Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Accounting and Finance

• Ranked 86th for the Impact Rankings in 2023*
• The University of Greenwich has been ranked Top 6.4 Globally by ‘Centre for World University Rankings'**

Sources:

*Source: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-greenwich

**Source: https://cwur.org/2023.php

The aims of the Accounting and Finance (BAAF) degree are:

• To develop theoretical and practical knowledge of accounting and finance in the context of the global economy
• To equip students with the necessary skills to be able to function in a complex and changing business environment
• To ensure that the students are equipped with the appropriate professional values, ethics and attitudes to function as professionals

Throughout the programme there will be an emphasis on a practical application to teaching of the subject to help prepare students for effective job performance in this area. A further important aspect of the aim is to prepare students for a career in this sector by delivering a programme that offers the opportunity of substantial professional exam exemption.

However, not all graduates will subsequently pursue an accounting and finance career and those will need an appreciation of other business areas. Therefore, the programme will develop skills which are generally applicable in a business context and include syllabus and learning outcomes which promotes a wider appreciation of business.

Knowledge and understanding of:

• The main current technical language and practices of accounting
• Organisational and business context in which accountants operate
• Alternative technical languages and practices of accounting

By the end of the programme, graduates will be able to demonstrate the accounting and finance related knowledge, which will be further developed and integrated into broader business knowledge, skills and professional values and ethics.

The various components of knowledge and understanding are:

• content, concepts, structure and meaning of reporting for organisational operations, both for internal and external use, including information relating to financial statements and the needs of decision makers and a critical assessment of the role of accounting information in satisfying those needs.
• national and international accounting standards; financial reporting and analysis
• the regulation of accounting.
• management accounting, including planning and budgeting, cost management, quality control, performance measurement and benchmarking
• a knowledge of the business legal environment and the institutional context
• a knowledge of financial management, risk and the operational of capital markets
• contemporary theories and empirical evidence concerning the operation and awareness of others
• ethical and professional considerations in the context of the wider public environment (Based on QAA 2016)

Intellectual skills

• a capacity for the critical evaluation of arguments and evidence
• an ability to analyse and draw reasoned conclusions concerning structured and unstructured problems from a given set of data and from data which must be acquired by the student
• ability to locate, extract and analyse data from multiple sources, including acknowledgement and referencing of sources
• capabilities for independent and self-managed learning

Subject practical skills

• numeracy skills, including the ability to manipulate financial and other numerical data
• skills in the use of communications and IT in acquiring, analysing and communicating information
• preparation of financial reports using a wide range of appropriate techniques
• selection and application of appropriate management accounting, financial management and quantitative techniques for financial planning, decision making and control.

Transferable/key skills

In addition to the transferable intellectual and practical skills mentioned already, students should be able to achieve and demonstrate:

• effective self-management in terms of time, planning and behaviour, motivation, self-starting, individual initiative and enterprise
• effective performance, within a team environment, including leadership, team building, influencing and project management skills
• interpersonal skills of effective listening, negotiating, persuasion and presentation
• self-reflection and criticality including self-awareness, openness and sensitivity to diversity in terms of people, cultures, business and management issues.

Graduate Attributes

Scholarship and Autonomy

• Have a critical understanding of the study of finance
• Be independent learners with the skills and experience to become lifelong learners
• Be able to produce high quality written, oral and digital work that is appropriate for academic and industry audiences

Creativity and Enterprise

• Have an entrepreneurial orientation to finance
• Be confident in applying core business techniques
• Be able to use financial skills to solve business problems

Cross-cultural and International Awareness

• Be able to analyse the global marketplace for accounting and finance
• Be able to manage across and within diverse cultures
• Be able to apply principles of sustainable development to the finance industry

Advanced Financial Accounting

• Exam - 60% weighting, pass mark 40% weighting 
• 3000-word individual research essay - 40% weighting, pass mark 40%

Advanced Management Accounting

• 3000-word research based essay on given topic: 40% weighting, pass mark 40%
• 3-hour exam: 60% weighting, pass mark 40%

Finance

• Closed in-class 1-hour test - 30% weighting 
• Three-hour closed-book exam - 70% weighting, pass mark 40%

Strategic Financial Management

• 2500-word Report 1 - 45% weighting, 40% pass mark
• 3000-word Report 2 - 55% weighting, 40% pass mark
• Students are not required to pass all summative assessments in order to pass the course.

Audit and Assurance

• Two-hour exam 1 - 40% weighting, pass mark 40%
• Three-hour exam 2: 60% weighting, pass mark 40%

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Minimum Academic Entry Requirements:

Students who have successfully completed either of the following:

• LSBF Advanced Diploma in Accounting and Finance
• LSBF Higher Diploma in Accounting and Finance
• Polytechnic or other PEIs Diploma in a relevant field
• Students, who have obtained equivalent qualifications in relevant fields, will be assessed case-by-case and subjected to university approval

Minimum English Language Entry Requirements:
Applicants who have not studied prior qualifications in English requires IELTS 6.0 or equivalent.

Minimum Age:
18 years or above