BSc Accounting / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course description

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Why study BSc Accounting?

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.

Special features

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 exemptions from some examinations of professional accountancy bodies, particularly those of the ICAEW. You could gain some exemptions from ICAEW ACA exams, CIMA and ACCA 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.

Teaching and learning

You will normally study five or six 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.

Coursework and assessment

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.

Course unit details

The focus of the degree is on accounting and finance.

Other relevant subjects such as management, law, mathematics, statistics, and economics are also covered.

There is some scope for you to study related subjects to broaden your knowledge of business and management, subject to the requirements of professional accreditation.

You will receive a strong theoretical and practical grounding in the principles of accounting and acquire appropriate transferable skills.

Course content for year 1

Your first year is designed to introduce you to the foundations of accounting and finance. You will also study course units in mathematics, statistics, economics and law. A specialist course unit will introduce you to the skills and techniques required by the accountancy profession and will begin to prepare you for the workplace. Your first year project involves you preparing a competitive tender for an audit with support from employers such as KPMG*.

* Beever Struthers, RSM and PWC.

Course units for year 1

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
Financial Reporting BMAN10501 10 Mandatory
Introductory Management Accounting BMAN10512 10 Mandatory
Financial Decision Making M BMAN10522M 10 Mandatory
Quantitative Methods for Accounting and Finance BMAN10750 20 Mandatory
Auditing & Professional Accounting Practice I BMAN10760 20 Mandatory
Law for Accountants BMAN11110 20 Mandatory
Principles of Taxation BMAN11171 10 Mandatory
Microeconomics 1 ECON10221 10 Mandatory
Macroeconomics 1 ECON10252 10 Mandatory

Course content for year 2

Your second year will develop your analytical skills and give you a more in-depth understanding of accounting.

You will take core course units in accounting and finance, plus a ten-credit business law course unit.

You will develop your understanding of business strategy, the different pathways in the accounting profession as part of a specialist course unit designed to provide you with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary for the work placement year.

You will also select an optional 10-credit course unit - either from the list of optional second-year course units below, or from a range of  University College  level 2 course units, including the  Manchester Leadership Programme .

Course units for year 2

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
Financial Statement Analysis BMAN20081 10 Mandatory
Financial Reporting and Accountability BMAN21020A 20 Mandatory
Intermediate Management Accounting BMAN21040A 20 Mandatory
Foundations of Finance B BMAN23000B 20 Mandatory
Business Law 1: Law, Business Liabilities and the Consumer BMAN24042 10 Mandatory
Principles of Taxation BMAN24111 10 Mandatory
Business Strategy BMAN24641 10 Mandatory
Professional Accounting Practice BMAN24751 10 Mandatory
Investment Analysis BMAN20072 10 Optional
Mergers & Acquisitions: Financial Perspectives BMAN24102 10 Optional
Development Economics: Understanding Poverty ECON20332 10 Optional
Displaying 10 of 11 course units for year 2

Course content for year 3

Your final year is designed to allow you to choose from a range of more specialised topics. You will put theory into practice, develop transferable skills and gain an insight into the accounting profession. You will also study a core 40 credit project course unit involving an individual company project. You will take a core 40 credit course unit involving a group project and individual project. You will take more advanced courses in accounting and finance.

Course units for year 3

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
Business Law 2: Law and the Modern Corporation in an International Context BMAN24052 10 Mandatory
Contemporary Issues in Financial Reporting and Regulation BMAN30030 20 Mandatory
Accountability and Auditing BMAN30131 10 Mandatory
Corporate Financial Communication and Valuation BMAN31610 40 Mandatory
International Finance BMAN30060 20 Optional
Share Prices and Accounting Information BMAN30071 10 Optional
Financial Derivatives BMAN30091 10 Optional
Digital Transformation in Accounting BMAN30151 10 Optional
Corporate Governance in Context BMAN30211 10 Optional
Financial Engineering BMAN30242 10 Optional
Corporate Contracting and Managerial Behaviour BMAN30702 10 Optional
Advanced Management Accounting BMAN31040 20 Optional
Business Decision Analytics BMAN31152 20 Optional
Human Resource Strategy and Practice BMAN31901 20 Optional
Leadership and Success at Work BMAN31921 20 Optional
International and Comparative Human Resource Management BMAN31982 20 Optional
People Management and Change BMAN32091 10 Optional
FinTech Revolution: The Digital Transformation of Financial Services BMAN32272 20 Optional
Displaying 10 of 18 course units for year 3

Facilities

Resources

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 Wi-Fi 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.

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