ObjectivesThe aim of the programme is to provide graduates and other individuals that have practical accounting and financial training with the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue a senior level professional career in accounting, financial services or related sectors of the economy.
Entry requirementsEntry Entry to the MSc programme requires a good first degree in a relevant subject, e.g. economics, finance, accounting or management from a university, or a similar qualification from any other institution. Alternatively, possession of a suitable professional qualification and relevant practical experience may also be accepted. In general, however, applicants are judged on their individual merits and age, work experience and other factors are also considered. A two-year programme, with the first year as a "qualifying year", is also available for students whose backgrounds are different from those outlined above in order to prepare them more fully for their studies. We welcome applications from good graduates in relevant disciplines and from those with equivalent professional qualification and work experience.
Academic titleMSc Accounting and Finance
Course descriptionChanges in the business environment create the need for individuals wishing to pursue a senior management role to be aware of contemporary accounting and finance developments.
Understanding these theoretical and practical issues is critical for managers who often have to make rapid and far-reaching decisions about the short term financial operations and long term strategies of firms.
The MSc in Accounting and Finance offers you a unique opportunity to develop an appreciation of the causes and significance of current developments in the financial and corporate sectors, and to study advanced theory and practice relating to accounting and finance.
Issues you will tackle as part of your MSc Accounting and Finance degree programme include:
* How are the financial accounts of companies formulated, and how do they differ across jurisdictions?
* What agency issues are important in the creation of company accounts?
* How does accounting theory inform financial and management accounting practice?
* How does regulation impact on the performance of firms, and how do accounting practices highlight profit and/or loss realisation?
* What empirical techniques can be used to evaluate company performance?
* In what ways have financial accounting requirements and auditing been influenced by recent company failures?
* What are the relationships between risk and return governing investment in company shares and other derivative instruments?
* Which factors are most likely to influence the evaluation and implementation of international investment projects?
* How can we calculate a suitable cost of capital to appraise the capital investment decision?
* How should institutional investors go about constructing a portfolio of assets to maximise returns on behalf of investors?
* How are futures, options, derivatives and swaps used to manage balance sheet and off-balance sheet risks?
* What are the key principles of international portfolio management in a world of fast and unpredictable movements in exchange rates?
* How can financial forecasts be used in business valuation, and what techniques should be used to improve trend analysis and interfirm comparison?
With these needs in mind, the MSc Accounting and Finance programme at Bangor is designed to develop participants’ existing skills through a scheme of specialist advanced study. An important objective is to provide participants with relevant analytical training, so that they are familiar with the latest theoretical and practical developments relating to accounting and finance. The programme provides a coherent theoretical framework for the various subject areas, but the emphasis throughout is on advanced practical application of accounting and financial techniques in a real-world setting.
The MSc in Accounting and Finance is scheduled for a duration of 12 months. The degree programme consists of two parts.
Part 1 is a wholly taught component, contributing 120 credits. Part 1 is taught during the two semesters which make up the academic year. Teaching during semester 1 normally runs from late-September to December, with examinations in January. Teaching during semester 2 normally runs from late-January to early-May, with examinations in May and June.
Part 2 is a supervised dissertation of around 10,000 words, contributing 60 credits. The dissertation provides you with the opportunity to critically review, and possibly (but not necessarily) produce an original contribution to, the literature in any part of the taught syllabus. Part 2 is completed during the summer months, from June to September. You are expected to submit your dissertation by the end of September in the calendar year following your initial registration for your MSc degree programme.
Continuous assessment is an integral part of all of our taught modules. The weightings attaching to coursework and other forms of continuous assessment vary from module to module, from a minimum of 25% to a maximum of 50%.
MSc Accounting and Finance course structure
Compulsory modules:
* Accounting Theory
This module critically evaluates a widespread and widely based set of theories that underpin any explanation of accounting behaviour and accounting regulatory output.
* Advanced Financial Reporting and Regulation
This module provides an advanced treatment of the main theoretical principles underlying financial reporting, and the practical implications of alternative regulatory regimes.
* International Financial Markets
This module provides an overview of financial instruments in a multi-currency world, taking account of insights from portfolio theory concerning the relationship between risk and return, the diversification of risk, and the pricing of assets.
* International Financial Management
In this module, the financial management of multinational companies, and the influence of the macroeconomic, fiscal, currency and political environments on business and financial decision-making are examined in an international and global context.
* Financial Analysis
This module analyses the techniques that are used to evaluate a company’s financial position and performance.
* Research Methods
This module equips students with knowledge of intermediate and advanced research methods, which they will encounter in other modules and in their dissertation.
Optional modules (choose 2):
* Management Accounting
This module provides an understanding of the uses of financial data in measuring and evaluating business performance, and in setting the strategic aims of the organisation.
* Corporate Risk Management
This module provides an analysis of pure risk and its management.
* Financial Modelling
This module develops a combined theoretical and practical approach to mathematical modelling for specialists in finance.
* Financial Econometrics
This module provides advanced coverage of econometric methods and practices that are used to model financial and business data.