MSc in International Accounting and Finance

As a graduate, you’ll be ready to embark on a fulfilling career in finance or accounting. Previous graduates went on to roles as auditors, tax associates, analysts and M&A consultants for major financial services organisations including large global corporations such as KPMG, Ernst & Young and PWC, while others have entered accountancy training programmes.

Your career could take you to investment and corporate banks, accountancy and audit firms, ratings firms, private equity, financial data providers, venture capital, and finance departments in major corporations.

Over the past 12 months, students in our International Accounting and Finance course have benefitted from various career-focused events. Highlights include the ACCA Advantage speed networking event, where students connected with employers, and the annual office visit to Mazars.

Alumni panels, such as ‘Navigating Careers in the Big 4’, offered insights into working with leading firms. Additionally, corporate events like the Grant Thornton Channel Islands session provided further insight and networking opportunities.

Recent graduate positions include:

• Internal Auditor - Finance Team - Winbro Group Technologies/Quaser Group Plc
• Audit Trainee - Audit - BDO
• Audit Associate - Audit - EY
• Senior Manager - Finance - Pingan Bank
• Consultant - FA-Deal Restructuring Service - Deloitte

Previous graduates have gone on to work in consulting and financial services across the UK, the EU, and Asia.

Dedicated to your success

From the moment you accept your offer, you'll have access to our dedicated Postgraduate Careers Service, tailored to support your career journey. Our Career Accelerator module, launched over the summer, provides early access to valuable resources, employer insights, and career planning tools to prepare you for the job market.

Our expert Postgraduate Careers Team, made up of experienced recruiters and career coaches offers personalised one-to-one guidance, covering everything from networking and CV building to job offer management and mock interviews. Whether you’re pursuing a new career path, seeking an entry-level role, or launching your own business, you'll receive support to develop the skills and knowledge needed to succeed.

You'll also benefit from exclusive events such as Careers Fairs, panel discussions, and networking opportunities with industry professionals and alumni, helping you explore career options and make valuable connections.

Workshops led by our Careers Team and industry experts cover essential professional skills, including presentation techniques, personal branding, and assessment centre success, ensuring you stand out in the job market.

Additionally, Bayes Careers Online (BCO) offers career planning tools, guidance leaflets, access to job postings directly from employers and key career events, helping you stay on track with your career goals.

On the International Accounting and Finance master’s course, you will:

• Learn from active researchers and industry leaders at one of the largest and most respected finance faculties in the world
• Create a course to match your aims, with a broad choice of electives, research projects and the option to take the International Financial Reporting Standards Certificate in Term 3
• Earn exemptions from some CIMA modules and ACCA modules on a course that’s accredited by ICAEW and is a Chartered Financial Analyst Institute (CFA) Partner Programme. The number of ACCA exemptions will depend on your module choices in the second term
• Gain useful international experience, with electives in locations such as Novara, Italy; Madrid and Lisbon
• Benefit from our location near the City of London, with guest lectures and teaching from senior industry professionals and unparalleled networking opportunities.

Course objectives

You’ll gain expertise and academic training at the edge of accounting and finance practice that will lead to a range of rewarding international roles. You’ll develop a comprehensive business skillset, and acquire a broad-based understanding of financial knowledge before specialising in a chosen area of expertise.

You will be able to select courses to emphasize either accounting or finance depending on your career aspirations. You can choose modules that prepare you for professional accounting qualifications, or focus in greater depth on finance or structure your degree so that it balances across the two fields.

Our graduates leave with well-rounded practical skills and theoretical knowledge including:

• how to prepare, interpret, analyse and use financial accounts for business decision-making
• analytical tools for evaluating and executing complex corporate finance transactions and deals
• how to develop and apply methods that help weigh financial risks
• how to assess the implications of financial data on corporate performance and valuation
• deep understanding of how financial figures reflect and affect the strategic management of international companies
• a strong grasp of fundamental issues behind international capital flows
• critical appreciation of the complexity of strategic decision-making in achieving superior firm performance.

The emphasis is on enabling you to apply acquired knowledge in practice through a hands-on approach in learning. To help achieve a competitive edge in the job market you will also have the opportunity to develop new skills including programming Python, and apply your knowledge in projects.

You will learn in highly interactive and stimulating lectures, with experimental teaching by experienced academics and industry experts as guest lecturers.

Induction weeks

All of our MSc courses start with two compulsory induction weeks which include relevant refresher courses, an introduction to the careers services and the annual careers fair.

Term 1

Core modules

• Analytics for Accounting and Business
• Contemporary Issues in Corporate Finance and Investment Valuation
• Financial Reporting
• Principles of Marketing and Strategy

Term 2

You'll take two compulsory and two elective modules.

Compulsory modules

• Financial Statement Analysis
• Strategic Management Accounting

Elective modules

• International Business Finance
• Advanced Equity Valuation and Capital Markets
• Financial Management and Corporate Strategy
• Topics in Mergers and Acquisition

Term 3

You may choose from the five options in your final term.

• Option 1: You can take five specialist elective modules plus Career Management Skills and Research Methods (6 x 10 credits)
• Option 2: You can opt to write a 5,000-word General Research Project (30 credits) and take three specialist elective modules (3 x 10 credits)
• Option 3: You can opt to write an 11,000-word Research Project (60 credits) and take three specialist elective modules (3 x 10 credits)
• Option 4: You can opt to take: International Financial Reporting Standards (30 credits) and two specialist electives plus Career Management Skills and Research Methods (3 x 10 credits)
• Option 5: You can opt to take International Financial Reporting Standards (30 credits) and write a 5,000-word General Research Project (30 credits).

Projects and research skills

• General Research Project
• Research Project
• Career Management Skills and Research Methods

Elective modules

• Corporate Restructuring
• Ethics, Society and the Financial Sector
• Financial Statement Analysis and Valuation for Banks
• Hedge Funds
• Intro to Python
• Investment Strategy
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Private Equity Investment
• Digital Finance
• Visual Basics in Finance.

International electives

• FinTech - taught in Italy
• Investment Banking in Corporate Finance - taught in Portugal
• Project Finance and Infrastructure Investment - taught in Spain.

Please note that electives are subject to change and availability.