BA (Hons) Finance (with Foundation Year option)

Core Units:

• Fundamentals of Business & Management: This unit aims to develop your understanding of the business context across industry and sectors globally. You will cover the key issues and challenges facing businesses going forward and the essential role of people in dynamic, resilient and complex organisations. You will explore key functional business areas including marketing, finance, accounting, economics, people management, and organisational behaviour.  
• Academic & Professional Practice: You will build your confidence in both academic and professional skills. This unit will cover the academic skills which will be required at degree level study and you’ll practice them throughout the unit with support from key university services including the library and study skills team. There will also be opportunity for you to reflect on and develop your own professional skills through interactions with employers, careers services and online resources. 
• Fusion Business Project: You will undertake a business project based on a real issue or problem. The Fundamentals of Business & Management unit will support you in understanding key issues and challenges which could form the basis for your project.  Projects will be undertaken in workplaces, community settings or part of research processes related to your chosen field of study. You will be allocated an academic mentor who will support you in developing and undertaking the project.  

Our particular focus in the first year is to ensure that you understand diverse areas like law, economics, accounting, business management, quantitative analysis and finance in the context of how a business is run, thus focusing on the connectivity between these areas in the world of business.

Core units:

• Law for Accounting & Finance: You will study the aspects of Law required to operate in the finance sector. You will acquire knowledge of the sources of law in order to understand the potential impacts each source may have on financial practice.
• Economics for Accounting & Finance: You understand the fundamental economic concepts and their applications including the way markets work and their interaction using real-world examples, as well as the impact of economic policies on businesses and society.
• Introduction to Accounting: This unit will give you a solid foundation in the fundamentals of accounting, together with a basic understanding of the regulatory framework. You will be able to prepare financial statements and use a range of management accounting techniques to aid the business decision-making process. 
• Quantitative Analysis: This unit will develop your understanding of basic mathematical principles and how they are applied in accounting and finance. It will provide you with the essential techniques used to collect, present, analyse and interpret data and show how quantitative methods may be used to provide reliable management information.
• Introduction to Financial Markets: As an introduction to financial markets, you will gain a level of conceptual understanding that will allow you to critically evaluate the fundamentals of finance and its implications in the current scenario.
• Business Context: This unit will equip you with the understanding of how to translate knowledge in economics, law, statistics, finance, accounting in a business context.

The second-year emphasises on embedding subject related skills like a working knowledge of accounting software and excel skills whilst also ensuring that you learn softer skills such as presentation skills, assessment centre practice and CV building experience. The aim is to ensure that you are ready to successfully engage with the placement recruitment process.

Core units:

• Asset Valuation: You will gain a thorough understanding of the structural overview of the financial markets, particularly the role and impact of financial market participants. You will be able to analyse and evaluate equity securities market using appropriate valuation concepts and techniques, particularly fundamental analysis.
• Accounting Information Systems: You will progress and enhance your IT skills through the use and application of industry-standard software. The unit will also provide an understanding of the accounting profession and put the use of such software into context. You will learn how to apply business process thinking in SAP ERP Information systems as tools within financial and management accounting. 
• Financial Reporting: You will evaluate and apply the regulatory framework of accounting, prepare basic consolidated accounts in accordance with IFRS, for a simple group and analyse and appraise company performance.
• Money Banking & Financial Markets: This unit aims to provide a solid grounding in monetary economics and the financial system.  It seeks to provide a basis for understanding and analysing the working of financial markets and for assessing the relative effectiveness of monetary policy as a means of tackling macroeconomic problems.
• Corporate Financial Management: This unit presents and discusses the importance of financial management to a corporate entity based on the relevant theories. It analyses the business environment in which the financial management decisions are taken both in the short-run and also in the long-run. Further, it demonstrates how capital and risk are linked to financial management and applies key principles, techniques, tools, and instruments to assist in corporate decision-making.
• Management Accounting: You will develop an understanding of basic management account concepts, techniques and practices and the quantitative skills to apply them in an organisational context.

You may choose to complete an optional (minimum) 30-week work placement which can be carried out anywhere in the world. The placement year offers a chance to gain experience and make contacts for the future.

The final year will emphasise on embedding research skills, which will ensure that you are able to apply this important transferable skills to your graduate role. We achieve this by exposing you to the impactful research conducted by our senior academics and professors in the department, therefore enriching your grounding in different methods of research. This will then be applied in either a research study context or to the study of a live company, thus ensuring that you can demonstrate research application.

Core units:

• Risk Modelling & Management: You will gain a broad awareness and understanding of the risks faced within a modern business environment, alongside the risk management processes necessary to control such risks.  You will develop the skills to model and analyse risk scenarios, with the application of such techniques allowing for critical analysis and informed decision-making.
• Investment Management: This unit will address the theoretical principles and quantitative methodologies which underpin the pricing and valuation of the primary investable asset classes (equities, bonds and property) and their application in practice. It also introduces and differentiates between personal wealth management and institutional fund management.
• Contemporary Issues in Accounting & Finance Research: You will develop an appreciation for current research in accounting and finance and become equipped with a broad range of research skills. Key topics will include hypothesis formation; ethical procedures; questionnaire designs; and quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

Option units Block A (choose one):

• Advanced Accounting Theory & Practice: This unit will develop your understanding of the theoretical aspects of financial reporting and teach you how to apply this to technical issues.
• Entrepreneurship & Business Ventures: The unit covers how individuals and teams build on opportunities to create new businesses or transform existing ones by undertaking entrepreneurial activities. You will learn how to be effective entrepreneurs by looking at the business and personal skills needed to start a business and the critical factors in the survival of start-ups and reasons for failure. 
• Perspectives on Business Strategy: This unit gives you insights into the differing perspectives used to develop and implement business strategy. From its roots in finance and economics, the field of strategy has developed its own language, tools, models and methodologies, which are used throughout businesses and other organisations in many parts of the world.  This unit introduces you to that language and gives you experience working with the toolkit and understanding its limitations.
• Public Finance & Policy: As Nation-States begin to raise taxes to address unprecedented levels of public debt, we will consider their decisions, targets, and taboos. We will debate the underlying principles and theories on which our tax policies have evolved. This unit aims to provide a technically and academically challenging examination of public finance, in theory and in practice. 

Option units Block B (choose one):

• Financial Regulation: The unit will cover the key regulatory theories, forms and rationale of regulation that are highly relevant to those seeking employment within the financial sector. You will engage with, develop and critically analyse regulatory concepts and systems that meet the needs of both the regulator and the regulated.
• Corporate Social Responsibility & Environmental Reporting: This unit will equip you with the ability to account and report on environmental topics with emphasis on both the regulatory and reporting framework needed to account for environmental issues. You will gain the ability to critically appraise the usefulness of such information.  
• Derivatives & Alternative Investment: The unit starts with the historical precedents, runs through current developments, and emphasises the technical details of valuation of all derivatives and alternative investment. This unit also provides problem-based analysis of Alternative Investment strategies, focusing on governance and valuation.

Option units Block C (choose one):

• Company Study: You will undertake a project and apply accounting theory to a real example as well as develop your personal skills working within a group such as time management, work-allocation, joint problem-solving, discussion, communication, negotiation, and presentation.

• Research Study: The research study will allow you to enhance your independent learning, critical thinking and reflective skills. It will enable you to demonstrate your ability to formulate a research proposal, collect, analyse and evaluate data pertinent to the chosen contextualised research topic and to write up a report documenting the project methodology, management and outcomes.

Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the university's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in the industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

A placement should be a highly rewarding experience for you and the employing company and we do our best to ensure that everyone involved feels that they have got the most that they can from the experience.

Placements provide a great opportunity to make your first career steps and enhance your employability while you’re completing your studies. You’ll get the opportunity to:

• Put the theory learnt throughout the course into professional practice
• Enhance your study and help you decide on subject options (where appropriate)
• Learn a wide range of skills such as time management, problem solving and team work (all of these are important to succeed in any career)
• Make contacts, as it is not uncommon for our students to be offered permanent positions to return to after graduating
• Gain a real insight into how the industry operates in roles that would be almost impossible to achieve for an outsider
• Many of our students, during their placement, are given responsibilities normally associated with graduate trainees.

We will provide a great deal of help and support to ensure you achieve a rewarding and satisfying placement. We have strong links to outside agencies and organisations to best support you along your professional development, and dedicated placement officers to support you.

Our students perform very well on placement and a number of firms return to us year-on-year to source BU placement students.

AccessBU: AccessBU provides you with the opportunity to tell us about your circumstances that are not always evident in your UCAS application. This widening access initiative also considers relevant criteria such as being in care or if you live in an area with a low participation rate in Higher Education - if you are eligible, your offer could be up to 16 UCAS tariff points below the published tariff.

Apprenticeships: We recognise the transferable knowledge and skills gained through apprenticeships and welcome applications from students with a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship recognised by the Institute for Apprenticeships. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Deferred entry: We are happy to consider eligible applicants for deferred entry. If you have already submitted your application, please submit your deferral request through our website.

Direct entry: We welcome applications from students who have previously studied at degree level at other institutions and wish to transfer onto a BU course. Our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) procedure enables credit awarded from one institution to contribute to a BU award, subject to an application process. Please visit our RPL webpage for more information.

Mature applicants: We recognise that mature applicants may have a wealth of experience rather than formal qualifications, so we’ll consider your application on these merits if included in your application. You’ll need to apply to BU in the usual way through UCAS and you may be invited to an interview to discuss your suitability for the course based on the experience you tell us about in your application.

We encourage applicants who have a real interest in finance principles and concepts. Students on this course will have a proven ability to work effectively in teams as well as individually when completing assignments.

We select candidates for this course by looking at your application; there are usually no interviews or selection activities needed. For that reason, make sure your application really stands out from the crowd, and leave us in no doubt as to why you should be joining BU. You can find some handy hints about filling in your UCAS form on our how to apply web pages.

We look at individual applications and make a tailored offer based on your potential to succeed on the course considering a range of factors, including your academic achievements, work and other experience, reference and personal statement, and in some cases, your performance at an interview or a portfolio review. Typically, we make an offer at the bottom of the tariff range.

AccessBU gives you the chance to tell us more about you and your life experiences if you haven’t had the same educational opportunities as other applicants. If you are eligible for AccessBU, your offer could be up to 16 UCAS Tariff Points below the published tariff.

Our offer-making will typically be based on your most recent qualifications, including any required subjects where applicable. We'll consider all qualifications when assessing your application, although these may not be part of our offer.

If you do not meet the criteria of your original offer, we may still offer you a place. We will review your whole application and consider all academic qualifications (including those not in the offer) to see if you have the academic potential to succeed on the course. If we feel the answer is yes, we will confirm your place.

Your learning across finance – complemented by options to specialise in particular areas – means this course can open up a wide variety of opportunities.

Graduates work for a broad spectrum of organisations, taking up roles such as:

Business Development Adviser
Finance Executive
Graduate Financial Adviser
Financial Professionals
Business Analyst
Capital Management Analyst
Audit Associate 

The skills you learn stand you in good stead for your continuing professional development too – giving you more control over your career direction.

Once you have completed an undergraduate Honours degree, you can further develop your education by studying for a postgraduate degree. Please visit our postgraduate section for further details about our range of Master’s degrees.

Research degrees 

If you are a BU graduate you are eligible for a 20% ‘loyalty’ discount on the published fees for further programmes with us!  

Depending on your qualifications and experiences, you can choose to undertake a MRes or PhD level research degree. Bournemouth University has a strong finance research foundation within our Department of Accounting, Finance & Economics through a number of research centres, which explores theory, education and professional practice. 

Visit our postgraduate research courses for further details about research degree options with the Bournemouth University Business School and the funding options available. 

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement if this is part of your course of study
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
• Free software download to your personal device of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus while you are studying, as well as access to applications provided on AppsAnywhere, subject to licensing and compatibility restrictions
• Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual cirumstances 
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

​Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

For September 2023 entry

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shop stocks a wide range of stationery supplies.
• Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website. 
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass is included in your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation.
• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas). Information about funding your placement year can be found on our website.
• Travel costs, outdoor wear and footwear for optional field trips.
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement if this is part of your course of study.
• SportBU membership.

For September 2024 entry

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shop stocks a wide range of stationery supplies.
• Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website. 
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass is included in your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation.
• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas). Information about funding your placement year can be found on our website.
• Travel costs, outdoor wear and footwear for optional field trips.
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement if this is part of your course of study.
• SportBU membership.
• You will need to meet the cost of any Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if required by your placement setting, including any Post Office verification charges.

If you need to repeat one or more units during your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full-time fee.

Dr Spencer Barnett graduated from Bournemouth University in 2003 with a first-class honours degree in Accounting & Finance and has subsequently qualified as a chartered accountant.

Prior to starting at BU in 2000, Spencer was an equity analyst and arbitrageur at a major European investment bank.

His research interests lie within the field of equity arbitrage, particularly surrounding mergers and acquisitions.

Dr Tuan Vu joined Bournemouth University in September 2017 as a Lecturer in Accounting & Finance. Prior to that he had held a position as a part-time lecturer at the University of Exeter on various Accounting and Finance modules. He also had worked as a CFA exams tutor for a MSc programme on Financial Analysis and Fund Management.  

Tuan has obtained his PhD in Accounting at University of Exeter in 2017. He has also passed all the CFA exams (from level 1 to level 3) and shortly, he will be qualified as a CFA Chartered Holder. 

Tuan is a Senior Academic, as of July 2021. 

Dr Suranjita joined Bournemouth University in September 2011. She is a Senior Lecturer in the area of Accounting and Finance and has 12 years of university teaching experience at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level. As an experienced academic she is passionate about using new technology and inventive teaching techniques like Panopto, Padlet, podcasts and use of innovative assessments to emphasise conceptual understanding of the subject matter.

She has extensive experience in curriculum planning with proficiency in programme development of a specialist undergraduate and a specialist integrated master’s degree in accounting and finance. Suranjita has been a programme director in varied academic roles including academic liaison tutor with FE colleges, programme leader of a specialist finance and accounting programmes. Her ongoing research interest is in corporate governance, corporate finance and Tax.

Brian qualified as an accountant through the articled clerk route - then worked for Fyffes Group Ltd as Internal Audit Manager & then McCarthy & Stone PLC, in various roles from Company Accountant to a Director of their operations in France. He opened his own Accountancy & Audit Practice in 1984 which continues trading at present .Brian has been teaching at BU on a variety of units at all undergraduate levels since 1996.

Dr Phyllis Alexander is an Associate Professor in Accounting and Taxation within BU's Business School. She joined the Accounting, Finance and Economics Department in 2007 following a successful twenty-year career as a US Certified Public Accountant.

Phyllis received her doctorate from Bournemouth University in 2013 and has since built a research profile that comprises tax and financial literacy, tax morale, environmental reporting and taxation, financial management and innovative pedagogy in accounting, tax and sustainability. Her doctoral students are researching in financial distress, corporate governance, audit, non-financial disclosure and financial performance.

Phyllis' teaching style is active, problem-based, and collaborative and her assessment strategies encourage the development of professional competencies and the application of technical knowledge, thus enhancing the student learning experience and facilitating early-career readiness. Phyllis actively engages students in extra-curricula opportunities, including annual transnational intensive study programmes.

Phyllis takes an active role in programme and curriculum development at BU while also leading on extra-curricula programmes including international intensive study programmes and employability initiatives. Her previous positions within AFE have included UG and PG Programme Leaders, Head of Education and Professional Practice and interim Head of Department. She currently holds the internal positions on the AACSB Steering Group, TeachBU, Quality Assurance and Engagement Group and the Business School's Industry Advisory Board.

Phyllis' external engagements/positions include Vice-President of the Association des Formations Europeenes a la comptabilite et a l’audit (AFECA), Finance Director for the Tax Research Network (TRN), member of the TRN Education Committee, member of the Funding Committee of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT). Further, Phyllis has been the external examiner for several programme validations, doctoral vivas and recently completed four years in post as EE for the accounting and finance modules offered at Middlesex University.

Dr Fidelis Akanga is a unit leader and Lecturer in Management Accounting and Advanced Management Accounting. Prior to joining Bournemouth, he taught Management Accounting at two other institutions in the UK at both BSc, MSc and MBA levels. He has also taught Management Accounting abroad.

Fidelis also teaches Principles of Accounting (online programme).

Dr Akanga's research interests are: Microfinance Accountability, Accounting and Accountability practices in emerging economies, Management Accounting practices within organisations in emerging economies and Corporate governance practices within emerging economies.

Frazer is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Accounting, Finance & Economics, within the Bournemouth University Business School. Having graduated from BU with a BA (Hons) in Accounting, Frazer specialised in IT before becoming an academic member of staff. Having gained an MSc. in Finance & Risk Management, Frazer now specialises in Risk Management/Disaster Planning and is a Technical Specialist member of the Institute of Risk Management. Frazer is currently undertaking a PhD in Finance, focusing on Portfolio Management, with a special focus on Bloodstock.

Frazer's main research interests lie in the multi-disciplinary aspects of large scale renewable energy projects and has a number of co-created publications in this area.

Dr Conor O'Kane is a Senior Lecturer in Economics in the Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics with the Faculty of Management at Bournemouth University. In the 2021-2022 academic year he is unit leader for 5 units across all undergraduate levels. Prior to working in academia, Conor worked for over 15 years in IT industry where he mostly worked as a Business Analyst.

Research: Conor completed his PhD in 2020 and his research examines the impact technology is having on personal information disclosure in online environments. Specifically, he examines information privacy from an economics perspective and carries out experimental research to examine how proposed Data Protection regulations impact on personal information disclosure.