Why study accounting and finance?

What is accounting and finance?

Accounting and finance are both of course related to money and businesses. Accounting focuses more on the broader picture of a company’s financial situation, whereas finance focuses more on management of funds, so you could be studying quite different things depending on which specific degree course you choose. Whichever you choose, however, you’ll be learning about how business operate financially.

NEXT: Read more about studying accounting and finance at uni.

Reasons to study accounting and finance

1. The skills you’ll learn

You’ll learn loads of new transferrable and subject-specific skills on a degree in accounting or finance. Some of the transferrable skills you’ll learn include communication, critical thinking, data analysis, decision making and problem solving.

As well as these, you’ll learn subject-specific skills including business accountancy, using financial information for business decision making and you’ll develop an understanding of how commerce, industry and finance work.

2. The career you could have

With a degree in accounting or finance, there are plenty of careers you can go into. You could become an actuary, providing clients with financial forecasts or a chartered accountant, record keeping, auditing and advising. You could also work as a data analyst, economist or a tax adviser to provide advice and guidance to clients, businesses or the government.

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3. All the topics that get covered

Obviously, what you study will depend on which course you pick and which uni you go to, as well as the optional modules you select. However, there are some common modules that are offered on many of the degrees in this subject area, including accounting and accountability, auditing, business law, taxation and commerce, banking and investment.

You can expect your degree to cover some (or all) of these topics, depending on whether you go more down the finance or accounting route.

4. You can study all over the UK

Because accounting and finance are popular courses, you’ll be able to study almost anywhere in the UK you want to. According to Complete University Guide’s 2027 accounting and finance league tables, the top five unis overall in the UK are:

• London School of Economics and Political Science

• University of Warwick

• University of Bath

• King's College London, University of London

• Queen's University, Belfast

In the same league tables, the top five UK unis for student satisfaction are:

• Edge Hill University

• University of East London

• University of Dundee

• City St George's, University of London

• Aberystwyth University

NEXT: Find the full 2027 accounting and finance league tables from Complete University Guide here.

5. It’s something you enjoy!

And finally, we hope you enjoy the subject! As you’ll probably be studying it for three years (and possibly more depending on the type of course you choose), you have to really commit to the subject. Enjoying what you study at uni is super important because you’ll be thinking about it pretty much every day, so it’s obviously also a huge bonus if you enjoy what you’re studying.

Overall, as you’ve just found out, there are loads of reasons to study accounting and finance at university. You’ll learn loads of new skills, and there’s a wide range of different careers you could potentially go into after you graduate. Plus, there are unis all across the UK offering high quality courses in these subject areas, so you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting your course.

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