Decision making, big data, management… there’s more to accounting and finance than numbers. By studying our accounting and finance degree, you’ll explore every aspect of the area and learn to support businesses across different sectors.

Whether you want to work in a top accountancy firm or start a career in research, we’ll help you develop the expertise you need. You’ll take some of the professional exams too, so you’re one step closer to professional or chartered status when you graduate.

Fit for the digital age

Digitalisation has transformed the way this sector works and we’ve updated our course to reflect this. You won’t be spending hours working out calculations on paper – we’ll show you how to use the latest software that professionals use in practice.

To help you develop the skills you need to stand out, we’ll assess you in different ways. Instead of a formal exam, you might prepare a presentation, write a report, or talk to a panel of experts. For example, past students have presented ideas to professionals from Salford City Council. 

Lecturers from leading organisations

The majority of our lecturers have come from industry, so their teaching is based on their experience and in line with current practice. Many members of the team actively research areas like corporate governance in emerging economies, and quality of investor protection among countries.

We bring in alumni and professionals from industry and professional bodies too. In the past, we’ve run sessions on mock psychometric tests, Excel and cloud accounting software. We also have a reverse mentoring scheme with professional services organisation Ernst & Young (EY), where students provide mentoring to their clients. If there’s one thing for sure, you’ll never be short of opportunities to prepare for your career while you study here.

Placement options

Our BSc (Hons) Accounting and Finance degree offers the chance to spend a year getting a taste of professional life. It not only gives you the opportunity to develop your core skills and learn about how a business really operates in your industry, but also shows employers that you’re ready to get to work.

The business school Placement Team is ready to help. They offer a wide range of services, including employer presentations, advice and placement fairs. But it’s also up to you – the more proactive you are about applying for placement opportunities, the better.

From corner shops to FTSE 100 businesses, all organisations depend on people with expertise in this area. While you’re a student, we’ll encourage you to think about opportunities beyond the main firms and consider different places of employment.

Want a head start? We’d encourage you to complete a placement year. Past students have worked at NHS Finance, Grant Thornton, Ernst & Young (EY) and more. We’ll also bring in industry experts to talk about their recruitment process.

Some of our past students have gone on to secure roles as audit trainees, assurance associates and trainee accounts at organisations such as: 

• PWC
• EY
• Grant Thorton
• Mazars
• Beever & Struthers
• Castletons

They also work at banks and investment management companies including Royal Bank of Scotland, Handelsbanken, Bank of New York (BNY) Mellon and Mercer.

Beyond the finance accounting sector, some of our students have secured work in a range of roles including finance and accounts controller and audit and quality analyst at:

• Sainsbury’s
• Capgemini
• Burberry
• Bakkavor
• Rentokil Initial
• Pennington