This module focuses mainly on corporate financial matters that affect businesses externally, such as capital markets. Here you will cover the function and purpose of corporate finance as it relates to the external environment. You will explore: capital markets, sources of funds and market efficiency; business valuations and mergers and acquisitions; the management of risk, in particular foreign currency and interest rate risk; international investment; the theoretical arguments and models relating to risk and return, in particular portfolio theory and CAPM (Capital Asset Pricing Model).
Performance Management and Control
This is the final module covering management accounting, concentrating on more complex and advanced areas of the topic. This module critically appraises the current theory and practice of management accounting. You will develop knowledge and skills in up-to-date methods of preparing, interpreting and evaluating information, as used by management in decision-making and control in a range of different organisations.
The Project
In this module, you will draw together all the knowledge you have gained from the degree and from areas of general interest. Your project must, however, have at least 40% accounting/finance input. It will be an investigation of a problem or situation, with the object of collecting appropriate information, analysing it, arriving at logical conclusions and making recommendations. The main aim of this module is to enable you to use all the skills and knowledge you have learned during your time at university. It lets you study a subject in depth, demonstrate that you can work independently and, through research and other investigative methods, produce a coherent project.
Advanced Taxation
This picks up where Taxation finished in Year Two. By the end of this module, you will have a greater appreciation of the various taxes levied in this country. In addition, it considers the theory behind taxation, offering an introduction to the basic concepts.
Auditing
This module moves the subject on from Year Two, to a more advanced study of the theory and techniques. This module covers conducting an audit and the function of limited assurance reviews. It also considers in detail the auditing standards and procedures applying to the main stages of a typical audit, and examines audit procedures from the perspective of internal review as well as external audit. You will apply the system-based approach, as modified by risk-based developments, to the evaluation and testing of internal controls within an accounting system, focusing on the sales and purchases cycles. You will then examine significant balance sheet areas, such as stock and debtors, with an emphasis on the overarching role of analytical procedures. This module also studies other types of, and approaches to, auditing by considering the audit of small companies, auditing in the public sector and the role of internal audit.
Financial Modelling
Popular with students who developed good Excel skills in Year One, this is a more advanced module, helping you gain advanced skills in financial analysis, such as cash budgets, cost-volume-profit analysis, investment appraisal, and loan repayments. The majority of the work is practical, and you will spend most of the class time using a computer.
International Business Finance
Here you can develop the skills you gained in Financial Management and Corporate Finance, now in an international setting.