Accounting & Finance
Entry requirements
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English Language Grade 4 or above and GCSE Maths Grade 4 or above (Grade C (English) and Grade C (Maths) for those sitting their GCSE before from 2017 onwards) or equivalent. Key Skills/Functional Skills Level 2 and the Certificate in Adult Literacy are accepted in place of GCSE Grade 4 English Language. Key Skills/Functional Skills Level 3 are accepted in place of GCSE Grade 4 Maths.
UCAS Tariff
A minimum 80 from two A Levels or equivalent, excluding General Studies.
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
This course will equip you with a deep understanding of accounting and finance and their importance for organisations and businesses.
As part of this course, you’ll:
- Develop the key skills and abilities to make an effective contribution to the financial management of organisations now and in the future
- Construct and analyse financial statements and financial information using a range of techniques and electronic tools
- Learn to describe and comment on accounting and finance research using data and methodologies
- Tailor your studies by choosing modules to suit your interests and future career direction
- Undertake a business simulation project to apply your knowledge and skills
- Specialise in accountancy or gain a wider perspective on business
- Have access to guest lectures so you can learn from our business links and industry professionals
**Your academic community**
You’ll study in the heart of Leeds, one of the UK's largest financial centres outside London. The vibrant academic community you’ll join includes tutors with a wealth of academic expertise and extensive practical and professional experience.
**Find out more**
**Professional accreditation**
This course is accredited by three professional bodies:
- Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA),
- Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
- Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
This means that it’s recognised as a course with high standard teaching material that meets industry requirements. Upon graduating, you’ll able to claim exemptions from some of the exams that you would’ve needed to complete to become a Chartered Accountant.
Essentially, the work you do on your degree is transferrable and you won’t have to sit as many exams to become a qualified member of a professional body. It varies depending on the professional body, and our course spec in the Teaching & Learning section has all of the detail.
**Real world experience**
If you take a paid work placement in your third year, you’ll develop and enhance your employability. Our students have enjoyed placements with top performing companies including:
- Disney
- Morrisons
- The NHS
- Industry insights
Our guest lecture series will help support your development. Past speakers include the CEO of the London Stock Exchange, the Chief Executive of the British Bankers Association and the Chief Economist of Yorkshire Bank.
**Why study Accounting and Finance at Leeds Beckett University...**
- 94% of students on BA (Hons) Accounting & Finance were positive about the way teaching staff explain things (NSS 2023)
- 91.9% of graduates in work or further study 15 months after graduation*
- Industry-standard technology available to help you become a work-ready graduate
- Links with professional regulating bodies and financial professional institutions will ensure your learning meets the standards demanded by employers
- Optional industry placement, which will broaden your real-life work experience and impress potential employers
*Percentage of respondents from this course, HESA Graduate outcomes 20-21
Modules
Year 1 Core Modules:
- Business & Legal Foundations
- Developing Professional & Academic Skills
- Introduction to Accounting Part 1
- Introduction to Accounting Part 2
- Financial Accounting
- Themes in Accounting
- Management Accounting
Year 2 Core Modules:
- Financial Reporting
- SAGE & Forecasting
- Performance Management for Decision Making
- Technical Themes in Accounting
- Financial Management
- Group Financial Statements
Year 3 Core Modules:
- Advanced Financial Management
- Strategic Planning & Control
- Accounting Issues
- Audit & Assurance
In addition, choose from a list of Year 3 option modules. Please check our website for a full and up-to-date list.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Accounting
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Finance
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Accounting
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
You don't have to be an accountant if you take this degree, but over half of graduates take a look at the rewards on offer for accountancy trainees and go into the job. Many others go into other parts of the finance industry as advisors or book-keepers, and some go into management or marketing. London is very popular for accountancy graduates going into their first job, but it's also quite common to work in Scotland, with Glasgow a perennial hotbed of Scottish accountancy recruitment. If you want to find a job in finance as an accountancy graduates, recruitment agencies were particularly important last year, so try to get in touch with one as soon as you can to improve your chances.
Finance
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Over 2,000 students graduated with a degree in finance in 2015, and a sign of the strength of the finance industry, numbers are on the up. Over half of finance graduates go into the finance industry, with accountancy and financial advice roles particularly popular. It's also quite common for finance graduates to go into jobs which require you to take more training and gain professional qualifications — finance graduates who take further study are more likely to be studying accountancy than finance. About a third of graduates start their careers in London - but Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham are other popular locations for finance graduates to work.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Accounting
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£20k
£24k
£28k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Finance
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£20k
£24k
£28k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Explore these similar courses...
This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.
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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
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Course location and department:
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
Have a question about this info? Learn more here