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BSc (Hons) Placement year available

Accounting and Finance

Learn the tricks of the trade in our Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab and prepare for a career in the world of business.

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    Get to know more about Accounting and Finance at ARU.

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Why ARU?

  • Experience practical learning that provides you with opportunities to tackle real-world challenges

  • Get hands-on accounting experience in our simulated yet authentic Bloomberg Financial Markets Labs

  • Cover a wide range of topics essential for success in business

  • Study on a course with professional accreditation, ensuring a quality education and the opportunity for exemptions in professional exams

What is an Accounting and Finance Degree?

Our Accounting and Finance degree prepares you for a multitude of careers, including finance, banking, insurance and the charity sector.

Using real-world challenges as your starting point, our BSc (Hons) Accounting and Finance degree will equip you with all the skills you need to dive into the world of business. Whether it’s through our Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab in Chelmsford or Cambridge, out on placement or through an internship, you’ll get the chance to put what you learn to the test.

Alongside these practical opportunities, you’ll also be learning all about the ever-changing world of business – from business law to marketing concepts and beyond.

Our course could see you go on to become a practising accountant or opt for a wider range of careers in business – it’s up to you where your journey takes you.

Course options

Key facts

Looking for different course options?

Modules are subject to change and availability, and may vary by location. If you have the choice of optional modules, these are indicated with a *.

Year 1
  • Introduction to Financial Analysis and Management
  • Global Business Environment and International Strategy
  • Introduction to Business Contracts and the Law
  • Digital Business and Principles of Marketing
  • Organisational Behaviour
  • Into ARU
Year 2
  • Financial Management
  • Introduction to Financial Reporting
  • Performance Management
  • Taxation in the UK
  • Ruskin Module (15 credits)
Year 3
  • Corporate Governance and Auditing
  • International Financial Reporting
  • Capital Markets and Investment
  • Undergraduate Major Project
Module details

To prepare you for university study, you can take a foundation year at the start of this course.

4 years with foundation
Year 1 Cambridge, Chelmsford
  • Foundation in Business
Module details
4 years with foundation Peterborough
Year 1 ARU Peterborough
  • Literacies in Higher Education
  • Introduction to Business and Law
  • Extended Project
  • Into ARU
Module details

You can choose to take an optional placement year as part of this course. Placements typically happen in Year 3, and your course will take four years overall.

Placement year
  • Work Placement School of Economics Finance and Law
Module details

Read profiles of teaching and research staff on this course.

Facilities

As an Accounting and Finance student you'll benefit from:

  • physical or virtual access to our Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab to put your new-found knowledge into practice in a fully simulated and safe environment
  • active collaborative learning, which includes digitally supported learning with online screencasts providing background material to support face-to-face discussion.

Take a guided tour and meet our students

Accreditation

Accredited course

Our Accounting and Finance degree is accredited by ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA and ICAEW.

You’ll be exempted from the nine Applied Knowledge and Skills papers of the ACCA qualification, four of the 15 exams of the ICAEW's ACA qualification, eight of the 16 exams of the CIMA qualification, and six of the 12 exams of the CIPFA qualification.

ACCA logo CIMA logo CIPFA logo ICAEW logo

Careers

What can you do with a degree in Accounting and Finance?

The world of business never stands still and our BSc (Hons) Accounting and Finance degree course is no different. Taking real world challenges as our starting point, there is a major focus on practical, hands-on learning to get you set up for a career in business.

You could go on to become a practising accountant or opt for a wide range of careers in the business sector. You may find yourself working in a global corporation, a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) or even for yourself – it’s not unusual for company CEOs to come from an accounting or finance background.

Graduation doesn’t need to be the end of your time with us, of course. You might decide to stay at ARU and study for a Masters, such as our renowned MSc Accounting and Finance. With our Alumni Scholarship, you'll even get 20% off your fees as an ARU graduate.

Employability and personal career development

Informed by employers, our courses support an integrated approach to employability. You’ll have opportunities to develop the skills and abilities they are looking for and gain a deeper understanding of how your academic learning relates to the world of work through Live Briefs and Ruskin Modules.

To amplify your career ambition, you will need to actively dedicate time outside of your studies, whether you choose to explore an ARU Certificate for Professional Development, placements, internships or volunteering. Or you could make a social impact by collaborating with our partner organisations through our volunteer scheme Students at the Heart of Knowledge Exchange (SHoKE). These all give you an edge, providing you with experience that you will be able to evidence on your CV and talk about in interviews.

Our Employability and Careers Service offers a range of expert advice and support to build your unique professional profile, including tailored career appointments, advice on writing your CV, and help to complete job applications. You’ll have 24/7 access to the Careers Centre, our comprehensive online digital resource, which empowers you to start building a Personal Career Development Plan from the very start. Design your future at ARU.

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“Studying a course I love makes my time at ARU even more enjoyable, because I’m spending time learning something with people who share the same interest.”

STELLA

BSc (Hons) Accounting and Finance

Entry requirements

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Vibrant campuses

Choose where you study: we offer this degree course in the heart of Cambridge, Chelmsford or Peterborough.

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