Accountancy with foundation year

Accountancy is the language of business, providing the systematic framework through which organisations measure their financial performance, manage their resources, meet their legal obligations and plan for the future. It is a discipline grounded in rigorous technical knowledge, from the principles of double-entry bookkeeping and financial reporting standards through to tax, audit and management accounting, but it is also concerned with judgement, ethics and the ability to communicate financial information to people who need it to make decisions.

At Coventry University this four-year full-time programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad and embedded work placement experience. A foundation element is incorporated into the structure, building the quantitative and business skills you need before progressing into the main degree. You will study financial accounting, management accounting, corporate finance, taxation, auditing and business law, developing both the technical competence and the broader commercial awareness that professional accountancy requires.

The sandwich year provides an extended placement with a real employer, which is one of the most valuable features of the programme, giving you professional experience, industry networks and a practical understanding of how accountancy works in organisations. A typical entry tariff of 88 points reflects the programme's accessible character.

Accountancy graduates are in consistent demand across every sector of the economy, because every organisation needs people who can manage and account for its finances. Many graduates go on to professional qualification through bodies such as the ICAEW, ACCA, CIMA or CIPFA, and the degree provides exemptions from some professional examination papers. Career paths include roles in public accounting firms of all sizes, in-house finance functions in businesses and public sector organisations, financial management, taxation, internal audit and financial analysis.

Postgraduate study in accounting, finance or business administration is an option for those who want to develop particular expertise further.