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Accountants are best known for validating company accounts – or auditing – but they also devise and operate financial systems, conduct investment analysis, advise on business matters, and handle individuals’ and corporations’ tax affairs.
Overview
Kent Business School has expert accounting staff from the business world and our links with global business ensure that our teaching is always internationally relevant.
Our Accounting & Finance degree responds to the needs of the profession and is accredited by the UK’s accountancy bodies. We also offer a qualifying taxation module, which is not available at many other universities.
Kent Business School (KBS) is a top 20 UK business school for academic teaching, student satisfaction and graduate employment prospects. We provide a friendly, student-focused environment, which helps you to make the most of your studies. Based in our brand-new building, you also benefit from up-to-date teaching facilities.
Our degree programme
The programme begins with an introduction to accounting, including computer-aided systems, economics and, if you choose, business law. You then go on to focus in greater depth on subjects such as strategic management, investments and the role of the accountant in international markets.
You can choose from a wide range of accounting and finance options in your final year of study, allowing you to develop specialist knowledge.
Year in industry
You spend a year working between your second and final year – we have a Placement Officer who can give advice and guidance. In previous years, students have spent their year in industry with:
- British Energy
- BP
- IBM
- Sun Microsystems
- KPMG
- Lloyds TSB
- Unilever.
Spending a year in industry gives you invaluable workplace experience, which greatly enhances your employment prospects and also helps you in your final year at university, allowing you to put your academic learning into a real-world context.
You have the option to take this programme as a three-year degree, without the year in industry. For details, see Accounting & Finance.
Extra activities
Kent Business and Kent Enterprise are two of our student-run societies. Their activities have included events with guest speakers from industry and support for budding entrepreneurs.
Kent Business School also puts on special events and schemes. These may include:
- workshops and seminars
- business challenges
- enterprise initiatives, including the Business Start-Up Journey
- networking events.
Professional network
At Kent Business School, we pride ourselves on the strength of our global connections. These include links with:
- BBC
- Barclays
- Cummins
- IBM
- KPMG
- The Bank of England
- Kent County Council.
Kent Business School also has excellent links with business schools globally, including in China, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Spain, Finland and Italy.
Independent rankings
In the National Student Survey 2016, 86% of our Accounting students were satisfied with the overall quality of their course.
Accounting and Finance at Kent was ranked 16th for graduate prospects in The Complete University Guide 2017 and 18th in The Times Good University Guide 2017.
Of Accounting students who graduated from Kent in 2015, 94% were in work or further study within six months (DLHE).
Course structure
The course structure provides a sample of the modules available for this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take ‘wild’ modules from other programmes offered by the University in order that you may explore other subject areas of interest to you or that may further enhance your employability.
Year in industry
Students on the year in industry spend a year working between Stages 2 and 3 – we have a Placement Officer who can give advice and guidance. Industrial placements provide very valuable practical experience which combines well with academic study and enhances the employment prospects of graduates.
Teaching and assessment
Usually you spend eight hours in lectures and four hours in seminars each week. Some modules have a number of workshops or sessions in computer laboratories. Most of your modules involve individual study using Library resources.
Most modules have an end-of-year examination that contributes 70% to the final module mark; your coursework provides the remaining marks. Both Stage 2 and 3 marks count towards your final degree class (together with your marks from your year in industry, if applicable).
Programme aims
The programme aims to:
- offer a structured opportunity to combine appropriate developmental work experience with academic study
- use the placement experience to develop and reflect on managerial and/or professional practice in real and often complex situations, and to integrate this with the study of the relevant subject(s) of the main programme
- where relevant, develop, reinforce and apply professional and / or technical expertise in an employment context.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
- the subject in the context of the placement within a particular managed organisation
- contemporary practice and issues, deepening and/or integrating subject knowledge with practice, within the context of a year in industry.
Intellectual skills
You gain the following intellectual abilities:
- apply some of the skills specified for the main programme in practice
- analyse and draw reasoned conclusions about management problems and relatively complex situations by working in an organisational setting.
Subject-specific skills
You gain subject-specific skills in the following:
- applying learnt skills specified for the required core in practice
- identifying, formulating and analysing problems considering options and using appropriate subject tools
- communicating effectively, orally and in writing, about business, management and/or professional/technical matters.
Transferable skills
You gain transferable skills to:
- identify and make effective use of information from various sources to assess ideas
- be an effective self manager of time, so as to plan and deliver required outputs effectively
- communicate effectively orally and in writing, using media appropriate to the purpose
- work in groups effectively and apply other interpersonal skills
- where relevant, apply numeracy and IT skills appropriately.
Careers
Graduate destinations
Our graduates move into a range of careers within the world of business. Many go on to become chartered, certified or management accountants. The degree can also prepare you for a career in financial services (such as banking, insurance and investment) or in general management.
Recent graduates have taken up positions with a wide range of companies, including:
- ABN AMRO
- Accenture
- Burgess Hodgson
- Baker Tilly
- Deutsche Bank
- Ernst & Young
- Fidelity Investment
- HSBC
- KPMG
- PwC
- Royal Bank of Scotland.
Help finding a job
Kent Business School has good links with businesses globally. This network is very useful when looking for work in industry.
Our friendly Careers and Employability Service can also give you advice on how to:
- apply for jobs
- write a good CV
- perform well in interviews.
Career-enhancing skills
You graduate with an excellent grounding in the main concepts and practical methods of accounting and finance.
To help you appeal to employers, you also learn transferable skills that are useful in any career. These include the ability to:
- think critically
- communicate your ideas and opinions
- manage your time effectively
- work independently or as part of a team.
You can also gain extra skills by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.
Professional recognition
This degree is accredited by the UK’s professional accountancy bodies. If you’d like to become a chartered accountant, this accreditation allows you to gain several exemptions from your professional accounting exams. (The number of exemptions depends on which modules you choose.)
The number of professional exemptions available to Kent graduates is a key benefit of the programme. For instance, our optional 'Taxation' module confers an important exemption, which is not available at most universities.
Successful completion of the BA (Hons) Accounting & Finance programme typically provides exemption from the following papers:
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
- F1 Accountant in Business
- F2 Management Accounting
- F3 Financial Accounting
- F4 Corporate and Business Law
- F5 Performance Management
- F6 Taxation
- F7 Financial Reporting
- F9 Financial Management
The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
- C1 Fundamentals of Management Accounting
- C2 Fundamentals of Financial Accounting
- C3 Fundamentals of Business Mathematics
- C4 Fundamentals of Business Economics
- C5 Fundamentals of Ethics, Corporate Governance and Business Law
- P1 Performance Operations
- F1 Financial Operations
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
- Accounting
- Business & Finance
- Law
- Management Information
- Financial Management
- Business Strategy
- Principles of Taxation
Independent rankings
Accounting and Finance at Kent was ranked 16th in the UK for graduate prospects in The Complete University Guide 2017.
According to Which? University (2017), the average starting salary for graduates of this degree is £24,000.
The year in industry has enabled me to put the theory I’ve learnt into practice; it’s helped me to find a focus.
Lydia Nartey Accounting and Finance with a Year in Industry BA
Entry requirements
Home/EU students
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. Students offering alternative qualifications should contact us for further advice.
It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.
New GCSE grades
If you’ve taken exams under the new GCSE grading system, please see our conversion table to convert your GCSE grades.
| Qualification | Typical offer/minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| A level | ABB |
| GCSE | Mathematics grade B |
| Access to HE Diploma | The University will not necessarily make conditional offers to all Access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. If we make you an offer, you will need to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above |
| BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (formerly BTEC National Diploma) | The University will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF; OCR) on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us for further advice on your individual circumstances. |
| International Baccalaureate | 34 points overall or 16 points at HL, including Mathematics 4 at HL or SL (Mathematics Studies 5 at SL) |
International students
The University welcomes applications from international students. Our international recruitment team can guide you on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country.
If you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes.
Meet our staff in your country
For more advise about applying to Kent, you can meet our staff at a range of international events.
English Language Requirements
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of 'pre-sessional' courses in English for Academic Purposes. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.
General entry requirements
Please also see our general entry requirements.
Fees
The 2017/18 tuition fees for this programme are:
| UK/EU | Overseas | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time |
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
UK/EU fee paying students
The Government has announced changes to allow undergraduate tuition fees to rise in line with inflation from 2017/18.
In accordance with changes announced by the UK Government, we are increasing our 2017/18 regulated full-time tuition fees for new and returning UK/EU fee paying undergraduates from £9,000 to £9,250. The equivalent part-time fees for these courses will also rise from £4,500 to £4,625. This was subject to us satisfying the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework and the access regulator's requirements. This fee will ensure the continued provision of high-quality education.
For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.*
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
Fees for Year Abroad/Industry
As a guide only, UK/EU/International students on an approved year abroad for the full 2017/18 academic year pay an annual fee of £1,350 to Kent for that year. Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
Please note that for 2017/18 entrants the University will increase the standard year in industry fee for home/EU/international students to £1,350.
General additional costs
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Funding
University funding
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details.
Government funding
You may be eligible for government finance to help pay for the costs of studying. See the Government's student finance website.
The Government has confirmed that EU students applying for university places in the 2017 to 2018 academic year will still have access to student funding support for the duration of their course.
Scholarships
General scholarships
Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.
The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of AAA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.
The scholarship is also extended to those who achieve AAB at A level (or specified equivalents) where one of the subjects is either Mathematics or a Modern Foreign Language. Please review the eligibility criteria.
