MSc Accounting and Finance / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course description

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Amplify Trading BootCamp 2019

MSc Accounting and Finance will help you to take your skills and knowledge to the next level. Whether you want to further your professional career, or go on to study for a PhD , this course gives you the qualification you need to succeed.  A career in accounting, financial services or related sectors of the economy requires a high level of understanding of both the theory and practice of accounting and finance. This course is designed to give you a broad-based understanding of the core subject areas with an emphasis on empirical research methods and on accounting and finance practice.

Our wide range of modules allows you to specialise and during the course you have the chance to build on your growing knowledge and expertise by completing a dissertation on a research area of your choice. This, coupled with the support you get from our staff, ensures a first class learning experience.   

The MSc Accounting and Finance is recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council as postgraduate preparation for a PhD. It holds the award of partnership status from the CFA Institute, the global association for investment professionals. It also allows you to join the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the global professional management accounting body.

CFA training  

We're pleased to announce that we have teamed up with Kaplan Schweser to facilitate student preparation for the CFA exams. Students attending our finance-related Masters - MSc Accounting , MSc Accounting and Finance, MSc Finance and MSc Quantitative Finance - who perform well in Semester one and show a strong interest in CFA, will get free access to Kaplan's online training materials for CFA Part One.  

Kaplan is a global firm offering professional training and helping individuals and organisations obtain financial certifications and designations. They will support our students by giving them access to tuition material, online question banks and progress tests, as well as mock exam runs. They will also offer tutor support and 1-2-1 sessions.  Students enrol in the CFA Program to build a strong foundation of advanced investment analysis and real-world portfolio management skills. Preparing for the Level I exam is the first step toward earning the Chartered Financial Analyst ® (CFA) credential, the most respected and recognised investment designation in the world.  

CIMA accreditation  

The MSc Accounting and Finance is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the global professional management accounting body based in the UK. On successful completion of our MSc in Accounting and Finance, you will be able to join the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) though an accelerated route. This route allows you to get 11 exemptions from CIMA's certificate, operational and management level exams.

Find out more here >>

Find out more about the Management level exam >>

Please contact Alison Zimmer ( alison.zimmer@manchester.ac.uk ) if you need further information. 

Trading BootCamp Week  

Each year, Alliance MBS runs a five-day Trading BootCamp for all current students studying MSc Accounting, MSc Accounting and Finance, MSc Finance and MSc Quantitative Finance. These trading simulations provide students with experience of real world trading and the opportunity to engage with contemporary financial markets, enabling them to apply their classroom theory in practice. To deliver the Trading BootCamp, the School has teamed up with Amplify Trading to provide those looking to enter the financial industry with a crucial skill-set. Amplify Trading are a global financial trading and training firm, which offers training to some of the world's largest financial institutions, such as HSBC, Citigroup and Deutsche Bank. They have developed specialist software that enables students to experience a live trading floor and two experienced traders will deliver the week-long training.  

Each day there will be four hours of classes in the morning followed by four hours of trading practice in the afternoon. Engaging in live breaking news, economic data and geo-political events, students will be able to apply their understanding, technical expertise and risk management practises in trading different asset classes.

This is a fantastic opportunity for accounting and finance students at Alliance MBS and is another way in which we prepare students for successful careers after graduation.  

The Finance Zone    

The Finance Zone in Alliance Manchester Business School gives you access to one of the UK's most comprehensive collections of specialist financial and business databases that are used by top researchers around the world. These include Bloomberg, Datastream, Thomson ONE, Compustat, WRDS, Capital IQ and many more. Read more about the specialist financial and business databases >>

Special features

Worshipful Company of International Bankers Affiliation

Our accounting and finance division courses are now affiliated with the Worshipful Company of International Bankers (WCIB). This means that every year the best dissertation out of the following four courses will receive the WCIB Prize worth £300.

  • MSc Accounting 
  • MSc Accounting and Finance
  • MSc Finance
  • MSc Quantitative Finance

The winner will also enter the competition for the prestigious WCIB Lombard Prize. The Lombard Prize consists of a solid silver Armada dish, a cheque for £1500, one-year honorary membership to the Company and attendance at the Annual Banquet to collect the prize.

Read more about the WCIB Prize >>

Coursework and assessment

Assessment is by taught examinations, coursework, assignments, group assessment and presentations and finally by a 60 credit dissertation.

Course unit details

You will study a total of 180 credits during the course. The eight taught units during semester one and two total 120 credits and consist of both compulsory and optional taught units. BMAN70232 Advanced Management Accounting or BMAN72912 Corporate Governance must be selected as a mandatory course.

Summer period

Dissertation (60 credits)

Apply what you have learned in the taught part of the course. Normally consists of a literature review followed by a piece of work based on qualitative or statistical research.

Course unit list

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Cross Sectional Econometrics BMAN70211 15 Mandatory
Corporate Financial Reporting BMAN70241 15 Mandatory
Asset Pricing BMAN71111 15 Mandatory
Corporate Finance BMAN71152 15 Mandatory
Qualitative Research Methods BMAN71282 15 Mandatory
Current Issues in Empirical Finance BMAN70162 15 Optional
Advanced Management Accounting BMAN70232 15 Optional
Mergers & Acquisitions: Economic & Financial BMAN70432 15 Optional
Time Series Econometrics BMAN71122 15 Optional
Financial Statement Analysis BMAN71132 15 Optional
Portfolio Investment BMAN71171 15 Optional
International Accounting Practice and Regulation BMAN71291 15 Optional
Corporate Governance BMAN72912 15 Optional
Behavioural Finance BMAN74112 15 Optional
Sustainable Finance and Accounting BMAN74551 15 Optional
Displaying 10 of 15 course units

Scholarships and bursaries

Masters scholarships for Accounting and Finance programmes for UK/EU students

We are delighted to be able to offer five scholarships available across the four Accounting and Finance programmes with a value of £10,000 towards the cost of the tuition fee. The scholarships will be awarded in line with our scholarship deadlines so early application is advisable.

Read more >>

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk