Accounting and Finance (with Foundation Year) BSc (Hons)

The module equips you with essential skills for university success. It supports your transition to university learning, develops core skills and behaviours for higher education and future employment, and enhances your self-awareness and accountability.

On this module you will develop a critical understanding of Building Information Modelling and Management and Integrated Project Delivery within the built environment. You'll develop hands-on skills and experience with design software, merging and coordinating models effectively in line with UK industry standards.

Learning the required digital tools for business will help you develop your digital skills from both academic and organisational perspectives. The module introduces you to various digital tools and software for personal and collaborative use, addresses ethical implications, and teaches you how to identify and review digital data sources.

This module provides you with the opportunity to learn about the fundamental aspects of business and business functions and how they can interact with each other, in order for the organisation to meet its aims and objectives. You'll develop an awareness of the external factors that influence business organisations such as: political, economic social, legal, environmental, and technological.

Build essential mathematical skills and develop financial literacy through real-world accounting applications. You'll gain confidence in key maths concepts, including percentages, equations, and ratios, before applying them to financial analysis and decision-making. Explore the roles of accountants, financial reporting, and industry practices, equipping you with the skills needed for further study and a future career in accounting and finance.

Build on your financial literacy and explore the diverse career pathways in accounting. You'll examine the roles of management and financial accountants in business and practice, alongside the impact of professional body qualifications. Through real-world examples and business scenarios, you'll develop the skills to interpret financial information and apply accounting concepts to organisations and personal finances.

This module will provide you with a foundation in financial accounting. You will develop skills, knowledge and understanding of double entry book keeping and the preparation of financial statements. You will also study the contexts in which corporations operate and the regulatory frameworks and requirements which impact upon their accounting processes. You will be introduced to the interpretation of financial reporting information and learn how to examine the way in which this information is used for decision making by different stakeholder groups.

This module introduces the main concepts and techniques employed by management accountants, and how management accounting fits within the context of the accounting field and in the work place. You will cover theory and practice in the key areas of costing, budgeting and accounting for decision making.

Areas covered will include:

• costing: including accounting for overheads and absorption and marginal costing
• budgeting: including functional budgets, cash budgets, flexible budgets and variance analysis
• accounting for decision making: including cost volume profit analysis and relevant costs.

Focuses on the role and importance of corporate governance and the relationship between shareholders and management; the importance of ethics to society, business and the professional accountant; and introduces the topics of contract law, tort law, agency law, employment law and company and insolvency law.

You will consider themes such as business objectives, strategy and culture together with a focus on key topics such as ethics, sustainability and technology. The understanding of the wider business context and relevant economic concepts is crucial for accounting and finance students.

This module will introduce you to a range of skills, methods and knowledge that are applied by professional economists. It will enable you to offer a distinctive contribution to business and management decisions involving the deployment of globally scarce resources. The module will enable you to demonstrate a range of applications of economic ideas, principles and techniques, and to identify resource consequences of business and managerial decisions in a national and international context.

Discover your strengths, develop your skills, and begin to shape your future. This module helps you identify the academic skills, personal qualities, and workplace competences you already possess, while guiding you to set focused personal and professional development goals. You'll build the confidence, knowledge, and skills to excel in your studies and prepare for future work placements and graduate roles.

This module assesses the value creation activity of organisations through their investment and financing strategies, focusing on finance theories and their application in practice. You will be equipped with the ability to analyse scenarios, case studies and actual companies with respect to financial management. You will also learn to evaluate alternative proposals and to communicate information to a business audience in an effective manner.

This module will develop your technical accounting knowledge whilst contextualising it within a broader regulatory framework. You will study the role of financial reporting and its use to stakeholders and the application of standards in the preparation of financial statements. The module will also focus on the preparation and purpose of group accounts and emerging problem areas in financial reporting. It will enable you to calculate, present and interpret accounting reports with regard to current regulatory requirements and apply current and relevant standards in the preparation of financial statements.

This module extends the concepts and techniques that were studied in Management Accounting during Year One, covering cost ascertainment, decision-making and budgetary planning and control. In addition to this, the module will consider business performance measurement and behavioural and environmental issues in management accounting. You will also learn how to choose and apply management accounting tools and techniques in various business contexts in order to support planning, control and decision-making within organisations.

Experience life in another country by studying at one of our partner universities. Choose from a host of countries in Europe or go further afield and study in the USA, South America, Australasia and South East Asia. This is a great opportunity to develop your independence and explore another culture.

Turn your business idea into something real. Based in the award-winning Dryden Enterprise Centre, you’ll develop a new venture or grow an existing one with support from academic and business mentors. You’ll explore your market, define your audience, shape a practical marketing and growth plan, consider finances and sustainability, and learn how to pitch your idea with confidence inside a real start-up environment.

Get a taste of the working world and gain some essential industry insight with a 12-15 week work placement. The experience will allow you to put your learning in to practice, with the experience gained improving your future career prospects, and sharpening your interpersonal and professional skills.

This unique module supports you to refine the attributes and behaviours that will make you stand out in the workplace. The module features a dynamic week-long conference, packed with inspirational guest speakers to get you thinking about the future of work and the part you want to play. Later, you'll engage in a period of work or work-like experience, developing a range of practical skills and the mindset to navigate your future with confidence. You'll also complete a mock video job interview which will hone your ability to respond with strong, well-thought-through answers under time pressure, and help you to clinch your dream work placement or future graduate role.

During this module you will learn about the role of the auditor and develop an understanding of modern audit from both an internal and external perspective. You will be introduced to forensic accounting as a discipline, studying the role and procedures of forensic accounting and the impact of auditing standards on those who undertake assurance engagements.

This module provides an introduction to the public services specifically focusing on:

• the objectives and purpose of public service organisations
• financing and financial reporting in the public services
• service provision, including service delivery, expenditure and budgetary control
• performance reporting and decision-making within public service organisation
• the current challenges and contemporary issues facing the public services.
• You will learn to evaluate the effectiveness of strategic and operational, financial and non-financial, decision-making within public service organisations.

The module will provide you with an understanding of the operation of the UK tax system. You will develop technical skills to produce income and corporation tax computations. Specific areas covered during this module will include corporation tax computations, personal income tax, and computations including employment income, business tax computations including adjusted profit computations, capital allowances, self-assessment, losses and partnerships.

This module draws on conceptual material in the area of Survey Methods widely used in business and the application of analytic methods to the data generated. One of the primary focuses of this module is to help you understand how to plan and conduct surveys but also interpret the results within the appropriate business context. With the aid of appropriate professional statistical software you will be encouraged to apply statistical methods of analysis to data. The module is designed to allow you the opportunity to analyse and interpret "real data" from various areas of the business world. In studying this module you will develop your knowledge and skills in conducting survey research within business.

You will be given the opportunity to plan and execute a survey; design and implement a survey instrument; analyse survey results using applications software; and interpret and communicate analytical findings.

This module provides an opportunity for you to reflect on the skills and behaviours you've developed throughout your degree and put them to the test in a "live" consultancy project set by a real organisation. Working in a team with other students you'll address the brief and present your findings and recommendations to the client and your tutors. Later in the module you'll explore subject specific competences for career readiness and debate important themes on the agenda of all businesses such as diversity and inclusiveness, ethics and sustainability. By the end of the module, you'll have a sharper understanding of the impact you want to make to business and society and the confidence to take your next steps forward with purpose.

This module evaluates the impact of financial decisions on investments, financing, and risk management, developing your critical analysis and evaluation skills. You'll study valuations of firms, merger and acquisitions, financial restructuring and risk theory.

Designed to give a more integrated view of theory and practice in this area, this module looks at the role of traditional management accounting techniques and evaluates the use of strategic management accounting in global organisations. You will explore the behavioural and strategic contexts in which the management accountant has to operate; and examine the management accountant's role in analysing and advising on performance, particularly in the context of competitor analysis and to provide insights into the management of change.

Develops your critical understanding of the issues surrounding external reporting, whilst also considering different forms of accountability. You will explore issues relating to both the quantitative and qualitative reporting of performance; and study the theoretical framework surrounding financial reporting. The subjects you will study include, accountability and its relationship to corporate reporting, contemporary issues in corporate reporting, corporate citizenship and its broader responsibilities, aspects of relevant accounting theory and accounting and accountability aspects of social and environmental accounting.

For this module you will undertake a purposeful, individual, in depth study of a relevant topic, developing your independent learning, critical thinking and knowledge of research techniques relevant to your subject area

The project will develop your ability to manage a major piece of work, for which you will be completely responsible. You will learn to utilise and improve your time management and communication skills, as well as test your initiative and resourcefulness.

To support your development during this module you will study essential skills such as critical thinking, conducting a literature review, understanding the appropriate research framework, practical research methods and skills, report and academic writing skills.

This module is designed to give you a deeper understanding of sustainability issues affecting firms. It incorporates a live consultancy experience, where you are required to apply your knowledge to critically review aspects of enterprise practice and infrastructure and recommend ways to reduce carbon emissions. You will learn how to critically review sustainability issues presented by an enterprise and analyse evidence, arguments, concepts and data to formulate sustainability and carbon management recommendations for an enterprise.

This module will further enhance your understanding of tax planning, enabling you to give tax advice to others. The module will also help you to develop the technical skills needed to produce tax computations for companies and individuals. During the module, you will study systems for self-assessment, payment of tax and penalties and overseas aspects such as operating abroad, taxation of foreign income, transfer pricing provisions and double tax relief.

This module aims to provide you with an insight into the global patterns of tourism development and the impacts (economic, environmental and social) that can result, particularly within heritage tourism. You will explore the fundamental principles of international tourism management and review the demand for, and supply of, international tourism. You will also study the economic, social and environmental impacts of tourism at both the destination and global level and develop the ability to look critically at contemporary issues within international tourism.

In this module, you'll explore how organisations use data, information and knowledge to shape their strategy. You'll examine the role of technology in business decision-making, the importance of data literacy, and how organisations adapt to evolving challenges. Using real-world examples, you'll learn to distinguish between data, information, and knowledge, and understand their impact on shaping management practices and strategic opportunities. This module will equip you with the skills to navigate the complexities of digital transformation and make informed decisions in a data-driven environment.