Skip navigation
Accounting and Finance at University of Portsmouth - UCAS

Course options

There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

Overview If you studied a business subject at undergraduate level and now want to pursue a career in accounting or finance, this accredited Master’s course is a great first step to specialise in accountancy or get into finance in general. You'll be introduced to financial and accounting topics at the start of your studies, before exploring how businesses work financially. You'll learn about markets, trades and shares, and use our industry-standard Bloomberg suite to monitor and interpret the same data that professionals use in the real world. You'll explore human behaviour in relation to finance and learn to use numbers to plan business strategy. With practical projects and coursework to apply your learning, you'll develop your analytical and problem-solving skills throughout your studies. You'll access career support and networking opportunities with businesses and fellow students to ensure you graduate ready for your career in industry. To become an accountant you'll need to study an accredited qualification. If you studied a different business-related subject at undergraduate level, this accounting and finance Master's degree is a chance to become an accountant and graduate with exam exemptions from both the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), which will kickstart your accountancy career and prepare you for the industry. Accredited by: This course is accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). What you'll experience On this course, you'll:

  • Use our industry-standard Bloomberg terminals to monitor and analyse financial market data movements and trades
  • Study a CIMA and ACCA accredited degree
  • Learn to write and interpret financial statements, and to monitor, control and plan for an organisation's ongoing success
  • Understand accounting and finance from both strategic and management perspective
  • Explore business planning and strategic management accounting, as well as corporate financial management and corporate governance
  • Learn from staff with experience in industry
Careers and opportunities When you graduate, you'll be exempt from all five Certificate Level papers of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). Additionally, CIMA's 'Gateway' route gives MSc Accounting and Finance graduates the opportunity to sit one paper which combines their Management level papers P2, F2 and E2. If you complete this successfully, you'll also be exempt from all of CIMA's Operational level and Certificate level papers. For the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), we currently have exemptions from Fundamentals Level papers F1 - F4. What jobs can you do with an Accounting and Finance degree? When you graduate, you'll be in a strong position to pursue a career in:
  • Auditing
  • Financial accounting
  • Management accounting
  • Corporate finance
  • Financial planning
  • Insurance
  • Banking

Modules

What you'll study on this MSc Accounting and Finance degree course Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits. You need to study modules worth a total of 180 credits. For example, 4 module worth 30 credits and 1 module worth 60 credits. Year 1 Core modules in this year include:

  • Research Methods and Dissertation (45 credits)
  • Behavioural Finance (15 credits)
  • Business Planning (15 credits)
  • Corporate Finance (15 credits)
  • Corporate Governance and Ethics (15 credits)
  • Corporate Valuation (15 credits)
  • Financial Accounting (15 credits)
  • Modern Portfolio Theory (15 credits)
  • Statistics and Data Modelling I (15 credits)
  • Strategic Management Accounting (15 credits)
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies. Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry. Work experience and career planning We'll help you to identify voluntary roles and opportunities that will complement your studies. When you complete this course, our Careers and Employability service can help you find a job that puts your skills to work in the accountancy and finance sectors. After you leave the University, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career. Learning support As well as support by faculty teaching staff and your personal tutor, you can use the University’s Academic Skills Unit (ASK). ASK provides one-to-one support in areas such as:
  • academic writing
  • note taking
  • time management
  • critical thinking
  • presentation skills
  • referencing
  • working in groups
  • revision, memory and exam techniques
Teaching​ Teaching methods on this course include:
  • lectures
  • seminars
  • tutorials
  • practical sessions
  • student presentations
- case studies

Assessment method

You'll be assessed through: exams coursework presentations You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark. You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

Professional bodies

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

  • Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
  • Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Entry requirements

A second-class honours degree in a relevant subject or equivalent qualification and/or equivalent professional experience


English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6.5English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.
PTE Academic65An overall score of 65 with a minimum of 62 in each skill.
TOEFL (iBT)9191 with a minimum of 20 in Reading, 19 in Listening, 21 in Speaking and 20 in Writing.
Cambridge English AdvancedCambridge English: Advanced (CAE) (taken after January 2015). An overall score of 176 with no component score less than 169.
Cambridge English ProficiencyCambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) (taken after January 2015). An overall score of 176 with no component score less than 169.
Trinity ISETrinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

EU £12600 Year 1
England £12600 Year 1
Northern Ireland £12600 Year 1
Scotland £12600 Year 1
Wales £12600 Year 1
Channel Islands £12600 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £12600 Year 1
International £17900 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Students who are resident in EU countries: please note that the net fee is inclusive of the Transition Scholarship. Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice. Fees may also go up in later years, in line with inflation.
Accounting and Finance at University of Portsmouth - UCAS