MSc International Accounting & Finance

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Delivery:
Full time according to Funding Council definitions, Sandwich (Thick) out of college.

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Accredited by:

This conversion course is delivered by the Business School, which has AACSB accreditation in recognition of our focus on excellence in all areas. It’s something that fewer than 5% of business schools worldwide have achieved, so you can be sure you’re in good hands.

It’s ideal for graduates looking to change subjects or career direction, and is designed to give you a firm understanding of how organisations report their financial data. As well as helping you learn how to analyse data and draw conclusions from it, you’ll study how to help modern international corporations to accurately reflect environmental issues in their financial reporting.

This is an area of increasing importance in modern financial reporting, and a challenge that many companies are struggling to meet. By giving you this sought-after skillset, this course will help you to stand out from the crowd as an employee who can really make a difference to the businesses looking for graduates in this area.

Ultimately you’ll gain the transferable skills needed for a future career in accounting and finance. These include team-working, objective analysis, and communication. You will also have the option to complete a 30-week work placement. The placement will help increase your employability even further. You can opt to take your placement in the UK or overseas, and in fact, many large financial firms are located within Bournemouth.

Our global focus allows you to develop a truly international perspective while studying with our expert teaching team. This course is industry-focused, with our graduates going to work at leading international companies.

See Course details for information including how this course will be delivered safely if you’re starting in January 2021 in response Covid-19.

Image description — Studland house at night

Key information

Next start date:

January 2021, September 2021, January 2022, September 2022

Location:

Bournemouth University, Lansdowne Campus

Duration:

September: 1 year full-time. January: 16 months full-time; 2 years with optional 30-week work placement

Accreditations:

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

Required subjects:

All subjects considered

Entry requirements:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject, or equivalent

International entry requirements:

If English is not your first language you'll need IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component. For more information see our full entry requirements.

Course details

January 2021 – course information

During your first semester (January to June), your course will be delivered online using interactive platforms that will replicate the experience of being in a lecture theatre or seminar room. You’ll have opportunities to interact with your lecturer and fellow students just as you would have done in any other year.

We’ve been delivering lectures and sessions online for some time now, and have designed virtual sessions that will be interactive, making full use of technology to enhance the experience for everyone.

We will work to include more face-to-face delivery as soon as local and national guidance and appropriate risk assessments make it possible.

You will be able to use the Library, the Student Centre, Open Access Centre and social learning spaces, subject to physical distancing measures to undertake group and other work.

There will be no other changes to the content of your course as a result of Covid-19; we will deliver all of the units we have previously promised we would, and we are not making any changes to the individual learning outcomes on your course.

You can view our Coronavirus FAQs for the latest information from BU.

This is the latest information, updated on 24 November 2020. We will update this page when more information is available, and we can confirm any additional on-campus activity.

Core units

Financial Reporting & Analysis: Learn the main principles and techniques involved in the production and operation of financial statements and the analysis of corporate financial reporting.
International Corporate Finance: The aims of this unit are to address the importance of the corporate finance function in an internationally diverse corporation and to offer a framework for assisting corporate decision makers in a complex, dynamic and inherently uncertain external environment.
Business & Finance Analytics: You will be equipped with the skills to understand statistical processes and techniques for the collection, presentation, analysis and interpretation of data common in business and finance. You will be able to interpret, and communicate quantitative results and show how quantitative methods may be used to provide reliable management information.
Corporate Governance & Ethics: This unit covers the objectives, principles and methods of corporate governance practice in different economic environments, providing a range of frameworks for analysing complex ethical problems. You'll learn how to aid managerial decision-making, particularly for risk management.
Research Project: The research project provides Master’s level students with an opportunity to undertake a significant piece of self-managed research in an area that interests you and is relevant to the course.

Option units

Choose two

International Investment Management: This unit is designed to explore some of the wider issues in the global investment marketplace, providing an understanding of key theoretical concepts and how to apply this knowledge to the analysis of practical real estate problems.
Corporate Social Responsibility & Environmental Accounting: This unit will equip you with the ability to account and report on environmental matters and critically appraise the usefulness of such information.
Portfolio Construction & Theory: This unit aims to provide you with the necessary theoretical background for the application of portfolio selection and how to apply modern portfolio theory to investment management, covering specific issues such as ethical investment strategies.
International Taxation: This unit will provide knowledge of the business opportunities and business risk entailed in cross-border trading and of the measures commonly taken by countries to protect their jurisdiction to tax.

Optional work placement

The placement is intended to foster personal and professional development, and to help you to make a connection between academic learning and the working world.

You should consider how a range of management theories can be used, and if management in industry could be improved. The transferable skills developed will improve your performance in your future career, both as employee and manager.

Programme specification

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 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.

Download the programme specification (pdf 142kb)

Your application

What we’re looking for

For International Accounting & Finance we are looking for applicants who:

Have excellent analytical and decision-making skills
Show an enthusiasm for the subject area
Demonstrate effective communication skills.

Students will typically have an interest in international and multi-cultural world economy. We encourage applications from those who are committed to their studies and are capable of working well in teams.

Selection methods

How and when to apply

There is no application deadline for this course. However, if you will need a visa to come to the UK to study, think carefully about the length of time it will take for your visa application to be processed and make sure your visa will be ready in time for the beginning of your course.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our How to apply section.

Placements

An exciting and valuable part of your studies with us is the opportunity to gain valuable experience through full-time paid industrial placements, for a minimum of 30 weeks. You will have the option to start your placement when the taught units of the course are finished, before the dissertation.

Find out more about placements for postgraduate students

What support is available?

We provide a lot of support for you to help you find work, including a block of seminars, covering topics such as writing a CV and a covering letter, completing an application form, performing well in interviews, and we also provide language support to assist you with the written elements of your applications.

However, it is ultimately your responsibility to find work. The university does not guarantee that you will find a place. As you all probably know, it is hard work finding a job, and for this reason, many students change their mind once they are here, and choose a taught unit instead of doing the placement.

During your time on placement you will be supported by a unit tutor and a placement development advisor who will visit you on placement and keep in touch by phone and email.

International students

If you choose to do a placement as part of your course:

If you have previously studied in the UK, we will consider any study limit that may apply. We will issue your CAS according to the length of time you are entitled to under UKVI regulations (if you do not have enough time left for a work placement year, we will issue your CAS to cover your course dates only).

If you decide after you have enrolled on your course that you do not want to do a placement, this will be reported to the UKVI when you have successfully completed your course.

If you choose not to do a placement as part of your course:

We will note this on your CAS and your visa will only be granted long enough to cover your taught course, excluding placement.

If you change your mind while you are here and decide you want to do a placement, you will need to leave the UK to make a new Tier 4 visa application for the additional year of study. You would need to pay for your return travel back to your home country, as well as the cost of a new Tier 4 student visa application.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements

The normal requirements for embarking upon a postgraduate taught degree are:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject, or equivalent.

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow – some based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry Team for more information.

International entry requirements

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

China: 学士学位 (Bachelor degree) with a minimum of 65% overall
Nigeria: Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution in Nigeria
Thailand: Thai Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution.
Vietnam: Bachelor's degree/Bang tot nghiep dai hoc with an average score of at least 7.0, or a Master’s degree/Thac si.
Turkey: Bachelor’s Degree (Lisans Diplomasi -four years) to be considered for a postgraduate course at BU.

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each component, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level.

Careers

Example job roles

After completion of this course typical job roles can include:

Financial Analyst
Investment Advisor
Financial Consultant
Finance Manager.

Industries worked in?

Accounting
Finance advice
Banking
Investment
Multi-national corporations

As you progress through the course you will gain a better idea of the areas in which you want to specialise in your career. The skills you learn should stand you in good stead for your continuing professional development too – giving you more control over your future career direction.

Further study

Costs and fees

You can find full information about the deposits required and how to pay your fees in our postgraduate fees and funding section, including details of the Postgraduate Loan (subject to fee status).

All fees are quoted in pounds sterling and are per annum. Fees quoted are for tuition only unless stated otherwise. Your tuition fees will be the same for each year of your course.

Find out more about living expenses for postgraduate students

No hidden extras

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:

One set of study-related consumables such as a memory stick/ DVD
Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity
Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement.
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
Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
Disability and additional learning support
The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Costs of living and other expenses you need to consider

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:

Laptops, tablets and mobile devices.
Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website.
Travel costs, outwear and footwear for optional field trips.
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 shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses.
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.
SportsBU membership

Repeat units

Financial help available from BU

Deposits

International (non-EU) students need to pay a non-refundable £2,000 deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

Our staff

On this course you will be taught by staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This could include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students, many of whom are actively engaged in research and/or professional practice which is integrated into the teaching of this course. Please note that teaching staff can change.

Dr Mehdi Chowdhury - Programme Leader

I am a Senior Lecturer in Economics at the Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics, Business School, Bournemouth University, UK. I joined the School in September 2011 after obtaining my PhD from the School of Economics of the University of Nottingham. I received Masters Degrees in Economics from Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan and the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. I worked as a Teaching Assistant in Economics at the Department of Economics of the University of Bristol from 2009-2011.

View Dr Mehdi Chowdhury

Dr Nikolaos Papanikolaou – Senior Lecturer in Accounting & Finance

Nikolaos’s research interests lie at the intersection of economics and finance. Nikolaos has established a concrete portfolio of teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and has been awarded twice for his exceptional teaching performance. Alongside with his academic activity, Nikolaos has worked as a consultant, credit officer, and financial advisor in the financial services industry.

View Dr Nikolaos Papanikolaou's staff profile

Dr Marta Disegna – Senior Lecturer in Statistics & Econometrics

Marta specialises in the statistical and econometric analysis of the consumer behaviour with particular focus on the tourism, environment, and food sectors. In particular, she has extensively studied and adopted non-overlapping and fuzzy algorithms for market segmentation, censored regression models for the analysis of expenditure behaviour and willingness to pay or donate.

View Dr Marta Disegna's staff profile

Dr Suranjita Mukherjee - Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance

Suranjita 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. Her ongoing research interest is in corporate governance, corporate finance and Tax.

View Dr Suranjita Mukherjee’s staff profile

Dr Ishmael Tingbani – Lecturer in Management Accounting

Ishmael joined BU in 2014 prior to the completion of his PhD program at Bournemouth University. He has had over 10 years’ banking and consultancy experience in the banking sector, specialising in credit risk and stress test analysis regarding counterparty credit OTC exposures; utilising value at risk (VaR) methodologies for various assets classes. Dr Tingbani is a Chartered Banker (ACIB). He holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Economics and Sociology), MBA Banking & Finance, Chartered Banker MBA and a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Finance from Bournemouth University.

Ishmael’s teaching interests cut across Accounting Finance and Economics, having taught modules such as International Investment Management, Advanced Management Accounting, Venture Capital and Growth Finance, Money Banking and Financial Services, Quantitative Economic Application to undergraduate and postgraduate accounting finance and economics students.

View Dr Ishmael Tingbani’s staff profile

Spencer Barnett – Lecturer in Accounting

Spencer 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, he was an equity analyst and arbitrageur at a major European investment bank.

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

View Spencer Barnett's staff profile

Dr Phyllis Alexander - Principal Academic

Dr Hany Elbardan - Senior Lecturer in Accounting & Finance

Dr Hany Elbardan has a PhD in accounting (Brunel University), MSc and BSc (Hons) in accounting (Alexandria University). His research interests include accounting, accounting information systems, ERP systems, internal and external auditing, internal control, risk management, managerial accounting and Corporate Governance.

He has published his research in refereed international journals such as Information Systems Management, Journal of Enterprise Information Management and Journal of applied Accounting research. He has presented most of his research papers at international and regional conferences such as Accounting and finance association of Australia and New Zealand, British Accounting and Finance Association, Americas Conference on Information Systems. Dr Elbardan is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Management Science and Business Administration, Journal of Organizational Studies and Innovation and Organisational Studies and Innovation Review.

View Dr Hany Elbardan's staff profile

Dr Dermot McCarthy – Principal Academic

Dermot’s research interests are cross-disciplinary, encapsulating areas of economics and employee relations. More specifically, his research focuses on public-sector economics, theory of the firm, public-sector industrial relations, employee share-ownership, and employee psychology.

Dermot has published a number of papers relating to the impact of privatisation and employee share-ownership on employee attitudes and commitment in the workplace.

View Dr Dermot McCarthy’s staff profile

Course changes

Changes for 2019 entry

Date	Changes to this course
25/04/2019	Where the change was made: course overview and course content Change: Following a course review the course overview and unit content has been revised and updated for September 2019 onwards as well as the addition of an optional 30-week work placement. The previous content can be found in the programme specification.

All statistics shown throughout this page are taken from Unistats, Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE), BU institutional data and Ipsos MORI (National Student Survey) unless otherwise stated.