MSc International Accounting and Finance

Year 1

Semester 1 (Sept - Dec)

• Corporate Finance
• Financial Analysis
• International Accounting Standards

One from:

• Capital Markets
• Corporate Governance

Semester 2 (Jan - April)

• International Accounting Theory
• International Managerial Accounting
• Research Methods

One from:

• Accounting, Profession, Society
• Comparative Financial Reporting
• Emerging Financial Markets
• Research in Finance

Between May and August students undertake their MSc dissertation.

Semester 1

Corporate Finance

Semester 1 (mandatory)

The aim of this course is to introduce you to contemporary topics in corporate finance and look at the major decisions facing a firm in this area.

Financial Analysis

Semester 1 (mandatory)

Looks at how to analyse the financial performance of an organisation through the use of published financial information.

International Accounting Standards

Semester 1 (mandatory)

Evaluate theories and empirical studies in the areas covered by international standards of accounting, analyse the outcome of the standard setting process from different theoretical perspectives, and assess observed practices in terms of regulatory and cultural frameworks.

Captial Markets

Semester 1 (optional)

Examines the way capital markets and institutions function in practice, with particular emphasis on equities and bonds.

Corporate Governance

Semester 1 (optional)

Develops understanding of issues relating to corporate governance and the financial research methods used to approach them including principal-agent theory, ownership structure and control, board of directors, CEO turnover, mergers and acquisitions and state versus private ownership.

Semester 2

International Accounting Theory

Semester 2 (mandatory)

Develops understanding of the theoretical framework within which accounting currently operates internationally, and nature and development of accounting theory in different countries. This includes the process of construction and verification of accounting theory within an international context and critical awareness of the attitudes and underlying beliefs that have made the historical development of the subject controversial.

International Managerial Accounting

Semester 2 (mandatory)

Develops understanding and analytical skills of management accounting in an international and comparative context. Includes the changing roles of accountants in a global environment, culture and complexity in management accounting, and managerial accounting in the strategic environment.

Research Methods

Semester 2 (mandatory)

Looking at both qualitative and quantitative techniques this course will equip students with the means to develop and carry out their own research projects and to evaluate the contributions of others.

Accounting, Profession, Society

Semester 2 (optional)

This course builds understanding around the role of professional accounting in contemporary society. It addresses issues related to equality and professional exclusion and explores issues related to sustainability of the accounting profession globally.

Comparative Financial Reporting

Semester 2 (optional)

Provides an international perspective to the study of accounting by looking at the reasons for national differences, the tendencies towards harmonisation, the problems of multinational companies, as well as analysis and evaluation of financial reports prepared in other countries.

Emerging Financial Markets

Semester 2 (optional)

Supplements understanding of mainstream finance during the year, and applies it to the specific circumstances of emerging financial markets. This exposure is also designed to assist you with identifying possible dissertation topics and data sources.

Research in Finance

Semester 2 (optional)

Covers quantitative methods used in research in the area of finance and financial markets. It will extend knowledge from the main Research Methods course by equipping students with modern methodology applied for the time series analysis. The first part of the course is focused on the theory and the second one on practical applications in the computer lab.

Students will build models of stock and currency prices, evaluate them using different criteria and use them for the forecasts and formulation of trading strategies. They should perform their own work using real data from financial markets. By applying modern econometric methods, students will prepare themselves for their dissertation as well as for further research, either in academia or in the non-academic world.

Additional information

There is series of guest lectures given by accounting and finance professionals.

Accountancy, Economics and Finance also run a seminar programme each year, which includes guest speakers from other institutions and companies.