Accounting and Finance - BSc (Hons)
with a Year Abroad

This is an archived course for 2022 entry
2023 courses

This is an archived page and for reference purposes only

Are you a natural-born problem solver, with a head for numbers and a desire to travel?

Overview

Those who work in accountancy and finance aren't just bookkeepers, they are important problem solvers who create solutions to help a business run smoothly and efficiently.

The Accounting and Finance with a Year Abroad course at Kent is designed to kick-start your career if you see yourself working in the fields of finance and accountancy. It equips you with core accounting and finance theories and knowledge of the latest techniques which you can apply to real data in our Bloomberg Finance Lab.

Taking a Year Abroad and choosing to study in one of our partner universities will allow you to experience another country and culture as you study and build valuable experience that bolsters your CV.

With a staggering five accreditations from accountancy bodies, you'll be eligible for as many exemptions as possible to support you in becoming a chartered accountant or to work in many other fields of finance.

Reasons to study Accounting and Finance at Kent

  • Our degree is accredited by five international accounting bodies: ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW, CIPFA, CPA leading to exemptions from many exams who organise regular networking events.
  • Many of our graduates go on to work at the Big Four accounting firms: PwC, Deloitte, EY and KPMG
  • Access to the Bloomberg Lab, an industry standard trading floor software
  • Study at a ‘Triple Crown’ accredited business school
  • Some of our expert teaching staff appear in the top 2% of researchers worldwide
  • All KBS students are eligible for employability support from enrolment until three years after graduation. You can also take part in our specialised Backpack to Briefcase scheme.
  • Launch a start-up and become an entrepreneur at our ASPIRE centre
  • Support from Academic Peer Mentors and an Academic Advisers
  • Add a Year Abroad or Year in Industry for real-world experience or choose to launch your own self-employed venture in our 'Selfie Year'

What you’ll learn

You’ll learn about accounting and finance, its role in business and society, and explore core elements of the subject such as Financial Accounting, Business Law, Economics and Strategic Management. You can also choose to focus on specialist areas such as taxation, auditing, international investment, and banking.

See the modules you’ll study

"The financial accounting modules gave me a deeper understanding of the different financial instruments that are available to individuals and organisations."

~ Nadia Simpson, Accounting and Finance, graduated 2020

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Accreditation

The programme is accredited by five international professional accounting bodies:

Entry requirements

The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. All applications are assessed on an individual basis but some of our typical requirements are listed below. Students offering qualifications not listed are welcome to contact our Admissions Team for further advice. Please also see our general entry requirements.

  • medal-empty

    A level

    BBB

  • medal-empty GCSE

    Mathematics grade 6 / B.

  • medal-empty Access to HE Diploma

    The University welcomes applications from Access to Higher Education Diploma candidates for consideration. A typical offer may require you to obtain a proportion of Level 3 credits in relevant subjects at merit grade or above.

  • medal-empty BTEC Nationals

    DDM

  • medal-empty International Baccalaureate

    30 points overall or 15 points at HL, including Mathematics 4 at HL or SL (Mathematics Studies 5 at SL)

  • medal-empty International Foundation Programme

    Pass all components of the University of Kent International Foundation Programme with a 60% overall average, and 60% in LZ013 Maths and Statistics if you do not hold GCSE Maths at 6/B or equivalent.

  • medal-empty T level

    The University will consider applicants holding T level qualifications in subjects closely aligned to the course.

If you are an international student, visit our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country, including details of the International Foundation Programmes. Please note that international fee-paying students who require a Student visa cannot undertake a part-time programme due to visa restrictions.

Please note that meeting the typical offer/minimum requirement does not guarantee that you will receive an offer.

English Language Requirements

Please see our English language entry requirements web page.

Please note that if you do not meet our English language requirements, we offer a number of 'pre-sessional' courses in English for Academic Purposes. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.

Course structure

Duration: 4 years full-time

The course structure provides a sample of the modules currently available for this programme. Most programmes require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take ‘elective’ modules from other programmes offered by the University in order that you may explore other subject areas of interest to you or that may further enhance your employability.

The following modules are offered to our current students. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation:

Stage 1

Your first year is a compulsory introductory year, designed to provide you with a solid foundation in the understanding of accounting and finance practices and their related functions, such as economics, law and management, and contexts, such as local, regional and global developments.

Compulsory modules currently include

This is an introductory module to introduce students to the role and evolution of accounting

Topics to be covered may include: single entry accounting; double entry bookkeeping; financial reporting conventions; recording transactions and adjusting entries; principal financial statements; institutional requirements; auditing; monetary items; purchases and sales; bad and doubtful debts; inventory valuation; non-current assets and depreciation methods; liabilities; sole traders and clubs, partnerships, companies; capital structures; cash flow statements; interpretation of accounts through ratio analysis; problems of, and alternatives to, historical cost accounting.

Find out more about ACCT3000

The module provides an understanding of the role of management accounting in the current global scenario and develops key skills in relation to cost accumulation and determination for decision-making. Areas that will be covered are:

Identify what is management accounting and how it differs from financial accounting. Appreciate who are the users of management accounting information and how management accountants can suit their information needs for the creation of customer and shareholder value in a complex and rapidly changing international context.

Understand the different typologies of costs that can be used for decision-making purposes and how cost behaviour has a significant impact on management accounting reports. Appreciate why different costs must be used for different decisions.

Analyse the relationship between the cost structure of a business and the level of production needed to achieve the desired level of profit for the said business. Apply this knowledge to the preparation of the optimal production plan for single and multi-product businesses. Appreciate the impact of any changes in the original assumptions on the forecasted profit for a business.

Calculate the cost of products/services considering all costs involved. Allocate costs to products under different internationally recognised costing systems and understand how the choice of a costing system is linked to the activity performed by a business. Understand the differences between different methodologies of cost calculation and their impact of on decision-making.

Core areas of the syllabus are:

• Management accounting and management accountants in an international context

• Cost terms and purposes

• Cost-volume-profit analysis

• Costing systems

Find out more about ACCT3050

The law affects the commercial world in many ways. This module focuses on the importance of law in governing transactions between individuals and businesses; what is required for legally compliant contracts; what the law expects of organisations in terms of protecting the consumer, and how businesses manage and avoid disputes. By enabling students to become familiar with those parts of the law they are most likely to encounter in their careers and in business the module helps them better understand the obligations that parties have to each other in law.

Indicative topic areas are:

• The English Legal System

• The Legal Process and Dispute Resolution

• Law of Contract – including:

• Formation

• Contract terms

• Vitiating elements, including misrepresentation and economic duress

• Performance and discharge of contract, including frustration

• Breach of contract

• Common law and equitable remedies, including damages

• Consumer Protection

Find out more about BUSN3012

This module will introduce the financial system, the markets within the system, various instruments and key concepts. It provides an overview of the roles of financial intermediaries, as well as the fundamental products that they trade. The module will include an historical consideration of the markets, as well as the investigation of current developments, to allow understanding of inter-relationships within the wider economy. An introduction to various financial securities will provide contexts for focus on key concepts of Finance.

Find out more about BUSN3014

How are organizations managed today? What are the best ways to manage people in organizations? How are decisions made about the design of work, the structure of an organisation, and who is accountable or responsible for different activities? Introduction to Management aims to provide an understanding of the challenges of managing people within complex work organisations. On this module we'll learn about some of the fundamental theories of management and understand the key functions that managers serve in organizations. It will explore the languages and practices of contemporary organisations by looking at a wide range of different theories of management, starting with classical management perspectives like Scientific Management or Human Relations Theory, and then considering more contemporary issues like Culture Management and different styles and practices of Leadership.

By taking a case study focused approach, this module will support students to develop key employable skills like a critical thinking so that they can speak confidently about how businesses operate today. Students will also learn to reflect on the ethics and fairness of contemporary forms of work.

Find out more about BUSN3120

The following topics will be taught:

• Summarising data with frequency distributions, measures of central tendency, spread and skewness. Visual representation of data in the form of graphs and charts.

• Probability: The relationship between probability, proportion and percent, addition and multiplication rules in probability theory, Venn diagrams.

• Distributions: Discrete (Binomial, Poisson) and Continuous (Uniform, Exponential, Normal).

• Sampling and hypothesis testing and its use in inference; applications of sampling in Quality Control, business and accounting.

• Regression and correlation: scatter plots; simple regression.

• Decision making: payoff tables and decision strategies; decision trees; the Bayesian approach.

• Functions, equations and inequalities: linear functions, solving linear equations and solving simultaneous linear equations graphically; simple polynomials such as quadratic and cubic functions; manipulation of inequalities.

• Linear Programming – problem formulation and the graphical solution method.

• Calculus: The concepts of differentiation and integration, and their relationship; stationary values.

• Financial mathematics: Logarithms and exponential functions. Simple and Compound interest, annuities and perpetuities, loans and mortgages, sinking funds and savings funds, discounting to find NPV and IRR and interpretation of NPV and IRR.

Find out more about BUSN3720

This module introduces students to economics in its two main components, microeconomics and macroeconomics. The module is designed to explain the main ways in which economists think about economic problems faced by individuals, firms, markets and governments.

The first part of the module focuses on explaining a selection of microeconomic topics including, the behaviour of individuals and firms; demand and supply of goods and services and determination of prices; costs in the short and long term and market structures. The second part aims to introduce the core of macroeconomic topics; for instance, macroeconomic objectives and trade-offs; unemployment; inflation; international trade; balance of payments and exchange rates; and the main types of economic policies that are implemented by governments. Overall, the application of economics to contemporary issues illustrates how economic analysis can be used to understand the different parts of the economy and to inform and evaluate policy interventions that support a range of different economic outcomes.

The module is self-contained to provide a basic understanding of economic concepts and debates. It is a suitable module for students interested in taking economics further, either as part of another degree programme or as part of a future professional qualification.

Find out more about ECON3007

Stage 2

Your second year is a compulsory, more-specialised year, allowing you to develop your critical thinking of accounting and finance with greater emphasis on the key concepts and theories to develop intellectual agility and provides an opportunity to apply theory to practice.

Compulsory modules currently include

This module is concerned with the principles which underlie the investment and financing decision making process. Before a rational decision can be made objectives need to be considered and models need to be built. Short-term decisions are dealt with first, together with relevant costs. One such cost is the time value of money. This leads to long term investment decisions which are examined using the economic theory of choice, first assuming perfect capital markets and certainty. These assumptions are then relaxed so that such problems as incorporating capital rationing and risk into the investment decision are fully considered. The module proceeds by looking at the financing decision. The financial system within which business organisations operate is examined, followed by the specific sources and costs of long and short-term capital, including the management of fixed and working capital.

This module is designed to build upon financial accounting topics taught in previous modules and assess them at a more advanced level. It will also introduce topics, not previous taught. Areas that will be covered are:

The conceptual and regulatory framework for financial reporting – The need for a conceptual framework and the characteristics of useful information. Define what is meant by 'recognition' in financial statements and applying the recognition criteria to assets/liabilities and income/expenses.

Look at why an international regulatory framework is needed over a national regulatory framework. Review the work of the International Accounting Standards Board in setting international accounting standards and how they are moving to harmonised global accounting standards using a principles based rather than a rules based framework.

Strategic Management aims to provide an understanding of strategic analysis, strategic decision-making and strategic processes within and between organisations. The module content combines approaches to strategic management, concepts and frameworks, and issues in strategic management. In particular, the themes covered include: internal and external environment analysis, strategic options, selection and evaluation, organisational structure and culture, the role of knowledge, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, not-for profit and social enterprises, corporate social responsibility, international strategies, strategic change and building a cohesive strategy. Case studies, which are used throughout the module, provide a vehicle for exploring the relationship between theory and practice in organisations and analysing the implications for strategic direction.

The module advances students' knowledge and skills in management accounting. By completing the module, students will be able to:

Understand the concepts of relevant costs and revenues and use them to make managerial decisions. Differentiate between short and long-term pricing decisions and learn the functioning, advantages and disadvantages of target pricing and cost-plus pricing. Use management accounting information to prepare customers profitability reports.

Learn what are the tools used for planning and controlling a company’s performance in an international context and how they function. Understand what the relationship between strategic planning and budgeting is. Prepare budgeted financial statements and understand the functioning of responsibility accounting systems to stimulate managers’ motivation. Know how standards costs and targets are set to foster performance improvements. Prepare flexible budgets and use actual and standard costs information to analyse variances including yield, mix, quantity effects of inputs and volume, mix and quantity effects of sales. Prepare a performance report that reconcile actual and budgeted profit. Provide a holistic interpretation of company’s performance and provide recommendations for managers to take actions or revise the strategic plans.

Apply multiple methods to make capital investment decisions for strategy implementation. Classify environmental costs and learn the role played by environmental management controls for company’s sustainability.

The law affects the commercial world in many ways. This module focuses on how businesses fulfil their legal obligations to customers, suppliers and their workforce. As well as exploring how businesses are structured and the duties on directors and partners it also considers the legal obligations individuals and organisations have over those to whom they have a duty of care. The module further covers the main laws governing the employment of staff and contractors. By applying the law to real-world business situations students are able to fine-tune their problem solving skills, and their ability to construct well-reasoned and persuasive arguments.

Indicative topics are:

  • The English Legal System, Legal Process, Dispute Resolution and the impact of European Union Law in the UK;
  • Law of Negligence – including general principles and negligent misstatement;
  • Law of Business Organisations - classification of business organisations; main principles applying to general and limited liability partnerships and registered companies, and directors’ duties;
  • Employment Law - the general scope of the legal obligations owed by employers to employees, including the employment contract, discrimination and dismissal.

PLUS the following compulsory module which does not contribute to the overall degree classification or to the volume of credit required for the award or classification.

The module helps prepare students to acquire and develop the employability and transferable skills necessary to search and successfully apply for work experience and graduate opportunities in the commercial and public sector and postgraduate study. The curriculum builds on employability support offered at Stage 1 providing intermediate level knowledge and exercises in application writing, CVs, careers advice, interview and assessment centre techniques, numeracy and competency tests, and psychometric evaluation.

This module is designed to explain the operation and scope of the UK tax system and the obligations of taxpayers and the implications of non-compliance. Areas covered are as follows:

The UK tax system including the overall function and purpose of taxation in a modern economy, different types of taxes, principle sources of revenue law and practice, tax avoidance and tax evasion.

Income tax liabilities including the scope of income tax, income from employment and self-employment, property and investment income, the computation of table income and income tax liability the use of exemptions and reliefs in deferring and minimising income tax liabilities.

National insurance contributions including the scope of national insurance, class 1 and 1A contributions for employed persons, class 2 and 4 contributions for self-employed persons.

Introduction to chargeable gains including the scope of taxation of capital gains, the basic principles of computing gains and losses, the computation of capital gains tax payable by individuals and minimising tax liabilities arising on the disposal of capital assets,

Principles of Inheritance Tax and the use of exemptions and reliefs in deferring and minimising inheritance tax liabilities.

The obligations of taxpayers and/or their agents including the systems for self-assessment and the making of returns, the time limits for the submission of information, claims and payment of tax the procedures relating to enquiries, appeals and disputes, penalties for non-compliance.

Year abroad

Going abroad as part of your degree is an amazing experience and a chance to develop personally, academically and professionally. You experience a different culture, gain a new academic perspective, establish international contacts and enhance your employability.

Students on a four-year degree programme spend a year between Stages 2 and 3 at one of our partner universities in Europe or Asia. For a full list, please see Go Abroad. Places are subject to availability, language and degree programme.

You are expected to adhere to any academic progression requirements in Stages 1 and 2 to proceed to the year abroad. If the requirement is not met, you are transferred to the equivalent three-year programme. The year abroad is assessed on a pass/fail basis and does not count towards your final degree classification.

Kent Business School has excellent links with business schools globally, including in China, USA, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Italy. Our wide array of exchange partners give you the opportunity to gain international experience. Our partners are committed to enhancing their international outlook while providing excellent teaching. You will gain invaluable work experience, develop your understanding of a new culture and improve your language skills.

Our exchange partners include these top ranked institutions amongst others:

  • University of Technology, Sydney
  • Renmin University of China, School of Business
  • University of Hong Kong
  • ESSEC
  • Neoma Business School
  • Freie Universitat Berlin
  • University of Florence
  • IE Madrid University
  • Stockholm Business School
  • Georgetown University.
Compulsory modules currently include

Students will spend two terms studying in another European University (i.e. those with links via the ERASMUS exchange programme) and/or overseas Universities who teach in English, such as in North America, Australasia, Hong Kong and Malaysia who have equivalent module coverage in equivalent cognate areas.

This module will enable students to gain cross-cultural skills through both living and studying in another country, whilst at the same time developing their knowledge of business and management, accounting and finance, international business and marketing.

Find out more about BUSN7620

Students will spend two terms studying in another European University (i.e. those with links via the ERASMUS exchange programme) and/or overseas Universities who teach in English, such as in North America, Australasia, Hong Kong and Malaysia who have equivalent module coverage in equivalent cognate areas.

This module will enable students to gain cross-cultural skills through both living and studying in another country, whilst at the same time developing their knowledge of business and management, accounting and finance, international business and marketing.

Find out more about BUSN7630

Stage 3

Your final year allows you to develop your specialist knowledge with a range of optional modules covering topics such as taxation, auditing, advanced financial accounting and advanced management accounting. You also have the opportunity to modules from our wider KBS portfolio of business-related topics. This allows you to tailor your degree to your future career and lifelong learning requirements.

Compulsory modules currently include

The module helps prepare students to acquire and develop the employability and transferable skills necessary to search and successfully apply for work experience and graduate opportunities in the commercial and public sector and postgraduate study.

The curriculum builds on knowledge and experience gained in related employability modules delivered at Stages 1 and 2, providing further guidance and more advanced practical exercises in application writing, CVs, careers advice, interview and assessment centre techniques, numeracy and competency tests, and psychometric evaluation. The aims here are to support students during their final year in applying for good graduate jobs and MSc degree programmes.

Find out more about BUSN7920

Optional modules may include

This module begins by reinforcing and building on prior knowledge & understanding from stages 1 and 2 Finance. In particular, focus is given to investigating the practical applications of various theories and related models. Through interaction with the financial world, students will gather real data, question, analyse and discuss the integration of theories to specific contexts within the world of finance. A major element of the module content is the portfolio investment project, which will operate throughout the academic year and will facilitate all content within the module. The key topics covered include the application of Pricing models, the implications of and empirical evidence relating to the Efficient Market Hypothesis, the drivers of capital structure decisions in a taxation environment, the interaction of investment and financing decisions, risk management, the application of valuation models and Mergers & Acquisitions.

Find out more about ACCT5020

This module will cover the following topics:

• The historical development of auditing

• The nature, importance, objectives and underlying theory of auditing

• The philosophy, concepts and basic postulates of auditing

• The regulatory and socio-economic environment within which auditing process takes place

• Auditing implications of agency theories of the firm

• Auditing implications of the efficient markets hypothesis

• The statutory and contractual bases of auditing, including auditing regulation and auditors' legal duties and liabilities

• Truth and fairness in financial reporting

• Materiality and audit judgement

• Audit independence

• The nature and causes of the audit expectation gap

• Auditors' professional ethics and standards

• Audit quality control, planning, programming, performance, supervision and review

• The nature and types of audit evidence

• Principles of internal control

• Systems based auditing and the nature and relationship of compliance and substantive testing

• The audit risk model and statistical sampling

• Audit procedures for major classes of assets, liabilities, income and expenditure

• Audit reporting.

Find out more about ACCT5040

The module aims to provide students with an insight into contemporary management accounting issues at an advanced level. It takes an interdisciplinary perspective and draws on the knowledge and techniques acquired in Stages 1 and 2 core modules. Specifically, the module explores the role of management accounting within the context of strategic management and management control. The module traces and evaluates recent major changes in management accounting and aims to increase students' awareness of how management accounting is used in managing organisations and the impact of organisational and social context on management accounting practice and effectiveness.

Find out more about ACCT5070

This module is designed to build upon financial accounting topics taught in previous modules and assess them at a more advanced level. It will also introduce topics, not previous taught.

The following is an indicative list of topics to be covered:

• Accounting for complex transactions in financial statements

• Analysing and interpreting financial statements

• CSR

• Preparation of financial statements including those for complex groups

• Content and application of International Accounting Standards, as appropriate.

Find out more about ACCT5220

A synopsis of the curriculum

The module will aim to cover the following topics:

• The UK tax system including the overall function and purpose of taxation in a modern economy, different types of taxes, principal sources of revenue law and practice, tax avoidance and tax evasion.

• Income tax liabilities including the scope of income tax, income from employment and self-employment, property and investment income, the computation of taxable income and income tax liability, the use of exemptions and reliefs in deferring and minimising income tax liabilities.

• Corporation tax liabilities including the scope of corporation tax, profits chargeable to corporation tax, the computation of corporation tax liability, the use of exemptions and reliefs in deferring and minimising corporation tax liabilities.

• Chargeable gains including the scope of taxation of capital gains, the basic principles of computing gains and losses, gains and losses on the disposal of movable and immovable property, gains and losses on the disposal of shares and securities, the computation of capital gains tax payable by individuals, the use of exemptions and reliefs in deferring and minimising tax liabilities arising on the disposal of capital assets.

• National insurance contributions including the scope of national insurance, class 1 and 1A contributions for employed persons, class 2 and 4 contributions for self-employed persons.

• Value added tax including the scope of VAT, registration requirements, computation of VAT liabilities.

• Inheritance tax and the use of exemptions and reliefs in deferring and minimising inheritance tax liabilities. Introduction to international tax strategy, implementation, compliance and defence. An understanding of principles of normative ethics in business and in taxation from local and global perspectives.

• The obligations of taxpayers and/or their agents including the systems for self-assessment and the making of returns, the time limits for the submission of information, claims and payment of tax, the procedures relating to enquiries, appeals and disputes, penalties for non-compliance.

Find out more about BUSN5130

Students will be expected to develop the ability to use appropriate techniques of analysis and enquiry within Operations and Service Management and to learn how to evaluate the alternatives and make recommendations. Topics include:

• The nature of services and service strategy

• Service development and technology

• Service quality and the service encounter

• Project/Event management and control

• Managing capacity and demand in services

• Managing inventories

Find out more about BUSN5200

This module will cover the following topics:

- Features of debt instruments and risks associated with investing in these instruments

- Debt and money markets (participants, operations, trading activities)

- Fixed-income instruments (Government bonds, corporate bonds, credit ratings, high-yield bonds, international bonds, mortgage-backed securities, etc.)

- Money market instruments (Treasury bills, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, bills of exchange, etc.)

- Fixed-income valuation (traditional approach, arbitrage-free approach, yield measures, volatility measures)

- Term-structure of interest rates and classic theories of term structure, derivation of zero-coupon yield curve

- General principles of credit analysis (credit scoring, credit risk modelling, etc.)

- Fixed-income portfolio construction and management strategies (portfolio's risk profile, managing funds against a bond market index).

Find out more about BUSN6001

This module will examine how Excel can be used for financial data analysis.

A brief revision of each financial concept will be presented. The syllabus will typically cover:

Introduction to Excel:

• Basic functions, mathematical expressions

Data Analysis with Excel:

• Data analysis, charts, solver, goal seek, pitot tables and pivot charts

Financial Valuation:

• Applications of time value of money

• Applications of capital budgeting techniques in Excel (IRR, NPV, Scenario Analysis, Monte Carlo simulation)

• Company Valuation Models

Portfolio Analysis and Security Pricing:

• Portfolio models, calculations of efficient portfolios, variance-covariance matrix

• Beta coefficient estimations and security market line

• Bond Valuations

• Binomial option pricing, Black-Scholes model.

Find out more about BUSN6002

This module is concerned with International Investment Banks’ products and strategies that involve the description and analyses of the characteristics of more commonly used financial derivative instruments such as forward and future contracts, swaps, and options involving commodities, interest, and equities markets. Modern financial techniques are used to value financial derivatives. The main emphasis of the module is on how International Investment Banks value, replicate, and arbitrage the financial instruments and how they encourage their clients to use derivative products to implement risk management strategies in the context of corporate applications.

In particular, students will first cover the topics related to forward, futures and swap contracts. They will then be introduced to options and various strategies thereof. Valuing options using Black-Scholes model and binomial trees is also an important part of the module. The important finance concepts of no-arbitrage and risk-neutral valuation and their implications for pricing financial derivatives are also covered in the module. This will help students to learn the techniques used in valuing financial derivatives and hedging risk exposure.

Successful completion of the module will provide a solid base for the student wishing to pursue a career in International Investment Banking and Treasury Management. The students will have the knowledge of essential techniques of risk management and financial derivative trading.

Find out more about BUSN6110

This module is designed to provide students across the university with access to knowledge, skill development and training in the field of entrepreneurship with a special emphasis on developing a business plan in order to exploit identified opportunities. Hence, the module will be of value for students who aspire to establishing their own business and/or introducing innovation through new product, service, process, project or business development in an established organisation. The module complements students' final year projects in Computing, Law, Biosciences, Electronics, Multimedia, and Drama etc.

Find out more about BUSN6120

This module facilitates the development of an entrepreneurial mind-set, and equips students with necessary cutting-edge knowledge and skills vital for generating value in a knowledge based economy. The curriculum will include the following areas of study:

• Broader application of entrepreneurship

• Co-creation as a new form of generating value in an innovation ecosystem.

• Managing innovation entrepreneurially

• Entrepreneurial opportunity

• Entrepreneurial Motivation

• Entrepreneurial Marketing

• Entrepreneurial Finance – Finance fuels entrepreneurship.

Find out more about BUSN6130

This module presents an overview of what workforce diversity is and its relevance and usefulness in improving our understanding and management of people (including ourselves) at work. The demographics of the population and the workplace are changing drastically because of a number of factors, such as an increasing number of ethnic minorities and women in the workforce and in management. Accordingly, there is a need to effectively understand and manage workforce diversity not only to increase organisational business outcomes but also to create an inclusive workplace in a socially responsible manner.

The module will examine issues confronting managers of a diverse workforce. In particular issues such as ethnicity, race, language, ageing, disability, gender, and intersectional identities will be discussed. Two key approaches towards managing diversity will be explained, i.e. the social equity case of managing diversity, and the business benefits case of managing diversity. The module will explore a range of diversity related concepts and topics, such as social identity, stereotyping, discrimination, intergroup conflict, structural integration, and organisational change.

Indicative topics are:

• Origins of diversity and equal opportunity in the workplace context;

• Social and psychological perspectives on workplace diversity;

• The UK and European diversity contexts;

• Business benefits case and social equity case of managing diversity;

• The legal framework for diversity;

• Organisational approaches to diversity;

• Contemporary issues central to the experiences of diverse individuals in the UK and in organisations across a range of diversity dimensions;

• Diversity management in an international context

Find out more about BUSN6580

Making decisions is one of the most important things any manager or business must do. Making smart decisions, however, can be extremely difficult due the complexity and uncertainty involved. Decision Analysis (DA) provides a structured and coherent approach to decision making. It involves a wide range of quantitative and graphical methods for identifying, representing, and assessing alternatives in order to determine a best course of action. DA is regularly employed by many leading companies in the pharmaceutical, oil and gas, utilities, automotive, and financial services sectors. In this module, you learn about the basic concepts of DA and how to apply it in a variety of practical business planning situations.

Find out more about BUSN6880

The module aims to provide a critical understanding of the challenges of managing creativity and innovation within contemporary organisations. The experience of work and employment, management practices are affected by rapid technological change, intensifying global competition and changing demographic profiles and values of the work force. Contemporary organisations are pressurised to tackle these developments through creativity, innovation and new organisational forms. This module examines the nature, antecedents, processes and consequences of creativity and innovation and their complex links with organisation, while also exploring major social and technological changes relating these to organisational creativity and innovation. Students will be introduced to the main concepts and theories on creativity, innovation and organisation through readings and discussions of the main themes and debates in the field. Case studies will be used to illustrate how these concepts are connected together and how they could impact upon management decision making within contemporary organisations. Students will be encouraged to explore some of the most notable historical and contemporary shifts in media and technology and discover how new organisational forms and methods have been devised to exploit them. They will develop awareness for the cross-fertilisation between disciplines in analyzing the dynamics of creativity, innovation and organisation and their complex relationships.

Topics include:

• Conceptual foundations of creativity, innovation and organisation

• Personality and individual creativity

• Organisational creativity and innovation

• Cognition, knowledge and creativity

• Models and processes of innovation

• Organisational culture and systems for supporting creativity and innovation

• Leadership and entrepreneurship

• Creative organisations across fields/ industries

• Socio-technological change and new forms of organisation.

Find out more about BUSN7440

This module presents an overview of what work psychology is and its relevance and usefulness in improving our understanding and management of people (including ourselves) at work. Many work places operate sophisticated and expensive systems for assessing the costs and benefits of various workplace elements but often do not extend this to the management of employees. This module aims to demonstrate the benefits of having a comprehensive understanding of the role psychology can play in the management of people in contemporary organizations. Indicative content includes:

• Work psychology

• Individual differences and psychometrics

• Best practice personnel selection

• Stress and well-being

• Motivation

• Stereotypes and group behaviour

• Leadership and diversity

• The dark side of personality

• Political behaviour in the workplace

• The psychology of entrepreneurs

• Using work psychology to enhance employability

Find out more about BUSN7510

Students will be expected to develop the ability to use appropriate techniques of analysis and enquiry within Operations Management and to learn how to evaluate alternatives and make recommendations. Topics are likely to include:

• Strategic role of operations and operations strategy

• Design of processes and the implications for layout and flow

• Design and management of supply networks in national and international contexts

• Resource planning and management

• Lean systems

• Quality planning and managing improvement

Find out more about BUSN7860

The aim of this module is to equip students with basic knowledge of analytics tools to analyse and interpret data, forecast future trends and optimise decisions in many areas of business, including operations, marketing and finance.

The module covers two indicative themes as follows:

1. Predictive analytics. In this part of the module, students will learn approaches to extract information from existing data sets in order to determine patterns and predict future outcomes and trends. Approaches include regression analysis, forecasting techniques, simulation and data mining.

2. Prescriptive analytics. In this part of the module, students will learn how to develop optimisation models to support business decision making. Students will be guided through demonstrations involving a variety of business problems, including transportation, assignment, product mix and scheduling problems.

Find out more about BUSN7940

The aim of this hands-on and highly practical module is to introduce students to the power of data intelligence in transforming the way businesses operate. Students will learn how to develop a successful big data strategy and deliver organisational performance improvements through the use of data analytics. Students will have hands-on exercises primarily based on spreadsheet tools such as Excel and will gain a basic knowledge of coding tools such as Python.

Indicative topics covered in the module include: business intelligence principles, data visualisation and dashboards, data warehouse and integration, artificial intelligence in business applications, big data, social network analysis, text mining, and participatory approaches for problem structuring.

Students will be exposed to a variety of case studies which demonstrate how pervasive data intelligence and analytics have become in every industry and sector, including examples from supply chain management, transport, marketing, finance, healthcare, and human resources. By the end of the module, students will have an understanding of how specific companies use big data and a grasp of the actionable steps and resources required to utilise data effectively.

Find out more about BUSN7980

Fees

The 2022/23 annual tuition fees for this course are:

  • Home full-time £9,250
  • EU full-time £13,000
  • International full-time £17,400

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.

For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* 

Your fee status

The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.

Fees for Year in Industry

Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.

Fees for Year Abroad

Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.

Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.

Additional costs

General additional costs

Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.

Funding

We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.

Search scholarships

University funding

Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details. 

Government funding

You may be eligible for government finance to help pay for the costs of studying. See the Government's student finance website.

Scholarships

General scholarships

Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.

The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence

At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. 

The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of A*AA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.

Teaching and assessment

Our enthusiastic team of international teaching staff are all experts in their field of study and are regularly published in leading journals worldwide. They guide and support your learning, bringing their subject to life and drawing you into the conversation.

Teaching

We use a variety of teaching methods, including;

  • lectures
  • small group seminars
  • group projects
  • presentations
  • Computer workshops including exposure to industry standard packages such as Excel and Bloomberg.

Classroom-based learning is supported by the latest online technologies and learning platforms.

Assessment

Your progress is assessed through coursework and exams.

Coursework takes a variety of forms and includes;

  • reports
  • essays
  • group presentations
  • computer based assignments
  • online tests and quizzes.

Exams are individual written assessments tested under time-controlled conditions.

To proceed to the next year you must achieve satisfactory results. Your final degree is based on marks gained in the second and third years (and Placement Year/Year Abroad if chosen) and credits which you build up throughout the whole programme.

Contact hours

Undergraduate students can expect around 12 contact hours per week, depending on year of study and optional module choices made. The remainder of the working week consists of self-guided study based on degree programme content and requirements of specific modules. For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours, which include both direct contact hours and private study hours. The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Programme aims

For programme aims and learning outcomes please see the programme specification below:

BSc Accounting and Finance

Independent rankings

Of final-year Accounting and Finance students who completed the National Student Survey 2021, 87% were satisfied with the overall quality of their course.

Careers

Successful KBS Graduates: Graduate destinations

Our Accounting and Finance graduates move into a range of careers within the world of business. Many go on to become chartered, certified or management accountants working at top accounting firms, including the ‘Big 4’, as well as other local, national and international firms.

The degree can also prepare you for a career in financial services (such as banking, insurance and investment) or in general management.

Recent graduates have taken up positions with a wide range of companies, including:

  • ABN AMRO
  • Accenture
  • Burgess Hodgson
  • Baker Tilly
  • Deutsche Bank
  • Ernst & Young
  • Fidelity Investment
  • HSBC
  • KPMG
  • PwC
  • Royal Bank of Scotland.

Many of our students also stay local and find job opportunities regionally in small and medium firms or even set-up their own businesses as well-equipped entrepreneurs.

Embedded employability: Developing career-enhancing skills

The Backpack to Briefcase scheme provides bespoke career and skills development events and activities for all Kent Business School students. Available from the first year through to graduation, Backpack to Briefcase is designed to prepare you for a successful career after university.

To help you appeal to employers you will graduate with a solid grounding in core business management concepts, theories and skills in a global context but also key transferrable skills such as critical reflection, cultural awareness, creativity and innovation, effective time-management and productive teamwork as well as enhanced confidence, intellectual curiosity and resilience. As a KBS graduate you will be able to demonstrate to your employer how you have developed The Grad Goals.

You can also gain skills by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as adding much-sought-after analytical skills or computing skills to your degree via Kent’s Q-Step Centre.

Ongoing support: Help finding a job

Kent Business School has an excellent international reputation and good links with businesses locally and globally. Our qualified careers practitioners provide support to all business undergraduate students for up to three years after graduation.

In addition, Careers and Employability Service at the University, can also provide advice on how to apply for jobs, write a good CV or perform well in interviews.

Professional recognition

This degree is accredited by the UK’s professional accountancy bodies. If you’d like to become a chartered accountant, our accreditations allow you to gain several exemptions from your professional accounting exams. (The number of exemptions depends on which modules you choose.)

Successful completion of the BSc (Hons) Accounting & Finance programme typically provides exemption from the following papers:

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

  • F1 Accountant in Business
  • F2 Management Accounting
  • F3 Financial Accounting
  • F4 Corporate and Business Law
  • F5 Performance Management
  • F6 Taxation
  • F7 Financial Reporting
  • F8 Auditing 
  • F9 Financial Management

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)

  • BA1  Fundamentals of Business Economics
  • BA2  Fundamentals of Management Accounting 
  • BA3  Fundamentals of Financial Accounting 
  • BA4  Fundamentals of Ethics, Corporate Governance and Business Law 
  • P1  Management Accounting 
  • F1  Financial Reporting & Taxation 
  • F2 Advanced Financial Reporting 
  • P2 Advanced Management Accounting

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)

  • Accounting
  • Assurance
  • Business & Finance
  • Law
  • Management Information
  • principles of Taxation
  • Financial Management
  • Business Strategy

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA)

  • Financial Accounting
  • Management Accounting 
  • Company Financial Reporting 
  • Audit & Assurance 
  • Financial Management 
  • Strategy & Policy Development 
  • Taxation 
  • Governance & Law 

Certified Practising Accountant Australia (CPA Australia)

  • Foundations of Accounting
  • Financial Accounting and Reporting
  • Audit and Assurance
  • Fundamentals of Business Law
  • Economics & Markets
  • Business Finance
  • Management Accounting

Apply for Accounting and Finance with a Year Abroad - BSc (Hons)

This course page is for the 2022/23 academic year. Please visit the current online prospectus for a list of undergraduate courses we offer.

Contact us

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United Kingdom/EU enquiries

Enquire online for full-time study

T: +44 (0)1227 768896

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International student enquiries

Enquire online

T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk

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School website

Kent Business School

Discover Uni information

Discover Uni is designed to support prospective students in deciding whether, where and what to study. The site replaces Unistats from September 2019.

Discover Uni is jointly owned by the Office for Students, the Department for the Economy Northern Ireland, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and the Scottish Funding Council.

It includes:

  • Information and guidance about higher education
  • Information about courses
  • Information about providers

Find out more about the Unistats dataset on the Higher Education Statistics Agency website.