Accounting and Finance MSc

Why choose this course?

This programme provides you with a thorough understanding of fundamental areas of accounting, including financial accounting and reporting, management accounting, corporate finance and financial modelling.

You will develop the in-demand analytical and leadership skills that are required for a successful career in the accounting or finance function across a wide range of sectors and organisations.

Aligned with professional bodies, our modules will equip you with the necessary knowledge to make an immediate impact in the workplace.

Mode Duration Attendance Start date
Full time 1 year 1–4 days per week September 2024
January 2025
Full time 2 years including professional placement 1–4 days per week plus placement year September 2024
January 2025
Main location Kingston Hill

Reasons to choose Kingston University

  • This course is taught by research-active staff and provides cutting-edge knowledge regarding the latest developments in the accounting and finance sector.
  • This course is accredited by the ACT and offers exemptions from its professional exams, along with providing entry to the CIMA Master's Gateway. It also covers aspects of the ACCA professional examinations, giving you the opportunity to apply for exemptions.
  • Access to a Bloomberg trading room, offering hands-on skills and the opportunity to apply for Bloomberg certification.
  • You will gain practical experience, working on real-life cases and financial data platforms, such as Bloomberg and Thomson DataStream Advance.
  • Kingston Business School is one of only 5% of the world's business schools to be accredited by AACSB International.
  • Free car parking at the Kingston Hill campus is available for students of this course. The campus can also be easily accessed by public transport. Halls accommodation is just a walk away from the classrooms.

About the Department of Accounting, Finance and Informatics

The Department of Accounting, Finance and Informatics delivers high quality degrees in accounting, banking, finance, investment, financial technology, risk management and real estate. Our courses are accredited by professional bodies including ACCA, CIMA, ACT, RICS and ICAEW.

We are located on the doorstep of London - one of the world's largest financial hubs - where our partnerships with global organisations give you access to meaningful opportunities. We are one of only a few UK universities to have a Bloomberg Trading Room.

Kingston Business School Accreditations

Kingston Business School holds the prestigious international accreditation by the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) in recognition of the excellence of its business education. This accreditation has been earned by just 5% of the world's business schools and recognises the high quality and standard of our business degree offerings.

AACSB Accredited logo

At Kingston Business School we lead

Accreditation

Association of Corporate Treasurers

Association of Corporate Treasurers

Association of Corporate Treasurers

This course is accredited by the Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT).

Upon completion of module International Money & Finance (BA7020) you will gain exemptions from the Certificate in Treasury units:  Unit 1: The context of treasury; Unit 2: Cash and liquidity management; and Unit 3: Corporate finance.  You would then be required to complete two further units to complete the CertT.

This accreditation is renewed on an annual basis.

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

The course is accredited by CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) giving you entry into the CIMA Masters Gateway, an accelerated entry route. 

You can choose to independently organise and fund taking the CIMA Self-Tailored Pathway. Upon successful completion you will be granted 11 exemptions.

This accreditation is ongoing.

Specialist careers support

You will take part in an Assessment Centre Experience, providing the opportunity to experience the pathway to employment with tailored feedback to help develop your employability skills for the world of graduate employment.

  • Develop your understanding of the jobs market, including current trends and opportunities, different recruitment processes and how to identify relevant roles
  • Receive personalised feedback reports to help you to improve and progress
  • Access additional webinars on top tips, employer expectations and best practice
Specialist careers support

What our graduates say

As an ACCA affiliate, I believe that Kingston University provided me with the best academic experience under the guidance of their esteemed faculty in a thriving community and vibrant campus life as part of my MSc.

Ayesha Ali

From my first phone call to arrange an interview with my present employer, it quickly became apparent that without my Accounting and Finance MSc it was very unlikely that such a large investment bank would respond to my application.

Matthew Spencer, UBS Warburg

Much of my success is due to the excellent teaching and supervision of the academic staff at Kingston.

Muhammad Tahir

What you will study

This course is underpinned by the latest research and best practice. Modules have been developed to provide you with up-to-date and relevant knowledge of accounting, finance and research methods. Year 1 is made up of six core modules and one optional module. Year 2, the Professional Placement Year, is optional and offers a full year of work experience.

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list. Those listed here may also be a mixture of core and optional modules.

Year 1

Year 2 (optional)

Core modules

Management Accounting

15 credits

This module will enable you to understand and prepare management information to support the decision making in an organisation. You will be able to calculate the costs associated with the production of products and provision of services, and determine their price and you will be able to understand budgeting approaches and how budgets are produced. Effective performance management systems including performance measures, to assist management decision making, are also covered.

Financial Accounting and Reporting

30 credits

This module offers a combination of practical ‘know how' and deeper theoretical underpinning.

You will explore the principles for constructing key financial statements for individual businesses and groups of companies, developing your ability to produce financial statements from transaction records, applying a variety of financial reporting standards.

You will also learn how to analyse and interpret financial statements. The interactive sessions take an active-learning approach combining lectures, activities, exercises, and discussions.

Corporate Finance

30 credits

This module will develop your knowledge of a unique combination of important topics that are considered critical to managerial decision making, whilst understanding the core theories and concepts in the field of corporate finance.

You will learn about investment, financing and profit distribution decisions, discussing relevant research findings on debates between theory and practice, and ethical and governance failures.

You will have access to our very own Bloomberg Trading Room, where you will analyse financial data from Thomson Reuters Refinitiv Eikon, Bloomberg, FAME and more.

Financial Modelling and Data Analytics

15 credits

This module provides an underpinning and understanding of the numerical techniques used in the business and finance world to aid strategic decision making.

You will be equipped with the accounting, mathematical and statistical foundations that are necessary in the areas of accounting and finance and highly valued by employers.

You are encouraged to read articles from academic journals and discuss your findings during the interactive sessions, and you will also be able make use of the Bloomberg Trading Room to analyse financial data.

Financial Statement Analysis

15 credits

This module will develop your critical knowledge and understanding of accounting principles and enable you to analyse financial statements and reports using financial ratios and other metrics.

You will learn how undertake an in-depth analysis of firms' strategic capabilities, risk and growth potential, financial and operating performance.

This module is relevant to those who are interested in a career in the corporate or financial services sector. Professionals such as accountants and corporate lawyers can also benefit and enjoy broader career development opportunities through the skills and knowledge that this module offers.

Dissertation and Research Methods

60 credits

This module will introduce you to methods and procedures for identifying, investigating and analysing a research problem, and an opportunity to apply these tools in the development of a dissertation. You will be expected to be familiar with the theory and research in your chosen area of study, and to demonstrate your ability to review and apply concepts and techniques critically.

Optional modules (choose one)

International Money and Finance

15 credits

This module offers an intuitive analysis of the international financial management environment.

You will study the role and functions of international financial markets (FX, capital markets) and institutions, and assess the tools that can be employed by firms' managers to assess and control for risk in these markets.

You will learn about international economic linkages, monetary systems and parity conditions in international financial markets. Several real-world examples and journal articles are used to bring together theoretical considerations and practise.

Market-based Accounting

15 credits

Market-based accounting deals with the interrelationship between capital markets and accounting information. This module familiarises students with important issues in empirical accounting research and applies the concepts underlying accounting and finance, as applicable in capital market settings. The module builds on the knowledge gained in both ‘Financial Accounting' and ‘Corporate Finance' and provides skills necessary in both the accounting and finance profession.

Auditing and Control

15 credits

This module will introduce you to the concept of auditing. It covers the theoretical frameworks as well as practical processes and techniques. Current regulation, legislation, corporate governance and ethics will also be covered. The module is assessed with one piece of coursework, a presentation and an examination.

The professional placement year is optional. It takes place after the full-time year. It allows students to do a 12-month work placement as part of their course. The work placement is an assessed part of the course and is therefore covered by a Student Route visa. Find out more about the postgraduate work placement scheme.

Modules

Professional Placement

120 credits

The Professional Placement module is a core module for those students following a masters programme that incorporates an extended professional placement that follows completion of the first 180 credits of taught modules and project or dissertation. It provides students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in an appropriate working environment, and to develop and enhance key employability skills and subject specific skills in their chosen subject.

It is the responsibility of individual students to locate and secure a suitable placement opportunity; this will normally involve one placement which must be completed over a minimum period of 10 months and within a maximum of 12 months. The placement must be approved by the module leader prior to commencement to ensure its suitability.

Please note

Optional modules only run if there is enough demand. If we have an insufficient number of students interested in an optional module, that module will not be offered for this course.

Kingston Business School: be who you want to be

After you graduate

This course can help lead to careers in financial services, corporate finance, treasury or banking sectors. Typical roles may include accountant, trader, financial analyst, investment banker, portfolio/fund manager and other finance positions. 

Recent graduates work in Moody's Analytics (UK), the NHS (UK), Accenture (Netherlands) and Bank of America Merrill Lynch (UK).

Entry requirements

Typical offer

A 2:2 or above honours degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline.

If you do not have an honours degree, you will need to show us evidence that you know enough about the relevant subjects to understand the course materials. For example, you might have a professional qualification, training or work experience in a relevant field (contact the postgraduate admissions team to find out more).

Pre-Masters programme

If you don't meet these entry requirements, our Pre-Masters programme can prepare you for the course.

International

Please note: most students from countries outside the European Union/European Economic Area and classified as overseas fee paying, are not eligible to apply for part-time courses due to UK student visa regulations. For information on exceptions please visit the UKCISA website or email our CAS and Visa Compliance team.

All non-UK applicants must meet our English language requirement, which is Academic IELTS of 6.5 overall with no element below 6.0. Make sure you read our full guidance about English language requirements, which includes details of other qualifications we consider.

Applicants who do not meet the English language requirements could be eligible to join our pre-sessional English language course.

Applicants from recognised majority-English-speaking countries (MESCs) do not need to meet these requirements.

Country-specific information

You will find more information on country-specific entry requirements in the International section of our website.

Find your country:

Teaching and assessment

Guided independent study (self-managed time)

When not attending timetabled sessions, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This typically will involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for exams. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, the library and CANVAS, the online virtual learning platform.

Support for postgraduate students

As a student at Kingston University, we will make sure you have access to appropriate advice regarding your academic development. You will also be able to use the University's support services

Your workload

Type of learning and teaching

Year 1

Professional placement

Year 1
  • Scheduled learning and teaching: 297 hours
  • Guided independent study (self-managed time): 1353 hours
Professional placement
  • Guided independent study (self-managed time): 50 hours
  • Placement: 1150 hours

 

  • Year 1: 18% of your time is spent in timetabled learning and teaching activity
  • Professional Placement Year: 100% of your time is spent on guided independent study (self-managed time) and placement 
  • Contact hours may vary depending on your modules

Please note: the above breakdowns are a guide calculated on core modules only. Depending on optional modules chosen, this breakdown may change.

How you will be assessed

Assessment typically comprises exams (e.g. test or exam), practical (e.g. presentations, performance) and coursework (e.g. essays, reports, self-assessment, dissertation). The approximate percentage for how you will be assessed on this course is as follows, though depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose:

Year 1

Professional placement

Year 1
  • Coursework: 79%
  • Practical: 1%
  • Exam: 20%
Professional placement
  • Coursework: 100%
  • Practical: 0%
  • Exam: 0%

Please note: the above breakdowns are a guide calculated on core modules only. Depending on optional modules chosen, this breakdown may change.

Feedback summary

We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 20 working days.

Your timetables

Each student receives a personalised timetable. This is usually available after you have completed your online enrolment, which typically accessible one month before the start of your course.

Class sizes

You will be part of an intimate cohort of students which provides dedicated academic guidance and advice and the opportunity to build a life-long network of colleagues. Some modules are common across other postgraduate programmes; therefore you will be taught alongside students who are on these courses within the Business School.

Who teaches this course

You will be taught by an experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on this course. The team includes senior academics and professional practitioners with industry experience. The following group of staff members are currently involved in the delivery of different elements of this course. This pool is subject to change at any time within the academic year.

Fees for this course

2024/25 fees for this course

Home 2024/25

  • MSc full time £12,900

International 2024/25

  • MSc full time £18,900

2023/24 fees for this course

Home 2023/24

  • MSc full time £12,100

International 2023/24

  • MSc full time £17,500

Fees for the optional placement year

If you choose to take a placement as part of this course, you will be invoiced for the placement fee in Year 2. Find out more about the postgraduate work placement scheme and the costs for the placement year.

Postgraduate loans

If you are a UK student, resident in England and are aged under the age of 60, you will be able to apply for a loan to study for a postgraduate degree. For more information, read the postgraduate loan information on the government's website.

Scholarships and bursaries

Kingston University offers a range of postgraduate scholarships, including:

If you are an international student, find out more about scholarships and bursaries.

We also offer the following discounts for Kingston University alumni:

Additional costs

Depending on the programme of study, there may be extra costs that are not covered by tuition fees which students will need to consider when planning their studies. Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessment and operating University facilities such as the library, access to shared IT equipment and other support services. Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. 

Where a course has additional expenses, we make every effort to highlight them. These may include optional field trips, materials (e.g. art, design, engineering), security checks such as DBS, uniforms, specialist clothing or professional memberships.

Textbooks

Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment.

Computer equipment

There are open-access networked computers available across the University, plus laptops available to loan. You may find it useful to have your own PC, laptop or tablet which you can use around campus and in halls of residence. Free WiFi is available on each of the campuses. You may wish to purchase your own computer, which can cost from £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.

Photocopying and printing

In the majority of cases written coursework can be submitted online. There may be instances when you will be required to submit work in a printed format. Printing, binding and photocopying costs are not included in your tuition fees, this may cost up to £100 per year.

Travel

Travel costs are not included in your tuition fees but we do have a free intersite bus service which links the campuses, Surbiton train station, Kingston upon Thames train station, Norbiton train station and halls of residence.

Materials

You will be advised to purchase a specific calculator at a cost of approximately £10-£20.

Course changes and regulations

The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Course changes explained.

Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.

Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.