BSc Accounting / Course details

This unique, professionally-oriented course has been designed alongside the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) Undergraduate Partnership Programme (UPP).

It will provide you with a fast track to an accountancy qualification and the four-year degree  offers you the opportunity of a full-year paid work placement in your third year of study.

The ICAEW hold networking events at Alliance Manchester Business School which provide you with the opportunity to meet companies who offer internships through the UPP, such as Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, Grant Thornton, Mazars and PwC.

The course integrates study of the theory and practice of accounting, and offers significant exemptions from the examinations of professional accountancy bodies, particularly those of the ICAEW. You could gain up to eight exemptions from ICAEW ACA papers and qualify as a chartered accountant two years after graduation.

You will be taught by staff who are leading researchers in their fields, some of whom are also qualified accountants.

You will normally study four or five course units per semester. Each week there are usually two hours of lectures for each course unit and a one hour workshop in alternate weeks, although this varies slightly. You are expected to double this in private study. Group work and group or individual presentations will form a regular part of your assignments.

Essays, multiple choice tests, project reports and presentations, in-class tests and weekly assignments constitute the coursework component of assessment, although the nature and proportion of coursework varies across course units. The remainder of assessment is by unseen examination. Depending on the degree course, in your final year you can choose to do a research-based dissertation or project. We aim to strike a balance between examinations and assessed coursework as well as providing opportunities for feedback on progress through non-assessed work.

'I chose this course because it was different to anything on offer elsewhere. I was really excited by the opportunity to spend a year out between my second and final year in an internship with a high-calibre accountancy firm - I will be joining KPMG's audit department in Canary Wharf. Interns in big four accountancy firms don't just make the tea; I expect to be given the same jobs as a first year graduate recruit.'

- Andrew Simner

'As an aspiring accountant this course seemed perfectly geared towards my career. My course allows me to receive maximum exemptions from professional accounting exams, enabling me to accelerate my career.'

- Bansari Kamdar

John Rylands University Library is renowned as one of the most extensive libraries in the world. This is complemented by our specialist business and management Eddie Davies Library which provides a dedicated service to Alliance Manchester Business School undergraduates. There is increasing provision of information via various web-based services and much of your reading material will be available through e-journals. These and other standard computing services, such as access to the internet and word processing, are available through computer clusters across campus in departmental buildings, libraries and halls of residence. Many buildings in and around the campus are also equipped with free wifi access.

Personal development plans

PDPs are aimed at helping you develop awareness of generic transferable and subject-specific skills, improve independent learning and provide a record of your academic learning and achievement.

Academic advisors

All new Alliance Manchester Business School students are allocated an academic advisor who you will meet in regular sessions as part of a first-year course unit. Where possible, you will keep the same academic advisor throughout your time here. Your advisor will support you throughout your studies on matters of an academic nature, from providing feedback on a practice essay in preparation for your `formal' assessment at the end of each semester to discussing your PDP or writing you a reference. We also have a dedicated undergraduate assessment and student support centre within the School, who will be your first point of contact for any ill health or other personal problems which are affecting your work.

Student mentoring

We operate a peer mentoring scheme which aims to provide you with a second or final year 'mentor' to provide practical assistance with orientation and induction as well as advice and information on any aspect of student life.