MSc Accountancy and Financial Management
Course Overview
Aligned to the ACCA Strategic Professional Level programme, the MSc in Accountancy and Financial Management at the University of Bolton is designed to support your career development in business, accounting and financial management roles. It offers the finance, accountancy and broader management knowledge that can be central to success in many private and public sector industries.Our dedicated, highly qualified and experienced team will lead you in exploring the principles and practice of financial management and accounting, the context in which they operate, and how they are managed. We'll support you in learning the applied skills involved in financial reporting and financial management, as well as wider management issues such as corporate and social responsibility, business ethics, risk and business strategy, financial performance, and taxation/auditing.
We'll encourage you to explore research methods, helping you understand various research tools and analytical techniques. This knowledge will be of value when you undertake your master's dissertation. Carrying out this substantial piece of research on an accountancy or financial management issue will enhance your critical and investigative skills and could benefit your professional practice.
Highlights
- You'll have the opportunity to focus on the global competitive environment, with topics including performance management, ethics, social responsibility, and strategic management accounting.
- We offer a range of option modules offering knowledge that could enhance your employment prospects.
- We'll encourage you to develop a critical awareness of the principles and techniques for effective financial decision-making.
- Your studies will allow you to evaluate existing empirical research, evaluate and apply theoretical concepts, and think critically and creatively.
Key Features
- We prefer to keep our class sizes relatively small so you can benefit from direct and personal guidance from our experienced teaching staff.
- Learning from case studies and gaining expertise in mathematical and statistical techniques to solve business and accountancy problems should benefit you professionally.
- All our tutors have a master's degree, PhD or professional accountancy qualifications, as well as considerable teaching and professional experience.
- The University's excellent libraries, 24/7 IT facilities, WiFi and learning areas are freely available for your use.
- By choosing to study with us, you'll have the chance to enjoy Bolton's many shops, bars, restaurants and leisure facilities. Manchester, one of the UK's most multicultural and lively cities, is less than 20 minutes away by train. Not forgetting, the North West of England is renowned for its beautiful countryside, coastline and heritage. This makes Bolton an ideal base from which to explore some of the best cultural and outdoor activities the UK offers.
Entry Requirements
- Normally, you'll have at least a lower second class (2.2) honours degree (or equivalent) in accounting or accountancy.
- Alternatively, you'll have a first class or upper second class (2.1) honours degree (or equivalent) in business management. If this is the case, we'll counsel you towards taking the Advanced Financial Management and Advanced Financial Performance option modules.
- We'll also consider applications where appropriate work experience can be demonstrated in lieu of, or in addition to, the published academic qualifications in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) procedures.
- If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
The University of Bolton's MSc Accountancy and Financial Management course is ideal for professionals working in the business, accountancy and finance sectors. Our expert team will support you in developing your understanding of the principles and practice of financial management and accounting, the context in which they operate and how they are managed.
This master's degree offers you the opportunity to learn the applied skills involved in financial reporting and financial management, as well as wider management issues such as corporate and social responsibility, risk and business strategy, financial performance and taxation/auditing.
What can I do with this qualification?
Alternative career options
Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Some possible careers include:
- Corporate finance
- Computing
- Training and education
- Auditing
- Retail
- Financial consultancy
- Purchasing
- Tax and pensions
- Law
- Transport and logistics
- Stocks and shares
- Charity work
- Loss adjusting
- Advertising, marketing and PR
- Insurance
- Statistics and market research
- Credit and investment analysis
- Claims inspection
Fees & Funding
Please note the total course fee for a Home student starting this course in 2023/24 will be £7,920. As this is an 18-month course, the fees are £5,280 for the first year and £2,640 for the final semester.
Home/EU Fees
Home students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Home fee of £5,664 for the academic year 2024/25.
International Fees
Overseas students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Overseas fee of £15,950 for the academic year 2024/25.
Bursaries
Click here for more information on our Master's Bursaries.
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2024-25 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:
You should have to hand:
-
Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
-
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
-
Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
-
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
-
Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
-
Apply online: University of Bolton MSc Accountancy and Financial Management - 27 January 2025
-
Apply online: University of Bolton MSc Accountancy and Financial Management - 19 May 2025
-
Apply online: University of Bolton MSc Accountancy and Financial Management - 22 September 2025
International Applicants
Thank you for your interest
In order to determine your suitability for this course as an international student and also to confirm you meet any initial eligibility criteria, we need you to answer a few short questions.
Teaching & Assessment
We use a blended learning approach, combining face-to-face sessions with online engagement. You can expect a range of learning and teaching methods, including lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, and quizzes. We'll expect you to devote a significant amount of time to guided independent study. This can include, for example, engaging in general background reading, preparing for seminar activities, working on assignments, and revising for examinations.
Our assessment strategy serves several functions. The obvious and primary function is to evaluate your achievement. However, assessment also helps you organise and develop your learning. We'll provide feedback to help you understand your strengths and weaknesses.
Assessments fall into two general categories: formative and summative. Formative assessments don't contribute to your overall module grade. However, they are integral to a module's learning strategy, so you must complete them. They will be marked, and you'll receive feedback on your level of achievement. Summative assessments, on the other hand, are activities for which the marks will contribute to your overall module grade. You'll also receive feedback on these assessments to see what you've done well and where you can improve.
We employ many different forms of assessment, such as coursework (usually essays), oral presentations, examinations, research proposal and the dissertation.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- Advanced Financial Management
- Advanced Performance Management
- Advanced Taxation
- Advanced Audit and Assurance
- Dissertation
- Research Methods For Accountants
- Strategic Business Leader
- Strategic Business Reporting
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Coursework 42% Written exams 58% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 66% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 34% |
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
