MSc Accounting & Finance
Changes in the business environment create the need for individuals wishing to pursue a senior management role to be aware of contemporary accounting and finance developments. Understanding these theoretical and practical issues is critical for managers who often have to make rapid and far-reaching decisions about the short term financial operations and long term strategies of firms. The MSc in Accounting and Finance offers you a unique opportunity to develop an appreciation of the causes and significance of current developments in the financial and corporate sectors, and to study advanced theory and practice relating to accounting and finance. The aim of the programme is to provide graduates and other individuals that have practical accounting and financial training with the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue a senior level professional career in accounting, financial services or related sectors of the economy.
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What Will I Study?
Course Structure
Issues you will tackle as part of your MSc Accounting and Finance degree programme include:
The MSc Accounting and Finance is a full-time, year-long programme consisting of two parts.
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
How are the financial accounts of companies formulated, and how do they differ across jurisdictions? What agency issues are important in the creation of company accounts? How does accounting theory inform financial and management accounting practice? How does regulation impact on the performance of firms, and how do accounting practices highlight profit and/or loss realisation? What empirical techniques can be used to evaluate company performance? In what ways have financial accounting requirements and auditing been influenced by recent company failures? What are the relationships between risk and return governing investment in company shares and other derivative instruments? Which factors are most likely to influence the evaluation and implementation of international investment projects? How can we calculate a suitable cost of capital to appraise the capital investment decision? How should institutional investors go about constructing a portfolio of assets to maximise returns on behalf of investors? How are futures, options, derivatives and swaps used to manage balance sheet and off-balance sheet risks? What are the key principles of international portfolio management in a world of fast and unpredictable movements in exchange rates? How can financial forecasts be used in business valuation, and what techniques should be used to improve trend analysis and interfirm comparison?
With these needs in mind, the MSc Accounting and Finance programme is designed to develop participants’ existing skills through a scheme of specialist advanced study. An important objective is to provide participants with relevant analytical training, so that they are familiar with the latest theoretical and practical developments relating to accounting and finance. The programme provides a coherent theoretical framework for the various subject areas, but the emphasis throughout is on advanced practical application of accounting and financial techniques in a real-world setting.
Part 1 is taught from September to May, with examinations in January and May. Modules are taught in blocks, with 4 in Semester 1 (September – December), and 4 in Semester 2 (January – April). Continuous assessment is an integral part of all of our taught modules. The final module mark will be based on both coursework and examinations. Part 2 consists of EITHER completing a supervised dissertation of around 12,000 words, during the summer months (June – September) to be submitted in September; OR attending the Financial Research Seminar Series, which is a taught series on research topics that are specific to our programmes of study. This is delivered in June, students then complete two assignments over the summer and take an exam in September.
Compulsory Modules: • • • • • •
Research Methods Accounting Theory International Financial Markets Advanced Financial Reporting and Regulation Financial Analysis Management Accounting
Optional Modules (choose 2): • Islamic Finance • Financial Econometrics • International Financial Management • Investment Strategy and Portfolio Management
Entry Requirements Entry to the MSc Accounting and Finance programme requires a good undergraduate degree in a relevant subject, e.g. Economics, Finance, Accounting or Management from a university, or a similar qualification from any other institution. Alternatively, possession of a suitable professional qualification and relevant practical experience may also be accepted. In general, however, applicants are judged on their individual merits and age, work experience and other factors are also considered. We welcome applications from good graduates in relevant disciplines and from those with equivalent professional qualification and work experience. If your native language is not English, you must provide satisfactory evidence that you have an adequate knowledge and understanding of written and spoken English. We require: • •
IELTS 6.0 (with no individual score lower than 5.5 TOEFL internet based: 80 (with no individual score lower than 16)
Apply online at:
www.bangor.ac.uk/ londonbusiness/apply
Module descriptors can be found on pages 36 – 38. 27