MSc in Accounting and Finance
Cardiff University
Key Information
Campus location
Cardiff, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
1 Year
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 13,950 / per year
Application deadline
Request Info
Earliest start date
Request Info
Introduction
The MSc in Accounting and Finance was designed by one of the UK’s leading accounting and finance sections to provide students with an advanced programme of study in the major aspects of accounting and finance.
The programme will prepare students for a career in the accounting profession or in the finance sector, in fields such as financial analysis, asset management or investment banking.
Why study the MSc in Accounting and Finance?
Aspects of accounting and finance are rarely out of the news. In the global accounting area, serious questions of accounting, auditing and corporate governance have been posed following the banking crisis. Innovations in financial securities are also creating significant challenges for preparers and users of accounting information alike.
Technological developments, the globalisation of capital markets, financial engineering and changes in regulation have transformed the financial sector so that many areas of finance are now highly sophisticated. Collectively, these changes and trends have created an increase in demand for analytical ability and specialist knowledge in both accounting and finance.
About the MSc in Accounting and Finance programme
The programme covers the financial and managerial aspects of accounting together with the essential principles of finance. Students build on these foundations by studying contemporary research in accounting and finance and by selecting specialist elective modules.
The taught component covers two academic semesters. The first contains four core modules, and the second, two core modules plus two options. During this time students attend lectures, tutorials and seminars, coupled with directed reading and other assignments. Following this, students carry out project work during the summer culminating in the submission of a dissertation.
The knowledge and skills obtained in the taught component are applied to a dissertation in accounting or finance, which may cover areas such as auditing, corporate governance, financial markets, financial management, financial reporting, management accounting or public sector accounting.
Admissions
Curriculum
The programme is designed so that the foundations of advanced accounting and finance are covered in the autumn semester of the taught component, while the specialist topics are studied in the spring semester. In the spring semester, students augment the accounting and finance research modules by selecting two modules from six options.
Autumn Semester
- Advanced Financial Reporting
- Management Accounting and Control
- Principles of Finance
- Research Methods
Spring Semester
- Research Topics in Accounting
- Research Topics in Finance
Choose two modules from:
- Accounting and Capital Markets
- Accounting and Finance in China
- Advanced Management Accounting
- Asset Pricing
- Financial Derivatives
- International Accounting
- International Corporate Finance
Dissertation
The dissertation is a 20,000-word research-based study, typically comprising a review of the literature and an empirical study of a chosen area of accounting and finance.
Career Opportunities
Although this is a specialist programme, students will have a wide range of employment options to choose from, including professional accountancy, the financial services sector, management consultancy or a specialist position in the public sector.