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BSc (Hons) Accounting, Business Finance and Management

Develop specialist accounting and finance skills. Learning how to apply them in an organisational context.

Year of entry: 2024/25

UCAS code

NN42

Institution code

Y50

Length

3 years full-time (plus optional placement year)

Typical offer

AAB (full entry requirements)

Start date

September 2024 (semester dates)

UK (home) fees

£9,250 per year

International and EU fees

£23,700 per year

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Discover York

Accounting is the language of business. It gives managers, investors and governments the information they need to make financially sound decisions.

In the increasingly complex modern business environment, there is a high demand for skilled professionals who can work flexibly in teams across business boundaries. 

This course places accounting and finance skills in a broader business context. You’ll gain the technical skills and problem solving abilities, but will also have the opportunity to develop strong communication skills, a broad commercial awareness and a critical approach to business problems.

Accredited by a number of professional bodies, this academically challenging and vocationally relevant degree is an ideal stepping stone into careers in accountancy and management.

Accreditation

Accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and the Association of International Accountants (AIA)

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Our Trading Room lets you experience how financial markets really operate. Course leaders use live market data to show you how to make decisions like a professional investor.

Highly ranked

We're ranked 16th in the UK for Business and Management Studies according to the Complete University Guide 2024.

Course content

Our business and management, accounting and finance degrees share some common elements in Year 1 to introduce you to the core concepts underpinning these key disciplines. As you progress, you'll develop the knowledge and skills acquired in your first year, giving both depth and breadth to your learning.

By the end of your course you'll have a good understanding of accounting and finance practices, and how they relate to business and management.

Study abroad

There are opportunities for you to spend time abroad during your course:

Placements

You can apply to spend a year in industry as part of this course.

Year 1

Year 1 introduces you to business and management, and some of the key concepts and techniques used in accounting and finance. Modules will give you a broad overview of topics you can study in more detail in later years. You'll also learn important skills for accountancy and statistical analysis.

Core modules

Academic integrity module

In addition to the above you will also need to complete our online Academic Integrity module.

Year 2

In Year 2 you'll develop your understanding further, and explore some new areas of study. You'll learn new research techniques, become familiar with important business processes, and apply your practical skills in planning and problem-solving.

Core modules

Option modules

You will also study one option module. In previous years, options have covered topics such as:

You can also choose to add a placement in industry before your final year.

Year 3

In Year 3 you can choose option modules to develop new skills, take a closer look at topics you're familiar with, or investigate an interesting subject in detail. 

Be aware that the modules you choose may affect which professional accreditation you qualify for.

Core modules

Option modules

You will also study two option modules. In previous years, options have covered topics such as:

Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff.

Learning by design

Every course at York has been designed to provide clear and ambitious learning outcomes. These learning outcomes give you an understanding of what you will be able to do at the end of the course. We develop each course by designing modules that grow your abilities towards the learning outcomes and help you to explain what you can offer to employers. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.

Students who complete this course will be able to:

  • Support and influence organisational decision-making by analysing and evaluating financial performance and risk in the light of the organisation’s strategic objectives and the external environment.
  • Report on organisational performance by combining complex financial and non-financial information to clearly represent underlying economic activity.
  • Evaluate and explain the implications of significant issues in accounting and finance for organisations, stakeholders and society.
  • Clearly communicate complex financial and non-financial information to colleagues and a broad range of external stakeholders both orally and in writing.
  • Operate effectively with colleagues in cross functional teams.
  • Identify the ethical dimensions of the problems organisations face and respond appropriately in the light of the individual’s ethical responsibilities to the communities within which they operate.
  • Apply accounting, financial and management knowledge and judgement to evaluating the implications of decision-making for the organisation

Fees and funding

Annual tuition fees

UK (home) International and EU
£9,250 £23,700

UK (home) or international fees?

The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.

Fees for subsequent years

  • UK (home) fees may increase within the government fee cap in subsequent academic years. We will notify you of any increase as soon as we can.
  • International fees are subject to increase in subsequent years in line with the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate (up to a maximum of 10%).

More information

For more information about tuition fees, any reduced fees for study abroad and work placement years, scholarships, tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and living costs see undergraduate fees and funding.

Additional costs

You may find it useful to buy textbooks, and for some modules this may be required. Textbooks usually cost around £30 - £60 each.

Funding

We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2024/25 throughout the year.

Subject-specific funding

Our Accounting, Business Finance and Management scholarship provides £3,000 for each year of your studies. UK students, with their first year of study being 2024/25, and from lower income households ie less than £42,875 per annum, will be eligible to apply.

Living costs

You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.

I always know that I can go and get feedback from my tutors on essays, or ask them questions if I’ve not understood something in a lecture or seminar. All they want is to see us succeed and do the best that we can. It really comes across in the way we are taught. The fact the staff care so much about our wellbeing is my favourite thing about studying here.
Katy, BSc Accounting, Business Finance and Management

Read more from Katy's blog

Teaching Excellence Framework Gold Award

Gold-standard education

Our teaching, learning and student experience is outstanding, recognised by a Gold rating from the Office for Students in the 2023 national assessment (Teaching Excellence Framework).

Why we’re gold-rated

Teaching and assessment

You’ll study and learn with academics who are active researchers, experts in their field and have a passion for their subjects. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.

Teaching format

We focus on teaching the skills and expertise that employers want. We use practical problems and case studies from our industrial partners to ensure our modules are relevant to modern industry. Our passionate tutors' research-led teaching puts you at the forefront of current issues in business and management.

We use a wide range of teaching methods to suit different learning styles, including:

  • Lectures
  • Small-group seminars
  • Activity-based workshops
  • Group projects
  • Individual projects

Our courses are designed to encourage you to take responsibility for your own learning and development, but with all the support you need available from our academics.

Timetabled activities

In your first year, you can expect:

Lectures3-7 hours per week
Seminars4 hours per week
Workshops0-3 hours per term
Practicals0-3 hours per term

These figures are representative of a typical week. Your contact hours will vary throughout the year due to your module choices, non-compulsory classes, exam periods and changes to scheduled activities.

Outside your timetabled hours, you'll study independently. This may include preparation for classes, follow-up work, wider reading, practice completion of assessment tasks, or revision.

In the UK, full-time students are expected to spend 1,200 hours a year learning. That's about 40 hours of classes and independent study each week during semesters. Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours you spend on independent study will be different to other students on your course.

Teaching location

You will be based in the School of Business & Society on Campus West. Most of your teaching will take place in the Church Lane Building, with additional contact hours elsewhere on Campus East and Campus West.

About our campus

Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can use the fast and frequent bus service. Take a campus tour.

Assessment and feedback

You will be assessed using a mixture of essays, projects and examinations. For some modules you'll produce reports, strategy documents or group presentations. This course puts greater emphasis on examinations in order to comply with the requirements of accreditation by the Institute of Chartered Accountants for England and Wales.

In your final year you will have some scope to choose forms of assessment that you prefer through selection of optional modules. You can pick modules which emphasise presentation skills, essay writing or exams. You could choose to work on an extended dissertation based on your own research and analysis of a current issue or problem in management.

Careers and skills

Our bespoke employability sessions help you identify and improve your skills. Our dedicated support team will help you to build an employability portfolio and to present yourself at your best for the next step of your career.

Our graduates go on to careers in all aspects of business and management. Many progress to postgraduate degrees at York and other leading universities.

Career opportunities

  • Accountant
  • Analyst
  • Auditor
  • Business services trainer
  • Brokers
  • Financial advisory associate
  • Investment banker
  • Civil servants
  • Tax consultant
  • Deals associate

Transferable skills

  • Critical thinking
  • Problem solving
  • Communication, presentation and reporting
  • Numeracy and data analysis
  • Time management
  • Teamwork and leadership
  • Negotiation and persuasion

Entry requirements

Typical offer
A levels

AAB

Access to Higher Education Diploma 36 credits at Distinction and 9 credits at Merit or higher
BTEC National Extended Diploma DDD
Cambridge Pre-U D3, D3, M2
European Baccalaureate 80% overall
International Baccalaureate 35 points
T levels We will consider a range of T Level qualifications for entry. Please visit our dedicated T Levels page for a full list of accepted T Levels.
Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers Scottish Highers - AABBB

Advanced Highers - not required for entry

We may also be able to consider three Advanced Highers or a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers, where an applicant does not meet the grade requirement through Highers alone. Please contact us to discuss your qualifications.
International foundation programme Foundation Certificate from our International Pathway College or an appropriate alternative.
Other international qualifications Equivalent qualifications from your country

Additional requirements

We also require GCSE Mathematics at grade 5 (B) or equivalent. We do not accept adult numeracy in lieu of GCSE Maths.

Alternative offers

Meeting the following additional criteria may qualify you for an alternative offer.

Criteria Adjustment
Widening participation If you successfully complete one of the following programmes, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to three A level grades (or equivalent) below our typical offer: Black Access Programme, Next Step York, Realising Opportunities, YESS, YorWay to York. More about widening participation.
Contextual offers If you have experience of local authority care or live in an area with low progression to university, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to two A level grades (or equivalent) below our typical offer. More about contextual offers.
EPQ If you achieve B or higher at EPQ, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer.
Core Maths If you achieve B or higher in Core Maths, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer.

English language

If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:

Minimum requirement
IELTS (Academic) 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component
Cambridge CEFR 176, with a minimum of 169 in each component
Oxford ELLT 7, with a minimum of 6 in each component
Duolingo 120, minimum 105 in each component
GCSE/IGCSE/O level English Language (as a first or second language) Grade C / Grade 4
LanguageCert SELT B2 with a minimum score of 33/50 in each component
LanguageCert Academic B2 Communicator with a minimum score of 33/50 in each component
KITE 459 Main Flight score with 426 in each component
Skills for English B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component
PTE Academic 61, with a minimum of 55 in each component
TOEFL 87 overall, with a minimum of 21 in each component
Trinity ISE III Merit in all components

For more information see our undergraduate English language requirements.

If you haven't met our English language requirements

You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.

The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.

After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.

Applying

To apply to York, you will need to complete an online application via UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).

If you have faced obstacles to higher education, or you are returning to education after a long absence, you may benefit from the York Access Scheme.

Next steps

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School for Business and Society

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