Accounting and Finance MSc

Course overview

Do you see yourself leading in accounting and finance? Maybe shaping business decisions or advising global companies? Our MSc in Accounting and Finance builds expert knowledge and practical experience, preparing you for a career in accounting, consulting, auditing, corporate governance or corporate finance.

This course helps you master key topics like financial and management accounting, corporate finance and analysing financial statements. With our optional modules, you’ll get to explore specific areas including international finance and financial statement analysis. You’ll also develop the digital and strategic leadership skills that today’s employers are looking for.

What sets this course apart:

• Specialist expertise – build core skills in accounting, analysis and corporate finance
• Real-world learning – option to engage with live consultancy projects and case studies
• Access to digital tools – work with specialist statistical software as well as Bloomberg Terminal for real-time data, analytics and market insights
• Flexible final project – choose between a dissertation and a business project. With the business project, you’ll be able to put theory into practice by collaborating in groups with an industry partner

With tailored careers support, many of our master’s students go on to secure roles with world-leading employers. Recent graduates have been hired by top companies such as EY, KPMG, PwC and BDO.

Course content

Across the autumn and spring semesters, you will take 120 credits of taught modules. Each module typically consists of 10 two to three hour sessions.

You will complete the remaining 60 credits with a 2,000-word proposal and 15,000-word dissertation. You will be allocated an appropriate dissertation supervisor who will oversee your progress.

Core modules

Semester one

Corporate Financial Strategy

The module covers: investment, capital structure and dividend decisions from a shareholder value perspective; capital market behaviour (background); mergers; real options.

Current Issues in Accounting

The module will cover lectures within each the following two areas: Current issues in financial accounting and reporting; Current issues in management accounting. Indicative topic areas include: Corporate governance and accountability; Current issues in auditing; Measurement issues; Current issues in taxation; Changing nature of management accounting; Contemporary management accounting techniques; Case study research in management accounting.

Research Methods for Accounting and Finance

The module aims to equip you with an understanding of econometric techniques relevant to accounting and finance. Examples of topics covered include statistical distribution theory, and analysing different data sets (time series, cross-sectional, and panel data) using multivariate regression.

Semester two

Financial Security Valuation

Equity, fixed income and derivative securities will be considered individually and portfolios. These will be presented as extensions of previously studied material as well as new topics.

Financial Statement Analysis

The module prepares you to analyse the financial performance of companies, to assess their prospects and to estimate their valuation. The module is structured primarily from the point of view of investors and analysts, rather than from a company perspective. The module teaches you both theoretical and practical understanding of the financial performance of companies, and how to apply it for valuation.

Summer

One of:

• Accounting and Finance Dissertation
• Business Project (Summer)* 60 credits

* Option of a Business Project subject to availability and a student selection process.

Optional modules

Choose four from:

• Advanced Issues in Financial Reporting
• Behavioural Economics and Decision Making
• Contemporary Issues in Finance
• Corporate Governance
• Financial Econometrics
• International Finance
• Management Accounting and Control

Learning and assessment

How you will learn

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Tutorials
• Workshops

In addition to lectures, some modules have lab sessions, some have workshops and some drop-in sessions. Each module is run with the aim of providing best learning experience for students and module objectives are achieved by devising the most appropriate delivery and assessment methods.

How you will be assessed

• Dissertation
• Essay
• Examinations

Modules are assessed by a combination of exams and coursework at the end of the relevant semester.

Entry requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements below apply to 2026 entry.

Undergraduate degree: 2:1 (or international equivalent) in accounting, auditing, financial management, or another subject with a substantial proportion of accounting study. Applicants must have a strong accounting background and in their final two years of study have achieved a 2:1 (60%) in a minimum of four modules covering advanced or specialist accounting theory.

IELTS: 6.5 (no less than 6.0 in each element)

English language requirements: As well as IELTS (listed above), we also accept other English language qualifications. This includes TOEFL iBT, Pearson PTE, GCSE, IB and O level English.

Visa restrictions: International students must have valid UK immigration permissions for any courses or study period where teaching takes place in the UK. Student route visas can be issued for eligible students studying full-time courses. The [Employer hidden] does not sponsor a student visa for students studying part-time courses.

Applying

Please note: this is a highly competitive course and there are a limited number of places available. The school reserves the right to close applications when capacity is reached – this may be ahead of the advertised application windows. Early applications are encouraged to avoid disappointment.

If you have not yet completed your undergraduate degree, please provide a list of modules to be studied in your final year.

How to apply

Where you will learn

Jubilee Campus

Jubilee Campus has eco-friendly buildings, alongside green spaces, wildlife and a lake.

This campus is home to our business, education and computer science schools, as well as a sports centre and student accommodation.

You can walk to University Park Campus in around 20 minutes or catch a free hopper bus. Nottingham city centre is 20 minutes away by public bus.

Fees

These fees are for full-time study. If you are studying part-time, you will be charged a proportion of this fee each year (subject to inflation).

Funding

Business School MSc scholarships

There are many ways to fund your postgraduate course, from scholarships to government loans.

We also offer a range of international masters scholarships for high-achieving international scholars who can put their Nottingham degree to great use in their careers.

Postgraduate funding

Careers

Graduate destinations

Career destinations for our postgraduates include:

• accountants
• finance and investment analysts and advisers
• marketing associate professionals
• human resources managers
• management consultants
• business analysts
• business development managers
• financial managers
• data analysts

Some MSc graduates have gone on to doctoral studies, others have become entrepreneurs. Our Ingenuity Lab has supported a number of our MSc graduates in starting their own company.

Career progression

The average starting salary for postgraduates in the Nottingham University Business School was £38,931.*

* HESA Graduate Outcomes 2022/23.