Academic titleInternational Accounting and Finance MSc
Course descriptionThe MSc in International Accounting and Finance provides students with expertise in accounting and finance set in a broad international context. This ten-month course focuses on the connections between theory and practice. In particular, it explores issues in accounting and finance from the perspective of those who will be using financial reports to evaluate company and managerial performance.
Students with good quantitative skills will:
* gain a thorough understanding of the principles underlying current thinking in accounting and finance
* examine the impact of globalisation on accounting and financial analysis
* have excellent networking opportunities within the City of London
* acquire a qualification suitable for a wide range of career openings.
Course Content - Ahead of the game
We regularly review all our courses to keep them up-to-date on issues of both theory and practice. Therefore, there may be some change to the detailed content of the modules and occasionally to module titles.
To satisfy the requirements of the degree programme students must complete:
* nine core courses
and
* five electives
or
two electives and a Business Research Project
or
a 30 credit module in International Financial Reporting Standards and 2 electives of 10 credits each
Two Induction Weeks The International Accounting & Finance course starts with two compulsory induction weeks, focused on:
* an introduction to careers in finance and the opportunity to speak to representatives from over 75 companies during a number of different industry specific fairs.
* a refresher course of basic financial mathematics, statistics, computing and electronic databases.
* Term 1
Five core modules (30 hours each, unless otherwise stated)
Corporate Finance (60 hours over terms 1 & 2)
Provides a thorough understanding of the key factors affecting the valuation of a company; the financing of new ventures through initial and seasoned equity offerings; the choice between various forms of short- and long-term financing; and the interaction between corporates and capital markets. Makes extensive use of real case studies to illustrate theory and compare with relevant academic research.
International Financial Reporting and Analysis (60 hours over terms 1 & 2)
Provides an understanding of the nature of, and assumptions implicit in, the preparation of financial statements and their interpretation. More specifically, enables students to appreciate the methods, rules and assumptions underlying the preparation of published financial statements and to appraise the role of financial accounting data in the measurement of management performance through time and across companies. Based on International GAAP.
International Financial Management
This course provides the student with an integrated view of international financial markets and the management of multinational firms. Students will study the markets for foreign exchange, currency forwards, options, swaps and international equities, studying how they operate and how the instruments traded in these markets are valued.
Principles of Finance
This module will introduce the principles of asset pricing (Portfolio Theory, Capital Asset Pricing Model, Market Efficiency) and financial instruments (Fixed income securities, futures and forwards, options). Students will also gain a basic understanding of financial mathematics and an introduction to regression analysis.
Strategic Cost Management
Provides an understanding how accounting is used to support decision-making, planning, control and performance measurement within organisations. After covering key management accounting tools such as costing and budgeting, students will progress to study management control within divisionalised companies as well as developing practices such as activity-based costing and strategic management accounting.
Terms 2
Five core modules (30 hours each)
Corporate Finance (60 hours over terms 1 & 2)
Provides a thorough understanding of the key factors affecting the valuation of a company; the financing of new ventures through initial and seasoned equity offerings; the choice between various forms of short- and long-term financing; and the interaction between corporates and capital markets. Makes extensive use of real case studies to illustrate theory and compare with relevant academic research.
International Financial Reporting and Analysis (60 hours over terms 1 & 2)
Provides an understanding of the nature of, and assumptions implicit in, the preparation of financial statements and their interpretation. More specifically, enables students to appreciate the methods, rules and assumptions underlying the preparation of published financial statements and to appraise the role of financial accounting data in the measurement of management performance through time and across companies. Based on International GAAP.
Accounting Information and Capital Markets
The aim of this course is to develop an understanding of the use of financial statements in valuing securities in international markets. The course provides tools for financial analysts, corporate managers and investment bankers to assess the fundamental value of traded securities in different markets. The course puts significant emphasis on the interactions between global capital markets and the value of the underlying real assets.
Applied Empirical Accounting
This course consists of two parts. The first is dedicated to essential concepts in statistics and econometrics. The second part present students with seminal papers in accounting and finance that will be discussed in class. This will also provide a starting point for future dissertations. This course ensures that students:
* understand basic concepts in statistics and econometrics
* understand research papers in accounting and finance discussed in the course from a conceptual standpoint
* understand statistical distributions and hypothesis testing
Business Strategy
Setting your accounting and finance skills in their broader context, this module tackles issues of strategy and resources, ethics and values that senior managers face in achieving corporate goals. Taught mainly through case studies, topics include the role of the chief executive, strategy formulation, competitive strategy, strategy implementation, ethical problems and managerial styles and values.
Term 3
Five electives from the list below (18 hours each)
OR
A 30 credit module in International Financial Reporting Standards and 2 electives of 10 credits each
OR
Two electives and a Business Research Project
Electives
You may choose from a wide variety of electives. For example: