MSc Accounting and Finance

The dual disciplines of accounting and finance complement each other to create a wide-reaching view of an organisation’s financial status which makes MSc Accounting and Finance a desirable Masters degree. At Essex we encourage you to practice fair finance and ethical accounting to mitigate and manage risk.

MSc Accounting and Finance builds on your existing knowledge of financial reporting and corporate analysis to develop you into an agile and confident financial manager.

You cover topics including:

• recent developments in theoretical approaches to accounting and corporate finance
• quantitative and qualitative approaches to empirical research
• financial reporting
• portfolio management

Our MSc Accounting and Finance is taught at Essex Business School. You join one of the UK’s largest and most respected finance groups and experience a Masters education that combines theory with practice. You further your understanding of advanced accounting and corporate finance and can tailor your studies to your professional ambitions by choosing from a range of optional modules.

You benefit from academic excellence in two fields where you work with researchers who are at the cutting-edge of accounting and finance theory:

• The Essex Finance Centre (EFiC) works with leading financial services firms and public sector organisations, governments and policy institutions to produce work that makes real-world impact across the globe.
• The Essex Accounting Centre is at the forefront of the field of accounting and produce empirical and theoretical research.

Our world-renowned academics embed the latest thinking into your course to ensure you stay up-to-date with the current developments and major issues in accounting and financial reporting.

Whether you’re thinking about continuing your studies to PhD level or targeting a senior role in the world of accounting or finance, this is the course to advance your career.

Professional accreditation

Accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) for the purpose of exemptions from some professional examinations.

Completion of this course gives you accreditation exemptions from up to four professional examination papers with The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

This means that you are able to gain a professional qualification more quickly by taking fewer exams when you graduate, giving your career a head start.

Our expert staff

Essex Business School has a number of established research strengths in accounting, including:

• accounting in emerging economies
• sustainable accounting
• governance
• global development
• public sector accounting
• regulation and reporting

Our researchers make a significant impact on the lives of people all around the world, with past and current research projects covering five continents.

The experience and findings of our experts will feature throughout your teaching. For example, you’ll hear from Professor Kelum Jayasinghe, Professor of Accounting at Essex Business School.

Professor Jayasinghe’s research liaises with development practitioners and policy-makers for his work on sustainability in emerging economies. For example, some of his recent research will help the Ministry of Disaster Management in Sri Lanka to formulate a new policy framework and accountability strategy that can be used by central and local governments, NGOs, and national and international agencies, in times of crisis.

Kelum is also Director of Employability Development at Essex Business School, meaning he is well-placed to support accounting students and graduates exploring their early career opportunities. Kelum’s academic career is complemented by three years of industrial experience in professional accounting and five years’ experience in providing consultancy services to private and public sector agencies.

Two research centres support the research activities taking place in the accounting group. They organise seminars by external invited speakers, Essex Business School staff and research students; co-ordinate workshop programmes; and schedule bi-annual conferences of international renown. These offer a further excellent opportunity for you to engage with the very latest research and ideas in the field of accounting.

The Essex Accounting Centre conducts distinctive world-class research, with a particular focus on accounting research applied in developing countries, including topics such as social responsibility and corporate governance; management accounting change; and corruption and accountability.

Our new interdisciplinary centre, the Centre for Accountability and Global Development (CAGD), is a dynamic hub for social justice research, with a particular focus on accountability across all sectors in both developed and emerging economies. The Centre contributes to impactful global development through rigorous research and engagement with the policy community, which complements the existing research strengths and expertise established within the Essex Accounting Centre.

Specialist facilities

Our MSc Accounting and Finance is based at our Colchester Campus.

You’ll be studying at Essex Business School, home to the first zero carbon business school?in the UK– demonstrating our sustainable approach to business first-hand. Set around a lush winter garden, with shared spaces to encourage collaborative working, you’ll find a wealth of inspiring teaching and study zones:

• a virtual trading floor with Bloomberg Financial Market Labs, where you’ll gain hands-on experience and learn how to model financial data in a practical setting
• access to company reporting databases, Passport (GMID) and NEXIS advance UK
• learn in modern lecture theatres with ‘listen again’ recording to aid your study
• utilise study booths in our winter garden and versatile break out areas for group working throughout the building
• study skills support provided by the Essex Business School Learning Team
• networking opportunities with visiting businesses and careers events
• Bonds café and adjacent foyer to enjoy on-site fresh food and drink

You'll also benefit from fantastic University facilities located close by, including our state-of-the-art Silberrad Student Centre, complete with an open-access 24-hour Learning Hub and a cutting-edge media centre.

Our building is located on the Knowledge Gateway, home to some of the region’s most exciting enterprises in the science, technology and creative sectors. The Knowledge Gateway provides potential networking and career opportunities for students directly on campus.

Discover our trading floor:

Your future

We develop your business skills so you can use creativity, innovation and ethical awareness to solve the challenges that the international business world continues to present.

Our recent graduates have progressed to roles in financial analysis, management, public administration and accountancy in high-profile organisations and exciting SMEs across the world, such as:

• The Government of Pakistan
• Brit College
• Dytex Cotfabr
• Capital Markets Intelligence, a financial publisher
• Credit Data Research, a provider of small business finance
• Pension Insurance Corporation
• BNP Paribas
• Preservation Capital Partners

Our Student Support team work closely with the University’s Employability and Careers service to help you with careers information and advice and CV support. They will help you find work experience, internships, placements and voluntary opportunities and provide access to employer talks on campus. We also work closely with the Essex Startups team to support our budding entrepreneurs get their business ideas off the ground.

UK entry requirements

A 2:1 degree in any discipline. Your degree must include one module in Financial Accounting, and one module in Management Accounting.

English language requirements

Additional Notes

The University uses academic selection criteria to determine an applicant’s ability to successfully complete a course at the University of Essex. Where appropriate, we may ask for specific information relating to previous modules studied or work experience.

Course structure

We offer a flexible course structure with a mixture of core/compulsory modules, and optional modules chosen from lists. Please be aware that we are planning changes to our first year to make it more relevant to your chosen course.

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, or in response to COVID-19, we’ll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Teaching

• Tailor the content of your course to more closely fit your interests and aspirations
• Courses focus on practical applications and links with industry
• We run an open seminar series, which our Masters students are welcome to attend
• learn in an international environment; our Masters students join us from more than 40 countries

Assessment

• Regular assessment is by coursework, presentations, case studies, group work, tests and examinations

Dissertation

• You submit a 15,000 word dissertation.