BSc (Hons)
Accounting and Finance
Degree Programme

Core courses

• LANG 3100 Fundamentals of English for Academic Writing and Oracy

  This course is designed to enable students to communicate effectively at university level. Students will be provided with input from a range of texts and audio from cross-cultural materials and practice fundamental research and writing and oracy skills. Students will become more familiar with the academic environment and its conventions through spoken and written production. With exposure to a range of academic texts, talks and digital skills, students will appreciate the role of academic integrity. The course gives students the opportunity to think, listen, talk and write with confidence and clarity, which will help them succeed in other courses.

• LIBA 3101 Tools for Change

  In this course, students will be introduced to a range of foundational skills to aid in their progression and success at the University and allow them to begin the process of becoming collaborative and independent learners. These skills will be introduced through investigations of social and/or environmental issues in the local area, using group work and report writing. Students will be introduced to, and use, a range of digital platforms as aids to effective communication through professional academic oral presentations and written reports using secondary sources. In addition,students will be presented with reflective writing tools through a personal development portfolio that can aid in self-improvement, particularly in an academic setting.

• LIBA 3102 Fundamentals of Research and Writing

  This course concentrates on developing the students’ ability to read and think critically, and to read, understand and analyse texts from a range of genres. How do you successfully negotiate a path through a sea of information and then write it up? Using essential information literacy skills to help with guided research, this course develops the ability to produce effective and appropriate academic writing across the curriculum.

• BUSM 3101 Fundamentals of Business

  This module introduces students to the exciting world of business. It explores what businesses are, why they exist, and how they work. Students learn about different types of businesses, from small local shops to huge global companies. The course also looks at the people involved in businesses, what they do, and the challenges they face. This module students gives students a solid foundation for further study in business and management

• MATH 3102 Fundamentals of Mathematics and Statistics

  This course is designed to be a foundation in mathematics and statistics that will provide students with the necessary knowledge for courses in probability and statistics, mathematics, and data analysis. The course will cover content from solving linear, quadratic, exponential and logarithmic equations, co-ordinate geometry analysis, function analysis, sequences and series to applied topics such as measures of central tendencies and measures of spread of data calculations with outliers, representations of data, probability calculations and discrete random variables.

Plus one of the following:

• HIST 3101 London Cultures

  This survey of London’s history from the 17th century to the present foregrounds social and cultural history to help students engage with the metropolis as a catalyst for creativity, highlighting its evolving communities and global interconnectedness. Focusing on the lived experience of Londoners, students will examine how they shaped their city and forged new forms of expression related to identities of gender, race, social class and sexuality. Key areas of focus may include popular entertainment, from street theatre and public executions to the West End; Londoners’ responses to plague, fire and war; the formation of cultural institutions and social movements, as well as popular protests and changing social attitudes. Through personal testimonies and cultural products, such as literature, film, fashion, art, architecture, music and material culture, students will explore how we can understand both contemporary and historical London cultures.

• ARTS 3101 Fundamentals of Visual Thinking

  This course provides a grounding in the practice and theory of visual thinking. Through theoretical frameworks such as semiotics, the course explores the changing role of images in society from a range of cultures and contexts: the arts, politics, science, sport, design and technology. Students will consider digital forms of observation and image making through visual analysis and will build on this understanding through photographic practice. The course examines questions concerning curating, circulating and making public the images we all produce. It asks: What are the values and truths hidden in images? How can the practice of image production advance our thinking around images? How, in the context of a range of disciplines, can we learn to read and communicate ideas visually?

• COMP 3101 Fundamentals of Computing

  The Foundations of Computing course offers an introduction to the core principles and concepts of computing such as computer systems, algorithms, data representation, and basic programming. Throughout the course, students will develop both theoretical knowledge and practical skills that are critical for further study for careers in computing and related fields, exploring how computers process and store information. Additionally, learners will gain hands-on experience in designing simple algorithms and writing programs using programming languages such as Python. Key ethical and societal issues surrounding the use of computing technology will also be examined, encouraging students to think critically about topics such as data privacy, security, and the impact of artificial intelligence.

Core courses

• ACC 4101 Managerial Accounting

  This Managerial Accounting course is designed to develop knowledge and understanding of key management accounting techniques that support effective planning, controlling, and monitoring performance in various business contexts. It provides financial and non-financial information to aid management decision-making, covering cost classification, budgeting, variance analysis, and performance measurement. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to use management accounting tools to support strategic objectives and enhance organisational performance.

• ECON 4101 Introduction to Economics and Finance

  This module provides students with an introduction to various economic and financial concepts, demonstrating how these can be applied to better comprehend the world around them. It enhances students' understanding of the external factors that influence businesses, as well as financial aspects that are significant within a business context. It starts with an understanding of economic thought and development, and it expands on modern economic and financial issues the firms face. It is a solid foundation course for the basic ideas and applications of economics and finance.

• MATH 4103 Calculus with Applications

  This course provides a sound understanding of the concepts of calculus and their applications to business courses, data science and scientific courses. There will be an emphasis on the rigorous approach to the concept of limits as a key pillar of many concepts of calculus. Theory and applications of calculus with numerous examples will be explained to students depending on specific majors . Topics to be covered will include co- ordinate geometry of straight lines, quadratic curves, exponential and logarithmic functions; elementary differentiation and integration of real-valued functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, and trigonometric functions. Applications of calculus concepts to maxima, minima, and optimization problems. Calculus of several variables to include partial derivatives and optimizing functions of two variables, and constrained optimization and method of Lagrange Multipliers. Double integrals and applications. Modelling with first-order ordinary differential equations.

• LIBA 4301 Academic Research and Writing

  This course is designed to develop students’ critical research and writing skills to be effective in the academic and professional world. It focuses on principles of good scholarship and academic practice that will be required throughout university study and in a future professional work environment. These skills are enhanced throughout the course. Upon completion of this course, successful students will become confident in using available resources to produce well-researched writing that demonstrates critical engagement with a self-selected research topic.

• MATH 4101 Probability and Statistics

  This course in probability and statistics includes theoretical and applied approaches which are primarily designed for business, data science, social science and psychology majors. The course coverage will include: descriptive statistics, elementary probability theory, random variables and expectations, discrete probability distributions (Binomial and Poisson distributions), continuous probability distribution (Normal distribution), sampling distributions, estimation and hypothesis testing about the mean and proportions of up to two populations, Chi-square tests, One-way ANOVA and F Distribution, linear, multiple and non-linear regression and N on-parametric methods . SPSS lab sessions will be included targeting applications of statistical concepts to business, data science, social science and psychology. All practical work will be produced using SPSS statistical software.

Choose one Social/Behavioural Science course from the following:

• POLS 4102 Modern Political Thought

  This course provides students with an introduction to modern political thought as it developed in the Western World. It critically examines concepts at the core of political life, including freedom, equality, power, difference, and the state. The origins o f political ideologies are discovered and explored through the study of major authoritarian, liberal, radical and conservative political thinkers from the C15th onwards, such as Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, Wollstonecraft, Marx, J.S. Mill, and Nietzsche.

• INTR 4100 Introduction to International Relations

  This course introduces students to both the study of International Relations (IR) and key issues in contemporary global politics. Conflict, cooperation, and power are unpacked and addressed while the course introduces and reflects on the fundamental approaches, concepts, and theories used in the discipline. Issues to which these are applied then include migration, the relationship between humans and the environment, terrorism, security, and disinformation. Throughout, different actors, institutions and ideas are engaged with as the course assesses contemporary global politics through an array of contemporary case studies.

• PSYC 4101 Introduction to Psychology

  This course introduces students to the major areas within the psychology discipline, through current empirical research and theoretical debate. Students discover how psychological research is conducted and how research findings can be applied to understanding human behaviour. Topics include scientific methodology in psychology, and key contemporary areas of research, such as biopsychology, brain functioning; sensation and perception; evolutionary theory, development, personality, memory, consciousness, stress, psychological disorders, language, learning and social psychology.

Choose one Arts/Humanities course from the following:

• ADPR 4101 Introduction to Advertising, PR and Media

  This course explores fundamental concepts, principles and tools in advertising and public relations, specifically in relation to the broader media industries and the professional contexts of both disciplines. It traces the history and evolution of advertising and public relations and how they interconnect, as well as investigating the political, economic, social and cultural contexts that they operate within. In examining advertising and PR in practice, it identifies key persuasive and creative aspects and techniques used in these fields, along with the planning and skills used to produce them. It also addresses advertising and PR practices in relation to contemporary issues and developments, including criticisms of the industries’ role and a range of ethical debates.

• COMM 4103 Introduction to Intercultural Communications

  Reflecting strongly the University’s mission of unity in diversity, this course provides theoretical and practical understanding of the role communication plays within and between cultures to build cohesion and/or create division. It provides students with a strong sense of their own complex cultural identities before moving on to teach them the theories underlying the study of International Communication. There will be opportunities for practical applications of these theories in case studies, simulations, and project work.

• HIST 4101 Atlantic Slavery and the Spectre of Capitalism

  This course examines the expansionist nature of Atlantic colonial societies and their economic impact, from early contact with African societies to the abolition of slavery in Brazil. Emphasis is placed on the Atlantic slave trade’s role in consolidating slave labour systems and shaping industrialisation. The course further explores how colonial economies drove the rise of modern capitalism through racial and economic exploitation. Beginning with the expropriation of Indigenous land and resources, it traces the development of plantation slavery and later industrial labour systems. Key topics include: resource extraction, debt, colonial economies, trade in goods and globalisation. These topics are analysed not only in economic terms, but also in their social and racial dimensions. Resistance movements and the evolving discourse on reparations will also be examined to understand their influence on economic structures today. Students will investigate the economic mechanisms behind colonisation and slavery, as well as the resistance to these systems, engaging in debates on the memory and legacy of these processes.

• LANG 4101 Korean Language and Culture 1

  This is an introductory course to Korean language and culture with an emphasis on oral communication in everyday situations and contemporary South Korean culture and society. This course introduces fundamental communication skills including the Korean alphabet and character construction, pronunciation, vocabulary, and essential speech patterns. It also explores contemporary South Korean popular culture with the aim to develop a keen awareness and broad understanding of how the Korean culture relates to the language.

Choose one Science course from the following:

• ENVR 4101 Earth Systems Science

  This course introduces the major concepts studied in Earth System Science, addressing the Earth’s origins and evolution as an active planet within the solar system. The fundamental processes and interrelationships between the atmosphere, oceans, biosphere and lithosphere are investigated to serve as a basis for understanding natural systems, particularly near or at the Earth’s surface, and the ways in which human activities impact those systems. There is mounting concern about global warming, biodiversity, energy and sustainable development, all of which if not governed poses a threat to the delicate balance of the Earth system. Thus the need to understand the Earth as an interrelated system is more so than ever before.

• ENVR 4102 Ecology and Conservation

  This course provides an examination of the principles of ecology and their application to conservation. Students will explore the complex relationships between organisms and their environments, including population dynamics, species interactions, ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural/anthropogenic causes of species’ decline and extinction. The course covers key topics such as habitat destruction, climate change, invasive species, and conservation strategies at local, regional, and global scales. Special emphasis is placed on understanding and addressing the threats to biodiversity and developing practical solutions for conservation. Through case studies students will gain the skills necessary to critically evaluate conservation challenges and design effective conservation strategies.

• ENVR 4103 Introduction to Environmental Science

  This course covers environmental science topics such as global warming/climate change, ozone depletion, acid rain, pollution, population issues, energy issues, land and water issues, and an introduction to environmental ethics. All topics are addressed from scientific, economic, politico-sociological and ethical standpoints. An awareness and appreciation of global, local, and personal environmental problems are developed, together with the implications of possible solutions. The concept of interrelatedness is a unifying theme throughout the course. Students are encouraged to become aware of/develop an understanding of their own environmental identity.

• COMP 4101 Introduction to Programming

  This course provides the fundamentals of object-oriented programming. This will include usage of variables, objects, classes; assignment and control through statements, loops, functions, procedures, interaction between objects and inheritance. This course may introduce any current specialists programming topics, eg. programming for mobile applications.

• PSYC 4302 Biological Basis of Human Behaviour

  Exposes students to the relationship between biology and behavior. Students are expected to assess critically the extent to which biological explanations can be used to understand or explain human behavior. Topics covered include the nervous system, brain, emotion, vision, attention, sleep and motivational behavior, as well as psychopathology (for example language, eating, perceptual and memory disorders). In addition, the course also looks at discusses ethical issues in psychological research related to neuroscience.

Core courses

• ACC 5103 Performance Management

  The course builds on the principles covered in managerial accounting and develops knowledge and skills in the application of management accounting techniques to quantitative and qualitative information for planning, decision-making, performance evaluation and control within an organisation.

• ACC 5101 Financial Accounting

  The Financial Accounting course introduces the basics of the regulatory framework for preparing accounts and the qualitative characteristics of useful financial information. It covers the principles of account preparation, including detailed processes for recording, processing, and reporting business transactions and events. The course also includes reconciliations, trial balance preparation, error correction, and suspense accounts, all of which lead to the creation of financial statements for both incorporated and unincorporated entities.

• ACC 5102 Financial Decision Making

  The course introduces the role and purpose of financial management within a business organisation. The Financial Decision Making course highlights the importance of the three fundamental financial management decisions: financing, dividend policy and investment. It explores the economic environment within which these financial management decisions are made. The course covers working capital management and the appraisal of long-term investments in detail. The course examines the various funding options for business organisations. Funding decisions include internal and external funding sources. The course considers the cost of capital and the type of capital selected for a business organisation. The principles underlying the valuation of a business and financial assets are also covered. The course then examines risk and the main techniques employed in managing such risk.

• BUSM 5104 Organisational Behaviour and Ethics

• BUSM 5301 Research Methods and Skills for Business and Entreprises

  This course provides an overview of how research in business , economics, finance and marketing can be conducted. Topics covered include research philosophies, critical literature review, research design and quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. This course equips students with research skills and prepares them for their Senior Projects.

Choose one Service learning course at L5

Core courses

• ACC 6102 Financial Reporting

  The aim of the course is to provide students with an understanding of the principles and concepts underlying financial reporting, and the ability to apply these principles to the preparation and analysis of financial statements.

• ACC 6101 Audit and Assurance

  The course focuses on the concepts and techniques relating to the provision of audits under the various Companies Acts and investigates the legal and ethical framework surrounding auditing. Students will become familiar with concepts and practices relating to the auditing profession and legal liability. Current issues about auditing will be discussed throughout the course.

• ACC 6103 Taxation

  The Taxation course provides students with essential knowledge of the UK tax system, focusing on key taxes such as income tax, corporation tax, VAT, and inheritance tax. Students will gain practical skills to compute tax liabilities, apply tax-planning techniques, and address compliance issues for individuals and businesses.

• FINC 6110 Senior Project: Finance, Economics and Accounting

  The senior project represents the academic pinnacle for students majoring in Accounting, Finance, or Economics. This course requires a high level of independent research into a real-world financial phenomenon, economic problem, or accounting challenge. Students may choose to: • Test a financial hypothesis using econometric modelling. • Conduct a narrative inquiry into accounting standards or economic policy. • Develop a comprehensive case study on a specific firm’s valuation or market performance. • Utilise quantitative datasets or qualitative interviews (subject to ethical approval). Under the guidance of a specialist supervisor, students will conduct individual research on an agreed topic within their discipline. Timetabled hours serve as workshops for refreshing advanced research skills and peer-coaching.

Major Electives

• BUSM 6401 Internship

  The internship in business is a student work placement that aims to provide students with experience working within the business sector. Students will develop the intellectual, professional, and personal skills that will enable them to function well in a culturally diverse working environment. All internships are supervised by faculty and aim to bridge the transition from an academic into a professional environment. This experience should also assist students to help them determine their career goals. During the internship, the staff of the Internship Office and a faculty supervisor work closely with each student to ensure that the placement is a successful one. There is also an integration of the work supervisor input in co-creating some aspects of this course. This course embeds the UN SDGs 12, 9 and 16 by placing emphasis on responsible production and consumption (SDG 12), ethical behaviour (SDG 16) and entrepreneurial innovation (SDG 9).

• FINC 6103 International Finance

  Taking a global perspective, the course focuses the basics of multinational financial management from an international finance perspective. An understanding of multinational finance begins with a mastery of the principles of exchange rates —how they are determined, how they affect the prices of goods and services, and their relationship to interest rates. The course also covers foreign exchange markets, multinational accounting, foreign exchange risk, strategies and tools for managing exchange rate exposure, import and export finance, and multinational financial management.

• ECON 6102 Public Economics

  This is a course in theoretical and applied public economics using microeconomic theory. The course addresses the theoretical analysis of market failure, public finance, taxation and expenditure systems in modern economies and discusses philosophical issue s of economic welfare. Inequality, social mobility, and welfare frameworks are part of this course.

• FINC 6101 Derivatives

  This course provides students with a foundation to derivative instruments and how they are utilized by corporations and individual speculators. The course covers areas which include the market structures of the futures and options markets, the valuation of futures and options contracts, as well as their use in global risk management strategies.

• BUSM 6102 Project Management Skills and Methods

  This module provides a comprehensive overview of programme management principles, processes, and techniques. Students will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively manage complex programmes within a variety of organizational contexts. Contemporary project management methods will be explored. The module emphasizes the strategic alignment of programmes with organizational objectives and the importance of stakeholder engagement, risk management, and benefits realization. Furthermore, it explores a range of programme management methodologies, equipping students with the ability to select and apply the most appropriate approach for diverse project scenarios.

• BUSM 6103 Sustainable Strategic Management

  Building on long established models of strategic management the course focuses on strategic analysis, planning and implementation in the light of current interest in sustainability and ESG values. Early lectures outline the basic strategic analysis models and case study analyses relate to both the firm's internal operations and the environment in which it operates. The course culminates in embedding the principles of ESG and the triple bottom line into future strategic planning.

• FINC 6102 FinTech

  This module explores the dynamic landscape of financial technology (Fintech), examining how technological innovations are transforming the financial services industry. Students will develop a critical understanding of key Fintech trends, their applications, and their impact on traditional financial institutions, markets, and consumers. The module will cover a range of topics, from mobile payments and blockchain technology to artificial intelligence and regulatory challenges. Through real-world case studies and interactive discussions, students will gain insights into the opportunities and challenges presented by this rapidly evolving field.

• BUSM 6104 Leadership and People Management

  This module provides a critical exploration of leadership in the context of managing people and talent within organizations. Students will develop a deep understanding of contemporary leadership theories and their application to the challenges of attracting, developing, motivating, and retaining talent in a rapidly changing world. The module emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusion, ethical leadership, and social responsibility in creating a high-performing and sustainable workforce. Through real-life examples, case studies, and interactive discussions, students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to lead effectively in today's complex and dynamic business environment.