ACCOUNTING & FINANCE (ACCA ROUTE) at University of West of Scotland

OVERVIEW

MSc Accounting & Finance has been developed in partnership with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and prepares you for a successful career in finance and accounting in various business environments.

The MSc in Accounting & Finance (ACCA Route) build upon your first business / accounting related degree and offers both full time and part time opportunities to study towards a Master’s degree and, at the same time, prepare you for the ACCA’s professional exams.

Career prospects

Graduates will have many career options in finance and accounting, including senior management posts, in industry and commerce e.g. financial accountant, business analyst, financial analyst, treasurer, risk manager, internal auditor, and management accountant.

Students may wish to fully complete their professional accreditation with ACCA as the primary aim of this programme is to accelerate careers in the accountancy profession. The ACCA qualification ultimately leads to professional recognition and, with industry experience, to chartered and certified status.

Other progression routes include a research career or further study with an MBA, PhD, or DBA.

ASSOCIATION OF CHARTERED CERTIFIED ACCOUNTANTS (ACCA)

This MSc prepares students for the rigours of professional level examinations that are required at the advanced level of the ACCA professional programme.

ACCA is one of the world’s leading professional accounting bodies. ACCA has more than 200,000 fully qualified members and 486,000 students in 180 countries worldwide.

COURSE DETAILS

There are four core modules on the taught element of the Master’s programme:

• Strategic Business Leader (ACCA Route) (core, 30 credits)
• Strategic Business Reporting (ACCA Route) (core, 20 credits)
• Advanced Financial Management (ACCA Route) (core, 10 credits)
• Advanced Performance Management (ACCA Route) (core, 20 credits)

You will also take one optional 20 credit module from a list of related modules.

Successful completion of the taught modules allows you to proceed to the master's dissertation module. This can either take the form of a formal, research-informed dissertation, or as an agreed and approved work-based project from which a researched report will be completed.

Teaching & Assessment

The core modules will use a flipped classroom approach as their learning and teaching strategy, with students supporting each other through collaboration and group work.

Academics have the roles of guides/facilitators in the learning, thus encouraging a learning partnership approach.

Problem-solving will be a key element of the learning and teaching approach, with case studies used in the core modules to simulate real-life financial and business scenarios and used to identify, exemplify, analyse and criticise theory and practice of accounting & finance.

UWS's Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle) will provide additional support materials but students will also have access to the extensive learning tools devised by ACCA for study at the professional level.

Learning is supported by our highly qualified and skilled professional accounting and finance team and by excellent materials prepared by both the University and by ACCA.

ASSESSMENT (CORE MODULES)

• Unseen case study-focused exams: 70%
• Coursework assignments: 30%

The exams will follow the format and style of the ACCA examinations, and you will eligible to sit the relevant ACCA exam following completion of the equivalent Master’s module.