MSc Accounting and Finance

Overview

The programme is for recent graduates with first degrees in accounting, finance, accounting and finance, management, economics, sociology, political science and other social science subjects. The programme is designed to provide a career entry opportunity for full-time students as well as a career development opportunity for accountants, auditors, practicing managers, business consultants and finance experts from various backgrounds, to enhance and develop their accounting and finance skills. Recent financial crises induced by various accounting scandals necessitate the qualitative training of highly skilled accounting/finance experts for the sustainability of today’s modern business. The programme aims to balance theoretical analysis with practical application to develop a critical and questioning approach to the conceptual underpinnings of accounting and finance.

Students will gain the knowledge and skills required to meet the expectations/requirements of modern businesses in dealing with accounting/finance issues. The programme can also serve as a springboard into other careers e.g. management consultancy.

This programme is accredited by CIMA – Chartered Institute of Management Accountants where you are eligible for the CIMA Masters Gateway – a fast track route for masters in accounting students where you enter CIMA at the Management Case Study bypassing eleven exams.

Teaching & Learning

Masters programmes (with the exception of two-year full-time MAs) consist of 180 credits, made up of taught modules of 30 or 15 credits, taught over 10 or 20 weeks, and a dissertation of 60 credits. The programme structure shows which modules are compulsory and which optional.

As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study such as reading and research, preparing coursework, revising for examinations and so on. Also included is class time, for example lectures, seminars and other classes.

At SOAS, most postgraduate modules have a one-hour lecture and a one-hour seminar every week, but this does vary. More information can be found on individual module pages.