Accounting and Finance BSc (Hons)

The Accounting and Finance Division has accreditations from ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants), ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) and AIA (Association of International Accountants). Representatives from these bodies and visiting speakers from a variety of businesses attend the university regularly. You will be invited and encouraged to attend these useful finance events and engage in the debates.

Nationwide, MacIntyre Hudson and Mazars are examples of recent visits and are also some of the sponsors who provide prizes at our annual awards ceremony. Local sponsors include Grant Thorntons, Hawsons and Elsby. Elsby is a growing company which will be developing a ‘Young Professionals Networking Platform’ in conjunction with the university in the very near future.

Further information about the Accounting, Finance and Banking Awards can be found on our News section of the website.

At the University of Northampton, everything we do, from funded trips to paid internships, is to give you everything you need to make a difference when you leave.

If you join our full-time finance and accounting courses, you will receive a laptop when your course begins*. The laptops are built to a bespoke custom specification ideal for use in the seminar room, collaborative group work or studying at home.

Whatever your ambitions, we’re here to help you to achieve them. We’ll support you to identify the skills you’re learning during your accounting and finance course, find your strengths and secure practical experience so that when it comes to applying for jobs or further study you’ll feel confident in standing out from the crowd. We’ve created the Northampton Employment Promise because we are so confident that if you focus on your studies and complete one of our awards you’ll be highly employable by the time you graduate. Putting you in a great position to secure employment or continue your studies.

To check out the full list of perks, visit our Student Perks page or dedicated International Perks page.

*UK fee payers only (see Terms and Conditions for further details).

The Integrated Foundation Year (IFY) offers a new and exciting route into studying for a degree, attracting ambitious and driven students who are willing to learn and advance.

If you have non-standard qualifications or do not quite meet the admissions requirements for the accountancy degree, we can offer you a fantastic opportunity to study a four year programme that includes an Integrated Foundation Year. The Integrated Foundation Year will help you develop the theoretical/practical and academic skills you need, in order to successfully progress to the full award.

Our four-year courses will enable you to successfully follow the degree pathway of your choice while gaining essential study skills. The foundation year of your chosen degree will be studied on a full-time basis and is aimed at supporting the transition to higher education. Years two, three and four are then studied as a standard degree programme.

Please see our Integrated Foundation Year page for more details.

Industry Placement

If you meet the entry criteria, and choose to take a placement year, you will find it an invaluable experience that helps you to apply your learning in your final year and prepares you for your career in finance. We offer support in helping you to find a placement, which can be in the UK or overseas.

The Faculty of Business and Law have a dedicated Placements team who will support you through the process of taking a placement year. You can follow the Faculty of Business and Law Placements Team to hear more about their services.

The optional placement year enables you to put into practice what you have learned on your degree and gain practical industry experience. Your degree is extended to four years and the placement is undertaken at the end of your penultimate year, this is for one year (48 weeks) and paid.

Where have previous Accounting and Finance students worked during their placement year?

• SRLV LLP
• Vinci Construction Management Limited
• NHS
• Eton Property Group
• Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG)

Hear from previous Accounting and Finance students about their placement experience

• Usama Anwar
• Moksha Butpandra
• Student Quote (NHS Finance Placement): ‘I really enjoyed my placement year, it has taught me a lot about how finance works. I had a mentor who made sure I was settling in, and my bosses and colleagues were all supportive too. They were happy to answer questions on areas I am interested in and encouraged development. It is a lovely place to work and gives lots of varied experience to begin my career.’

Why study BSc Accounting and Finance?

There are many benefits of studying for an Accounting and Finance degree, including a wide scope of options to work across multiple sectors, from economics to business law and management. You’ll learn through a highly practical approach and will be able to get first-hand accounting and finance work experience through optional placements and opportunities. You’ll also have the added advantage of excellent prospects and graduate schemes to help propel you into your career, with  Master’s degrees allowing for further specialisation and knowledge advancement.

What do you learn on this course?

University Accounting and Finance courses are highly vocational, putting a huge emphasis on career prospects within financial industries. This means you will learn through a practical approach, giving you valuable experience of accounting and finance through simulated situations, real-life scenarios and placements.

Alongside these practical techniques, you will also develop a critical understanding of the theories behind them. You will learn the concepts of business, management and money, and will be able to apply your accountancy skills across a broad range of business subjects, including law, economics and human resources.

How will I learn?

You can expect taught study to be a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops which usually consist of 14 contact hours per week. We recommend that you spend 20 hours per week in self-directed study time, as a full-time student, or usually seven contact hours and ten hours per week in self-directed study time if you are studying part-time.

How will I be assessed on Accounting and Finance BSc?

A wide variety of assessment strategies are used, including examinations, simulations, spreadsheet activities, presentations and group activities.

Will I have to sit exams?

Yes, there are exams for most of the modules on this course. However, exams do not make up the total grade for the modules and you will do a number of different assignments during your studies. We teach in semesters, which means the exam period is more spread out so you will only be doing 3 exams during an exam period, rather than 6. We offer a lot of support for exams during your module workshops; we do practice questions, mock exams, and prepare you as much as possible for the exams so you feel confident going into them.

Modules

The modules for the BSc Accounting Finance course have recently been redesigned. The new structure means you will study fixed modules in Year 1 and Year 2 to ensure you develop the foundation knowledge and skills for both Financial Accounting and Management Accounting. As you progress to your final year, you will choose designated modules, allowing you to specialise and gain maximum exemption from professional bodies.

The programme redesign incorporates CIMA and ACCA’s updated syllabus, which they think reflects the employability and critical skills employers are looking for in graduates. Our Accounting and Finance degree now has 6 streams, with each stream including 3 modules, that are taught from Year 1 to Year 3. The streams for the course streams are below:

• Digital (Digital Economic Environment, Digital Business and Finance, Strategy and Leadership)
• Responsible Practice (Responsible Accounting, The Professional Accountant, Corporate Governance or Practical Auditing)
• Finance (Financial Skills for Business, Financial Management, Corporate Finance)
• Compliance (Corporate and Business Law, Principles of Taxation, Taxation Practice and Advice)
• Management Accounting (Fundamentals of Management Accounting, Management Accounting for Decision Making, Financial Business Partnering)
• Financial Accounting (Practical Financial Accounting, Applied Financial Reporting, International Financial Reporting)

How big will the teaching groups be?

The teaching groups will be typically around 20 – 25 students. There are more across the whole cohort but we split you up into smaller groups which allows more active learning.

What are the benefits of the exemptions that I will get by studying BSc Accounting and Finance?

The exemptions to the professional bodies such as ACCA, CIMA and ICAEW will enable you to qualify as an accountant a lot quicker after you graduate as your accreditation exemptions from the course mean that you will graduate with a proportion of the qualification already achieved.

Who are the Student Support Team?

The Student Experience Support Team are a team of previous graduates of the University of Northampton, they are here to support all Faculty of Business and Law students by offering a friendly listening ear and ensuring students are aware of the numerous support systems that the University has to offer. The team provide confidential 1-1 meetings in person and online where they will signpost the students to the relevant support teams to ensure they are aware of the support available for them throughout their studies. You can follow the Student Experience Support Team to see the services they offer.

Are there any special features on this course?

• Optional work-based learning placement year
• Proven student support system
• Specialised pathway
• Significant exemptions from professional body exams

Visits and awards.

Nationwide, MacIntyre Hudson and Mazars are examples of recent visits and are also some of the sponsors who provide prizes at our annual awards ceremony. Local sponsors include Grant Thorntons, Hawsons and Elsby. Elsby are a growing company who will be developing a ‘Young Professionals Networking Platform’ in conjunction with the university in the very near future.

At the Accounting, Finance and Banking Awards, which were incorporated into our Graduation celebrations, £1,000 was given out in prize money to our students. Grant Thorntons, Hawsons Chartered Accountants, McIntyre Hudson and Mazars were amongst the companies sponsoring these awards.