Accounting and Finance - MSc

With a strong demand for accounting and financial skills in the job market, our MSc Accounting and Finance can set you up for a rewarding career.  

This fast-paced masters programme will bring you up to speed with the fundamentals of accountancy and business finance. You’ll develop an advanced understanding and learn the practical skills needed for graduate roles in the financial sector.

MSc in Accounting and Finance is accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)

The course concludes with a Business Project; a substantial piece of work designed to provide you with an opportunity to analyse a business problem and practically apply the knowledge and skills developed during the course.

 You can choose to study this course as part of our double degree programme. 

Why choose us?

Given our exceptional reputation for student satisfaction and teaching quality, this course offers you the opportunity for a rewarding study experience and will certainly boost your career prospects.

This course will set you up for a rewarding career in the financial sector. Recent graduates have gone on to secure graduate jobs as well as management-trainee positions at leading international firms. Employers of our recent graduates include all of the big-four accounting firms; KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers, as well as financial institutions, such as Deutsche Bank and UBS Bank.

We’ve been recognised by our students and industry bodies for teaching excellence. The UK Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) presented us with its highest award – a Gold Award, for consistently outstanding outcomes.

Our courses offer a range of opportunities to gain practical experience through things such as, consultancy projects and entrepreneurial opportunities. Find out more here. 

Whatever your career ambitions, we can help you realise them.

Professional exemptions

Our MSc in Accounting and Finance is accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) . By successfully completing our programme you will be exempt from completing the following modules: 

• F1 (AB) Accountant in Business
• F2 (MA) Management Accounting
• F3 (FA) Financial Accounting
• F4 (LW) Corporate and Business Law 

We are also accredited by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), which on completion leads to exemption from this professional accounting body. You will still need to secure professional training and complete further exams in order to become fully qualified in accountancy, but these exemptions demonstrate to future employers your commitment and potential to complete sector qualifications.

Course outline

Our MSc in Accounting and Finance is a stimulating and varied course through which you will learn about the practical and strategic application of financial and management accounting information, business finance, as well as how corporations report on and engage with sustainability issues.

You’ll also be able to apply your learning to a variety of real-life business scenarios through case studies and MSc project.

This course is also a fantastic stepping stone towards becoming a qualified accountant. Our course is accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). This means you will benefit from exemptions, which will reduce the number of ACCA or CIMA professional exams that you’ll need to take to become a fully qualified accountant once in employment.

This course is taught by our exceptional teaching staff. They have a broad range of experience and expertise, with qualified accountants who have worked for prestigious global companies as well as leading academics who are at the forefront of research in the field of accounting and finance. This means you’ll benefit from various perspectives and insights that will help you develop a solid understanding of accounting and financial theories and practice.

We use an innovative and engaging range of teaching methods. Lectures, tutorials, group work and case studies will introduce you to the latest thinking in this field and give you the opportunity to critically consider its application in real-life business situations. This is enhanced by leading industry experts delivering guest lectures. These opportunities will enable you to learn about current practises and challenges in accounting and business finance.

Subject guide and modules

Core modules

• Financial Accounting and Reporting
• Management Accounting
• Contemporary Issues in Financial Reporting
• Strategic Management Accounting
• Sustainability Accounting and Accountability
• Business Finance
• Financial Analysis
• Ethics in Academic Practice
• The Aston Global Advantage
• MSc A&F Business Project or MSc A&F Dissertation

Optional modules

• Fundamentals of Audit and Taxation
• Islamic Accounting and Finance
• Corporate Governance, Regulation and Compliance
• International Finance
• Research Design, Practice and Ethics

Learning, teaching and assessment

You’ll be taught various concepts and principles of accounting and finance but this is far from a passive, theory-heavy course. What make us stand out is our focus on providing you with the practical skills to help you get ahead in your career. We’ll give you hands-on activities where you can apply what you’ve learnt to solve commercial problems. This is done using case studies and other innovative teaching methods, such as business simulation games. We'll also give you the unique opportunity to gain insight and advice from professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and Certified Practising Accountants (CPA) Australia. We firmly believe this will improve your understanding and enhance your employability.

We use a variety of assessment methods as part of this course. There’s a mix of exams, coursework, presentations and group work. For our assessments we use real or fictitious business scenarios. These practical assessments help you to develop the skills and competencies required for future job roles. 

Our innovative online learning platform will also support you with your studies. It has all the digital resources you need when revising, including lecture slides, access e-books and online journals, as well as video recordings of teaching sessions. Your lecturers will also be on hand to offer one-to-one support with any topics you have difficulty with.

Visit the Accounting and Finance - MSc page on the Aston University website for more details!