Accounting and Finance

Accounting and finance sits at the heart of how organisations understand and manage their economic reality. Accounting provides the language of business, the systems and conventions by which transactions are recorded, summarised and reported. Finance takes a forward-looking perspective, concerned with how organisations raise and deploy capital, how financial risk is managed and how value is created and measured over time.

Together they equip graduates with the analytical tools to work in every sector of the economy, in roles ranging from management accounting and auditing to corporate finance and investment.

At the University of Plymouth, this three-year programme covers the foundations of the discipline thoroughly, including financial reporting, management accounting, taxation, corporate finance, investment analysis and the regulatory environment in which financial professionals operate. The degree includes a sandwich year, giving you time in a professional accounting or finance environment, and also incorporates a year abroad and work placement opportunities, providing multiple routes to develop practical experience and international perspective. Plymouth's focus on professional relevance is evident throughout the programme, which is designed to give graduates a strong foundation for careers in the profession and for the examinations of the major professional accountancy bodies.

Many accounting and finance graduates use their degree as a stepping stone to professional qualification, pursuing the ACA, ACCA, CIMA or CIPFA routes depending on their career direction. The degree provides significant exemptions from professional examination papers for those who take this route, reducing the time and cost of qualification.

Graduates go on to careers as accountants, auditors, financial analysts, management accountants, tax specialists, finance managers and investment professionals across the full range of sectors and organisations. Further study in accounting, finance or related areas such as banking or financial management is also common, particularly for those who want to move into senior financial roles or specialist fields.