This programme provides students with a solid foundation and understanding of the accounting and finance principles. Designed for graduates from any academic discipline who wish to become senior business managers or seek a career in accounting, financial management, banking and financial services.
The seven taught modules will give students a clear understanding of the accounting and finance joint roles in ensuring successful operations in a range of business settings, including financial, non-financial and public sector organisations and for providing information to interested parties.
Modules
One of the following:
As well as:
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Two professional references – at least one must be from an academic referee
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An official academic transcript of your university grades to date
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A completed application form.
For International Students:
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An official academic transcript, with an official English translation, of your university grades to date
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Students whose native language is not English will also need to satisfy our English language requirements with one of the following:
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A TOEFL score of 100 with a minimum score of 23 in writing and speaking and 20 in reading and listening (internet based)
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An overall IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.5 in writing and speaking and 6.0 in listening and reading
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A PEARSON score of 61 overall with a minimum score of 61 in writing and speaking and 53 in reading and listening
Pre-sessional English language programmes are available for good applicants whose English qualification falls just short of these requirements.
The seven taught modules are assessed through a mixture of examinations and coursework. The taught element of the programme is complemented by a substantial piece of research leading to the completion of a dissertation.
Successful completion of this programme leads to exemptions from professional accountancy bodies the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).
You will still need to secure professional training and complete further exams in order to become fully qualified in accountancy, but these exemptions demonstrate to future employers your commitment and potential to complete sector qualifications.
This programme is designed for candidates wishing to acquire expertise in both accounting and finance, while developing the necessary skills for senior management roles in those areas. This programme is also suitable for those wishing to pursue more advanced studies, such as a PhD.
For information on sector opportunities see the Accountancy and Business Services overview on the Prospects website.
Examples of job taken up by our recent graduates include:
- Junior Auditor – Ernst & Young
- Auditor – Deloitte and Touche
- Financial Analyst - Rhodia
- Chartered Accountant - Grant Thornton
- Project Manager – United Nations Organisation
- Analyst - Matson, Driscoll & Damico LLP.
Students will acquire skills in the following areas: giving presentations; team working; report writing; negotiation and IT skills. Modules taught on this MSc will enable you to develop a wide range of technical and transferable skills and knowledge highly relevant to a wide range of graduate careers where analytical, decision-making, problem-solving and planning are required. These include:
- Evaluating and reporting on organisations’ financial performance
- Measuring costs, financial planning, forecasting and decision-making
- Assessing economic policy
- Interpreting accounting information using financial tools including balance sheets, profit and loss accounts and cash flow statements
- Ratio Analysis and shareholding value reporting
- Multi-cultural teamwork and presentation skills developed through group-work
- Analytical skills developed through research dissertation.
Aston Business School's outstanding student facilities include:
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A purpose-built suite which is accessible exclusively to Masters students
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24 hours access
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Free Wi-Fi connection
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Modern lecture/tutorial rooms
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Computer labs
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Lounge area
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IT equipment and packages and use of Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
Dr Ataur Belal
PhD, MBA, FCCA, FHEA
I'm a senior lecturer in accounting at the Aston Business School. Previously I taught at the University of Toulouse Business School, France, the University of Regensburg, Germany, Sheffield University Management School, UK and the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh. My principal research interest lies in the area of social and environmental accounting. My teaching interests are - social and environmental accounting, financial accounting and international accounting.
Mr Matt Davies
BA, ACA
Matt re-joined Aston as a lecturer in Finance and Accounting in January 2006. Matt is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, having qualified with PriceWaterhouse in 1992. In 1993, Matt joined Aston for the first time before taking up a position as Director of ATC’s Continuing Professional Development Division in 1999. Following ATC’s acquisition by FTC in 2003, Matt became a Senior Training Consultant in FTC’s Corporate Training Division.
Dr Ilias Basioudis
BSc, MSc, PhD, FHEA
I am senior lecturer of Financial Accounting & Auditing in the Finance, Accounting & Law Group at Aston Business School, and the Chairman of the Auditing Special Interest Group of the British Accounting Association. I also hold an adjunct senior lectureship position in the University of South Australia, and am a Fellow of the UK Academy of Higher Education. My textbook on financial accounting, commissioned by Pearson, is due to be published by September 2009. I moved to Aston after I had an appointment with Warwick Business School. I have held short teaching appointments at ALBA Graduate Business School, Greece, and in the RMIT, Australia. I am a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Auditing and an ad-hoc reviewer of various academic journals and international conferences. I teach mainly financial accounting and auditing at graduate and undergraduate levels. My research interests lie primarily within the area of empirical auditing and corporate governance and include the market for audit services in the private and public sectors, earnings management and audit quality, audit committees, the regulation of accounting and the accounting profession, and accounting education.
Professor Alan Lowe
BA (Hons), MA (Econ), PhD
My research interests include the impact on management accounting systems of changes in management philosophies, methods of performance measurement, the impact of accounting information systems, issues related to the management of intellectual capital and the application of qualitative research methodologies. Recent publications have appeared in: Accounting Organizations and Society, Accounting Auditing and Accountability Journal, British Accounting Review, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Management Accounting Research, Organization Studies, and Policy Studies.
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