Masters (MSc) in Accounting and Finance

Gain a high level of understanding of the theory and practice of accounting and finance.

A career in accounting, financial services or related sectors requires a high level of understanding of the theory and practice of accounting and finance.

Alliance MBS is ranked 19th in the world for Accounting and Finance research according to the 2023 QS World Rankings. This course has both CFA Institute Affiliate status and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) status which positions you to progress to a research degree. Upon successful completion, you will be able to join the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) through an accelerated route. It is also linked to The Manchester Accounting and Finance Group – one of Europe's leading accounting and finance units.

Find out more about studying Accounting and Finance at Alliance MBS >>

Read about other Master's degree courses at Alliance MBS >>

MSc Accounting and Finance / Overview

Year of entry: 2024

View tabs
View full page

Degree awarded

Master of Science (MSc)

Duration

1 year

Entry requirements

We require a UK bachelor degree with first or upper second class honours or the overseas equivalent, with excellent results in accounting and finance subjects.

When assessing your academic record, we take into account your grade average, position in class and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.

You need to have studied or be studying a degree in accounting or finance. We can also consider exceptional candidates with degrees in economics or mathematics. You must have taken a significant number of courses in accounting and finance during your degree, and a major or specialisation in accounting and/or finance in your final year, with top level results in final year accounting and finance subjects. You must also demonstrate a solid background in quantitative skills, econometrics or maths.

We can consider applicants studying degrees in business administration or commerce who can demonstrate a very strong background in accounting and finance throughout their degree and a final year major or specialisation in accounting or finance, and strong quantitative skills. Due to competition for places, we give preference to applicants with a bachelor degree in accounting or finance.

A GMAT/GRE is not required to apply for this course but in some cases The Admissions Team may request this after the initial review of your application if your degree does not contain enough relevant quantitative modules.

Full entry requirements

How to apply

Apply online

NOTE: There is a non-refundable application fee of £60. You should be prompted to pay this within the application portal before you can submit your application. We cannot consider applications until you have paid the application fee.

Applying to multiple programmes

Course options

	Full-time	Part-time	Full-time distance learning	Part-time distance learning
MSc	Y	N	N	N

Course description

Amplify Trading BootCamp 2019

MSc Accounting and Finance will help you to take your skills and knowledge to the next level. Whether you want to further your professional career, or go on to study for a PhD , this course gives you the qualification you need to succeed. A career in accounting, financial services or related sectors of the economy requires a high level of understanding of both the theory and practice of accounting and finance. This course is designed to give you a broad-based understanding of the core subject areas with an emphasis on empirical research methods and on accounting and finance practice.

Our wide range of modules allows you to specialise and during the course you have the chance to build on your growing knowledge and expertise by completing a dissertation on a research area of your choice. This, coupled with the support you get from our staff, ensures a first class learning experience. 

The MSc Accounting and Finance is recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council as postgraduate preparation for a PhD. It holds the award of partnership status from the CFA Institute, the global association for investment professionals. It also allows you to join the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the global professional management accounting body.

CFA training

We're pleased to announce that we have teamed up with Kaplan Schweser to facilitate student preparation for the CFA exams. Students attending our finance-related Masters - MSc Accounting , MSc Accounting and Finance, MSc Finance and MSc Quantitative Finance - who perform well in Semester one and show a strong interest in CFA, will get free access to Kaplan's online training materials for CFA Part One.

Kaplan is a global firm offering professional training and helping individuals and organisations obtain financial certifications and designations. They will support our students by giving them access to tuition material, online question banks and progress tests, as well as mock exam runs. They will also offer tutor support and 1-2-1 sessions. Students enrol in the CFA Program to build a strong foundation of advanced investment analysis and real-world portfolio management skills. Preparing for the Level I exam is the first step toward earning the Chartered Financial Analyst ® (CFA) credential, the most respected and recognised investment designation in the world.

CIMA accreditation

The MSc Accounting and Finance is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the global professional management accounting body based in the UK. On successful completion of our MSc in Accounting and Finance, you will be able to join the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) though an accelerated route. This route allows you to get 11 exemptions from CIMA's certificate, operational and management level exams.

Find out more here >>

Find out more about the Management level exam >>

Please contact Alison Zimmer ( alison.zimmer@manchester.ac.uk ) if you need further information.

Trading BootCamp Week

Each year, Alliance MBS runs a five-day Trading BootCamp for all current students studying MSc Accounting, MSc Accounting and Finance, MSc Finance and MSc Quantitative Finance. These trading simulations provide students with experience of real world trading and the opportunity to engage with contemporary financial markets, enabling them to apply their classroom theory in practice. To deliver the Trading BootCamp, the School has teamed up with Amplify Trading to provide those looking to enter the financial industry with a crucial skill-set. Amplify Trading are a global financial trading and training firm, which offers training to some of the world's largest financial institutions, such as HSBC, Citigroup and Deutsche Bank. They have developed specialist software that enables students to experience a live trading floor and two experienced traders will deliver the week-long training.

Each day there will be four hours of classes in the morning followed by four hours of trading practice in the afternoon. Engaging in live breaking news, economic data and geo-political events, students will be able to apply their understanding, technical expertise and risk management practises in trading different asset classes.

This is a fantastic opportunity for accounting and finance students at Alliance MBS and is another way in which we prepare students for successful careers after graduation.

The Finance Zone  

The Finance Zone in Alliance Manchester Business School gives you access to one of the UK's most comprehensive collections of specialist financial and business databases that are used by top researchers around the world. These include Bloomberg, Datastream, Thomson ONE, Compustat, WRDS, Capital IQ and many more. Read more about the specialist financial and business databases >>

Open days

Meet us at an event to find out more about our master's degree courses.

Meet us >>

Fees

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2024, the tuition fees are as follows:

MSc (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £21,000
International, including EU, students (per annum): £34,500

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.

Refund Policy

Due to the competition for places and limited availability, our courses require a deposit of £1000 to cover non-recoverable costs and secure your place. The deposit will be deducted from your tuition fees when you register on the course.

The deposit is non-refundable, except in the following situations:

you fail to meet the conditions of your offer (see below for further information); and/or
you are refused a visa or entry clearance to enter the UK (proof must be submitted)

If an offer has been made specifying an English Language condition which you do not meet, the Admissions Team will require the official certificate of an English Language test taken after the date of offer as evidence that you have attempted to meet your offer conditions for a refund to be approved. The English Language test certificate provided with your application documents will not be accepted as proof that you have attempted to meet your offer conditions as such a certificate will predate the offer.

If an offer has been made specifying an academic condition, the Admissions Team will require the official university documentation showing that you have not met this academic condition from the institution at which you have studied, as evidence for a refund to be approved.

The Admissions Team reserves the right to refuse to refund of any deposit that does not meet with the requirements outlined above.

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Scholarships/sponsorships

Contact us for further information about the new Accounting and Finance scholarship for UK/EU students and other scholarships available.

Contact details

School/Faculty: Alliance Manchester Business School
Contact name: Master's Admissions Office
Email: pgadmissions.ambs@manchester.ac.uk
Website: https://www.alliancembs.manchester.ac.uk/study/masters/msc-accounting-and-finance/
School/Faculty: Alliance Manchester Business School was established in 1965 as one of the UK's first two business schools. Today, we are the UK's largest campus-based business and management school, and 'Original Thinking Applied' is at the heart of everything we do. Find out more .

77 1231

class size applications

Age range: 21-35 Nationalities: 7