Accounting and Finance for International Business BSc (Hons) top-up

Course overview

Primarily targeted at international students, this course is designed with a specific focus on accounting and finance in an international context, incorporating the study of English language for business, to better prepare you for potential global career options in areas such as business, accountancy or financial management.

Why you should study this course

This top-up course has been designed with specific emphasis on international accounting and finance. We aim to adopt a multidisciplinary approach, which covers economics, business strategy, marketing, financial planning and accounting through a range of mandatory modules.

An advanced module in English aims to support development of your English skills to a higher level and with a focus on the language used in international business arenas. You will have the chance to practise and learn how to write reports in a suitable academic style on relevant accounting, finance and international business topics such as inflation and Brexit, then present your findings to help build your confidence in communication skills.

You will consolidate your previous studies, while having the chance to develop the higher-level skills needed for international business. For example, by examining real-life case studies in financial accounting, management accounting, financial theory and international finance, you will have the opportunity to develop your analytical and critical thinking skills. We encourage you to adopt a problem-based approach to identify, analyse, apply and evaluate real-world business problems, such as the implication of globalisation and relevance of international/corporate social responsibility.

You will examine how organisations interact with stakeholders within the external environment, with the opportunity to identify the different users of financial data and their varying needs, investigating the adequacy of information disclosure in corporate annual reports.

You will also look at some of the challenges facing financial management in an international context, such as overseas initial public offerings and variances of regional accounting standards. You will have the opportunity to gain experience in a range of accepted techniques and practices, like consolidation of financial statements and investment appraisal, considering how to apply them in different contexts, for example, evaluation of overseas investment opportunities.

By studying our top-up course you will benefit from:

• specialist content which covers the identification, analysis and solution of financial decision making
• access to facilities⁴ including our Trading Floor, featuring contemporary Bloomberg terminals
• access to maths and stats help and advice through drop-in sessions with experienced staff⁴
• professional accreditation from some leading professional accounting bodies, including those with a global reach, such as the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Chartered Practising Accountant Australia (CPA). Please refer to the Accreditation and Professional Recognition and Exemptions section¹
• experienced staff, who have worked in roles such as auditors for large scale professional services firms and as ACCA markers in the UK (please note that staff are subject to change)
• opportunities to join a variety of student led societies, including the Accounting and Finance Society, the Investment Society and the Financial Trading Society
• opportunities to network with like-minded professionals and visit key financial institutions, which have previously included the London Stock Exchange and Bank of England².

Careers and opportunities

On successful completion, you should be well placed to pursue a wide variety of potential future career options in finance, management, accounting, banking, personal and corporate finance and IT in private, public and third sector organisations. You could explore potential future roles as an accountant, auditor, business analyst, investment consultant, stock controller, tax assistant or teacher.

You will be able to:

• demonstrate sound knowledge and understanding of the fundamental functions of and contexts in which accounting and finance operates in an international context.
• communicate accounting and finance concepts, models and techniques – including interpretation and forecasting of financial statement and business valuation – in a clear and precise style through written and oral work.
• analyse and draw reasoned conclusions concerning structured and unstructured problems from sets of data drawn from a range of sources, such as corporate annual reports, FAME and Bloomberg etc.
• analyse and discuss contemporary accounting and finance issues using appropriate accounting and finance principles and conventions.
• record and summarise transactions and other economic events in accounting systems for presentation and decision-making purposes.
• prepare and analyse financial statements through the use of recognised accounting conventions, statistical methods and computer-based techniques.
• analyse and produce financial solutions to complex business decisions.