September 2025

Accounting and Finance BSc (Hons)

Honours Degree, Undergraduate, September 2025

Key Details

  • N400 Course Code
  • 3 Years
  • 112 Typical UCAS Tariff
Accounting Accreditation logos

You will be embarking on a learning journey that is both exciting and challenging if you choose to study with us. Our BSc Accounting and Finance degree programme is highly rated as the number #1 Best in Birmingham, the 2nd best in West Midlands, and 18th best in England based on the outcome of the National Students Survey (NSS) 2025.

We provide unparalleled academic rigour and support that transform our students from non-accounting persons to professional accountants within three years. Our emphasis on employability is the core of our curriculum as it drives our approaches to teaching and learning which are intertwined with our focus pedagogy of learning by doing. These approaches to teaching and learning on our programme have proven effective as many of our graduates now secure professional jobs six months after completing their studies with us.

  • Top ranked as #1 best Accounting and Finance degree programme in Birmingham (NSS, 2025).
  • Taught by lecturers who are professionally qualified as chartered accountants
  • Accredited by professional bodies- ACCA, CIMA, and ICAEW.

Our degree is designed to support your journey from foundational understanding to professional mastery in accounting and finance. Whether you’re new to the subject or looking to build on limited experience, you’ll develop essential technical skills—from the core principles of double-entry bookkeeping to advanced financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements. You’ll also gain expertise in management accounting and performance management, equipping you to become a trusted advisor to senior leadership and board members by delivering accurate, timely insights that drive strategic decision-making.

We know that some students aspire to go into investment banking and securities trading, hence, we have enriched the degree with modules that could provide them with learning opportunities to develop skills about the functioning of the capital market, equity valuation, and risk management. These modules are built around the curriculum of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment (CISI) London to equip our students to take CISI exams and pass after completing the finance modules.

We appreciate the role that technology is currently playing by radically transforming fields like ours, so we have aggressively integrated modules that are at the intersection of finance and technology in our degree programme. Our degree will offer you the opportunity to widen your career prospects away from traditional accounting to data analytics and business intelligence. Or you could become even a data scientist after completing your study with us!

The reason why our degree is highly rated is because of the rigour and challenge we present to you. So, you are expected to be very much present in the class to engage with your studies for at least three days in a week. Attendance to lectures is strongly recommended if you aspire to finish with a “good degree” (first class and second-class upper degrees). For every module, you have to spend 48 hours learning with the support of your lecturer in class and 152 hours studying it independently outside the classroom setting- at home. This means a combined study hours of 200 for every module you enrol on.

We have set up two societies to help you learn outside the classroom setting by working with teams and groups on practical projects that help you to appreciate what you learn in class deeply. You could either join the tax club or the investment society; it all depends on your interests and areas of specialization where you wish to build a career. Each clubs meet on campus once in every week.

Our assessment approach is designed to align with the expectations of leading professional accounting bodies. Throughout the degree, you’ll complete computer-based exams (CBEs) for most core modules—particularly at Levels 5 and 6—ensuring you’re developing the technical and analytical skills required by our professional partners: ACCA, CIMA, and ICAEW. At Level 4, you’ll begin with CBEs in most modules, with a few exceptions assessed through alternative methods. This structure not only prepares you for professional accreditation but also mirrors the real-world standards you’ll encounter in your career.

Our graduates are mostly moving into the industry to take on professional jobs as management accountants, accounting officer, treasury analyst, benefit analysts, and finance analysts. We also have some of our students who proceeded to write the CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) examination and qualified after graduating from our programme.

Our graduates also have the opportunity to pursue postgraduate studies by enrolling into the Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Science (MSc) degrees depending on their career aspirations.

Depending on the modules that you have chosen during your degree you may be eligible for exemptions for professional examinations from the following accountancy bodies:*

Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW)

A number or our modules have gained exemptions from ICAEW, including all six modules on the ICAEW’s certificate level and one on the ICAEW’s professional level. Successful Students can claim prior learning with ICAEW upon completion of the degree from Newman towards being qualified in the ICAEW Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business (CFAB).

These exemptions will save you time when applying for professional qualifications.

For more information about ICAEW’s Credit for Prior Learning please visit  www.icaew.com/cpl

Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

Certain modules are accredited by ACA and ACCA and thus students completing these modules may gain exemptions from professional exams as part of postgraduate accountancy training. We were awarded seven exemptions from the ACCA.

This means that students could save up to one to two years of further study before they are fully qualified with ACCA.

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)

We have gained eight exemptions from CIMA and students will be able to claim prior learning and award designation after graduating from Newman.  The award designations are listed below:

CIMA Diploma in Management Accounting (CIMA DIP MA)

CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting (CIMA CERT BA) 

This means that students could save up to two years of further study, to be qualified as a chartered management accountant.

* Please note that if you have a conviction for fraud the above professional bodies may not agree to exempt you.

Institute of Financial Accountants (IFA)

We have obtained 12 exemptions out of a total of 14 exams from the Institute of Financial Accountants (IFA).

This means that students will only need to complete two exams before they are qualified as a chartered accountant with IFA.  The IFA is an internationally recognised professional accountancy membership body whose members work for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

 

The exemptions listed above are for future Newman University students. Current or past students should check with the Course Leader about the exemptions applicable to them. 

Birmingham Newman University is located in Britain’s second city – Birmingham. With one of the youngest city populations in Europe, it is a vibrant and dynamic place to study.

Studying at Newman University, you have the advantage of being near to the city, but living in, or commuting to peaceful and comfortable surroundings on campus.

Dining out

Birmingham has lots of wonderful places to dine out with a range of different cuisines. Places where you can dine out include; Brindley Place, Mailbox and Hagley Road (just 10 minutes’ from Newman).

Entertainment

Whether you like to go to; the theatre, gigs or clubs, or enjoy: sports, shopping visiting art galleries or exhibitions – Birmingham will not disappoint and you will be spoilt for choice!

Location

Getting around Birmingham is easy via train, bus or by car. Birmingham has excellent transport links to the rest of Britain, making it easy for those weekend getaways!

Why not explore the city for yourself by visiting one of our Open Days?

Want to find out more about Birmingham? Then take a look at some Birmingham City Secrets.

Speak with a lecturer

Entry Requirements

UK home students

Entry requirements, for UK home students, for September 2025 entry:

  • 112 UCAS points
UK Applying Direct Option

International students

If you are an international student, please get in touch with our International team who will be able to advise on entry criteria for this course. Email international@newman.ac.uk or telephone +441218160449.

International Applying Direct option

To apply for this course, you can apply direct using the apply link provided below:

Please note that courses with a professional placement are not available to International students.

Course Fees

UK home students

The full-time course fee, for UK home students, for September 2025 is £9,535 per year.

International students

For detailed information on course fees for international students, please visit our International Students page.

Additional Costs

Find out more about the other additional costs associated with our undergraduate degrees.

The University will review tuition fees and increase fees in line with any inflationary uplift as determined by the UK Government, if permitted by law or government policy, in subsequent years of your course. It is anticipated that such increases would be linked to RPI (the Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments).

Modules

  1. Introduction to basics of financial accounting entries (terminologies, context, purposes, regulatory framework). recognising and reclassifying various types of business transactions, as well as the preparation and interpretation of the primary financial statements.
  2. This module is designed to introduce students to the foundational knowledge of economics that underpins business and corporate planning and decision making in business. Students taking this module will learn about economic environment in which every business operates and how the economic factors in this environment create opportunities for growth as well as impose constraints on a company’s ability to grow sales, expand market share, and maximize shareholders value.
  3. This module will teach you employability skills like preparation of professional resume and cover letters and the use of technology in the field of accounting and finance. We have designed the module to be practical and impart relevant skills that student need to succeed in the competitive job market.
  4. This module will set students up for a career away from accounting to core finance and investment. Students will be introduced to the concept of investment appraisals and financing of a business using diverse sources of capital like debt and equity. After completing this module, students can proceed to Level 5 to take on advance finance module that equips them with advance finance skills in equity valuation, and advance capital budgeting and risk management.
  5. The module will provide a general overview of law relevant to students working in business and develop knowledge and skills in the understanding of the general legal framework. It will also identify the essential elements of different legal systems including the main source of law, and apply the appropriate legal rules relating to the law of obligations. Students will gain an appreciation and understanding of the workings of the legal system, the law of tort, contract law, the law of agency, employment law and other areas of law that effect businesses.
  6. The Management accounting module introduces students to the art and science of providing management information for the use of managers within the organization. Students will learn the concept of costs and product/service pricing which is very important for business profitability. This module is designed to prepare students to proceed to level 5 and take on a linking advanced module called performance management.
  1. This module builds on the foundations provided at Level 4 and develops the capacity to conceptualise problems and create reasoned value judgments and opinions and to solve practical problems. Critical reasoning and rational analysis are developed throughout this module. It will develop technical accounting knowledge whilst contextualising it within a broader regulatory framework. It will provide knowledge on the role of financial reporting and its use to stakeholders and the application of accounting standards in the preparation of financial statements. It will enable students to calculate, present and interpret accounting reports with regards to current regulatory requirements and apply current and relevant accounting standards in the preparation and interpretation of financial statements.
  2. This module partly builds on the knowledge of finance and investment that students have acquired in level 4 and pushes the frontier into the financial markets and financial assets as well as their valuations. Here, Students will be taught valuable skills such as equity valuation, stock trading and investment strategies, equity market analysis and financial risk management in international trading. These skills would cumulatively empower students to pursue careers in investment banking, asset management, and stock brokerage.
  3. This module will introduce students to the UK tax laws and the entire tax system with emphasis on inculcating into the students the ability to apply the various tax laws to business cases and problems. Part of this application involves teaching students how to compute income taxes, value added taxes, capital gain tax, and corporation tax.
  4. This module enables students to gain more understanding of advanced costing techniques using Activity Based Costing to make informed decisions focused on financial resources. Students will be required to analyse budgets to inform management decision making, identify the variances in the budgets as well as analyse working capital management for effective strategic management decision.
  5. This module introduces the students to project management methodologies and enables them to acquire technical skills in managing project risk and the key factors that determine project success such as cost, time, and project outcomes.
  6. Audit provides assurance to users of financial statements that those financial statements are accurate and do not contain any material misstatements or errors. This module will teach students how to conduct the audit of a company’s financial statements as required by the UK companies Act 2006 and inline with the International Standards on Auditing (ISA). The module places emphasis on corporate governance, audit planning and audit risk assessment and mitigations.
  1. This module is designed to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the contemporary challenges and opportunities facing businesses in the current competitive landscape, enabling you to navigate uncertainty and develop your future career as an effective leader, innovator, and change agent in the face of evolving challenges and opportunities.
  2. The module aims to develop from previous studies a comprehensive understanding of theory and best current practice of financial reporting, with particular emphasis on current and controversial issues in financial reporting. It will also develop skills for completing more complex final accounts and managing electronic accounting systems in relation to statutory financial accounting returns.
  3. Applied Case Study is an advanced course designed to provide students with practical experience in applying strategic management theories, financial analysis techniques, and ethical considerations to real-world business scenarios. Through the analysis of comprehensive case studies, students will gain a deep understanding of strategic decision-making, financial performance evaluation, ethical considerations, and sustainability issues in business management. The course emphasizes the application of acquired skills and knowledge to solve complex business problems and make informed decisions. Students will be required to analyse case studies, conduct financial analysis, evaluate strategic options, consider ethical implications, and develop recommendations. Additionally, students will learn how to write and present professional business reports following standard business reporting formats.
  4. This module aims to expose students to the responsibilities of the financial manager in making financing and divided decisions. It introduces the main investment appraisal techniques available to the finance manager in making corporate investment decisions including weighted Average Cost of Capital, Capital Asset Pricing model and the relationship between equity and asset betas. The module also explores the issues around risk management and hedging techniques for interest rate risk, foreign exchange risk and business valuation.
  5. This module will give students a deeper and more integrated understanding of how management accounting theory and practice can help management teams, make decisions of strategic importance. Students will critique the role of traditional management accounting techniques and evaluate the use of strategic management accounting models. It will cover critical analysis skills and learn how management accounting information can contribute to the development and implementation of effective strategic decisions.
  6. This module is designed to equip students with the necessary skills to analyse business data effectively and make data-driven decisions. The course covers fundamental concepts of data analysis, statistical techniques, and data visualisation tools commonly used in business settings. Students will learn how to collect, clean, analyse, and interpret data to solve real-world business problems. Additionally, the course will introduce students to various data analytics tools and techniques, including Excel, SQL, and data visualisation software.

Additional Information

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