MSc Accounting and Finance

This programme is suited to anyone wishing to deepen their knowledge of accounting and finance with a view to entering a career in either field.

The MSc Accounting and Finance offers you a solid grounding in the fundamentals of financial management, financial accounting, and management accounting and will sharpen your quantitative skills in finance. You will gain insight into the accounting process within a firm (management accounting) and into external reporting and its relevance to company valuation (financial accounting).

One of the main attractions of the degree is the broad spectrum of options available – you can specialise further by selecting subjects such as international taxation, derivatives pricing, domestic and international portfolio management, corporate finance and governance, banking and financial services, international financial management, topics in financial economics, and many others.

We also offer a series of visiting speakers seminars and workshops in which practising fund managers and finance experts from leading banks share their expertise through a combination of seminars, discussions and practical project work.

Enhance your degree with Study Abroad opportunities

Double Degree

Spend your first year at Exeter and a second year at another world-class international institution, resulting in two Masters degrees and the opportunity to expand your knowledge even further. We offer three fantastic Double Degree options with:

• Grenoble Ecole de Management in France
• EBS University of Business and Law in Germany
• Fudan University School of Economics in China

The opportunity to study with Fudan is specific to MSc Economics, MSc Economics & Econometrics, MSc Money, Banking and Finance and MSc Financial Economics programmes.

Programme structure

This programme is available for study 12 months full-time over three terms and is University-based throughout this time. The taught components of the programme are delivered in the first two terms, leaving the third term and most of the summer to research, write and submit your dissertation. The programme in its entirety runs from September to September.

During the programme, you will study modules (including the dissertation) totalling 180 credits.

Please note that programme structures may be subject to change.

The programme is divided into units of study called modules which are assigned a number of 'credits'. The credit rating of a module is proportional to the total workload, with 1 credit being nominally equivalent to 10 hours of work.

Learning and teaching

Our postgraduate taught programmes utilise a range of teaching methods including lectures, seminars and tutorials.

Lectures

The aim of lectures is to give you information on ideas that are central to the module and to help you in developing your understanding of complex ideas. Many of the teaching materials for lectures are made available to you electronically to accompany the notes you take during the lecture. Lectures are given by a range of staff members, including leading professors, who integrate their latest research findings into the teaching that you receive. Guest lecturers, including members of industry, also contribute to some modules.

Seminars and tutorials

Seminars and tutorials involve an in-depth exploration of the issues covered in lectures as well as giving you the opportunity to discuss various concepts and theories and receive feedback on your written assignments.

Assessment

Modules are assessed through a mixture of group work, coursework, project work and examinations; the weighting of each of these components will vary according to the academic requirements of the module. Examinations are normally held at the end of the module, in January and May/June.

Entry requirements 2020

• A 2:1 UK degree or equivalent with honours in Accounting, Finance or related discipline, ACCA papers F1-F9.
• IELTS (Academic) Overall score 6.5. No less than 6.0 in any section.
• TOEFL IBT* Overall score 90 with minimum scores of 21 for writing, 21 for listening, 22 for reading and 23 for speaking.

Prerequisites

In order to apply for the MSc Accounting and Finance, applicants should have taken at least seven modules in Finance and Accounting at an undergraduate level, of which four must be accounting modules and must include Advanced Financial Accounting/Reporting.

Modules in Economics and Maths will also be accepted in addition to Accounting modules.

International students

If you are an international student, please visit our international equivalency pages to enable you to see if your existing academic qualifications meet our entry requirements.

Careers

Our Master's programmes are designed to prepare you for a successful career, wherever in the world you plan to work. Employers expect advanced communication and technical skills, team-working and independent research, project-management and the very latest specialist knowledge from their postgraduate recruits.

An MSc in Accounting & Finance will enable you to develop the professional and financial skills and subject expertise that will make you a valuable asset from day one of your career.

Careers in Accountancy & Financial Management

Global demand for accountants and financial managers means you can compete across a variety of services in a huge range of sectors and businesses, from vast multi-nationals to small and medium enterprises, public sector organisations and charities. This degree programme can prepare you for a variety of roles including:

• Professional Accountant: Financial Accounting; Forensic Accounting; Management Accounting; Assurance; Audit.
• Financial Analyst with a commercial or public sector orientation.

By carefully selecting the research topic for your dissertation and your optional modules such as derivatives, investment analysis, banking or international financial management, you can develop a specialisation to enhance your employability.

Developing applied IT skills through using Thomson Reuters Datastream and other financial databases and software systems as part of your modules, you will have the latest technical know-how to kick-start your career.

Potential employers include ‘The Big Four’ Accounting and Professional Services firms: Ernst & Young, Deloitte, KPMG and PWC, together with other big or mid-tier accounting firms like Baker Tilly, Grant Thornton UK LLP. Big-name companies like Accenture, BAE Systems and Unilever recruit for their accounting departments and in the public sector, NHS Trusts and universities are also options. Around the world, you will find significant employers who will value your specialist knowledge, including ‘The Big Four,’ international and national banks like Bank of China (Hong Kong) and multi-nationals such as Procter & Gamble and Coca Cola who have global offices and country-specific recruitment channels.

Our Careers & Employability team will help you identify your career path and support your route to a fulfilling global career.

Developing your skills and career prospects

The University of Exeter Business School provides a range of support to help you develop skills attractive to employers.