Accounting and Finance

Accounting and finance at LSE is not simply a professional qualification course: it is an intellectually demanding degree that examines accounting and financial management through the lenses of economics, sociology, and institutional analysis. Accounting is understood here not only as a set of technical practices but as a social and political institution, concerned with how organisations calculate, report, and justify their activities. Finance examines how capital is raised, allocated, and managed, and how risk is understood and priced in financial markets.

Together, they develop a graduate who understands not just the mechanics of financial practice but the deeper questions about accountability, governance, and value that those practices raise.

At the London School of Economics and Political Science, this full-time, three-year BSc includes a year abroad, which extends the intellectual and personal dimensions of the degree into an international academic environment. You will develop your core financial knowledge alongside an understanding of how institutions and organisations deal with calculation, reporting, and evaluation. The programme examines the interdependencies between accounting and accountability, financial management and risk, performance management and sustainability, and governance and regulation, giving you a theoretically sophisticated as well as technically grounded understanding of the field.

The typical entry tariff is 184 UCAS points.

Graduates from accounting and finance at LSE are highly sought by the most competitive employers in finance, professional services, government, and international organisations. The major accountancy firms, investment banks, financial regulatory bodies, corporate finance teams, and public sector finance roles are all common destinations. Many graduates pursue professional accountancy qualifications, and the degree provides excellent preparation for those examinations.

Others move into financial analysis, investment management, economic policy, and research. Postgraduate study in accounting, finance, or economics is a natural option.