Accounting & Finance

Accounting and finance is concerned with how organisations measure, report, and manage their financial resources, and with how capital is allocated, priced, and governed in markets and institutions. Accounting provides the language and systems through which organisations communicate their financial position and performance, while finance focuses on the valuation of assets, the management of financial risk, investment decisions, and the structure of capital markets. Together, they form the intellectual foundation for careers across the entire financial services industry and in the finance functions of organisations in every sector.

At Richmond, the American International University in London, this four-year full-time programme includes a foundation year, a sandwich year, a year abroad, and a work placement, creating a degree with an unusually rich combination of academic study and practical professional experience. The foundation year provides structured preparation for the demands of degree-level study in accounting and finance. The sandwich year and work placement give you extended professional experience in financial services, accounting practice, or corporate finance, and the year abroad adds an international dimension that reflects both the global character of finance as an industry and the genuinely international student community that Richmond attracts.

You will study financial accounting, management accounting, corporate finance, auditing, taxation, financial markets and institutions, investment theory, and quantitative methods, developing both the technical skills required for professional accounting qualifications and the broader financial and analytical understanding that careers in finance require. Richmond's American university model and its London location place you within reach of one of the world's most significant financial centres.

Graduates in accounting and finance work in public practice accounting, investment banking, corporate finance, asset management, financial consulting, and the finance functions of commercial organisations. The sandwich year and placement provide a professional record that strengthens graduate employment prospects considerably. Many graduates pursue professional accounting qualifications through bodies such as ACA, ACCA, or CIMA after the degree, and postgraduate study in finance, financial economics, or management is another route for those seeking to deepen their expertise.