Overview

The Master’s in Accounting and Finance is a taught, one year, full-time (or two-year, part-time) programme. The course is divided into three 15 week semesters. In the first two semesters, contact time averages about 15 hours a week for the first ten to twelve weeks, leaving the last three to five weeks for examinations. The third semester is given over to the Dissertation which involves ongoing contact time with your tutor as you prepare a substantial piece of work (up to 15,000 words) on an Accounting and Finance topic.

In the first two semesters, you will take core modules in Advanced Financial Accounting, International Finance Policy and Advanced Empirical Methods in Finance. In addition, there are three core modules specifically designed to introduce you tothe techniques of advanced research in the field: Principles of Research Design; Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis; and Advanced Quantitative Data Analysis Techniques. The Dissertation Module in the third semester is one third of the whole degree, and will be on an Accounting and Finance topic which you and your tutor agree. It will usually be chosen in relation to the area which you may wish to research later in your PhD.

The degree aims first to set a sound knowledge base in advanced aspects of Accounting and Finance, building on the knowledge and skills you bring from your first degree and, if you are already embarked on your career, your work experience so far. In addition to this core knowledge, we aim to provide you with a set of advanced skills in the design, execution and analysis of research projects in Accounting and Finance.

Fact File

At a Glance (N194s)

Careers

Qualification: MSc Econ in Accounting and International Finance

This degree will suit you...

• if your first degree is in Accounting, Finance, Economics or a related discipline;
• whether or not you already have some business experience – some of our students do, some don’t;
• if you are especially interested in a career in further research and a Doctoral degree;
• if you have the focus, aspiration and commitment to succeed.

Employability

The Aberystwyth Master’s in Accounting and Finance (Research Training) is designed to enhance your capability as a researcher, writer, and potential University teacher, in the field of Accounting and Finance. Successful completion of the degree will give you the ideal qualification to pursue that path, here with us in Aberystwyth or at another University anywhere in the world. However, the hugely enhanced knowledge, abilities and skills with which you will graduate will be applicable across many careers in Accounting and Finance. Prospective employers increasingly seek excellently educated staff qualified with higher degrees.

This degree offers an outstanding qualification for those just beginning a career in Accounting and Finance; but as well as those who are recent graduates, many of our students have come to what they feel are significant turning points in their careers. Whatever stage you are at, by completing the Aberystwyth Master’s in Accounting and Finance, you will have broadened your horizons, gaining knowledge, skills and business contacts which will enable you to consider further career moves and new opportunities in the medium and longer term. It is quite possible that your career will take an unexpected, more fulfilling or more lucrative direction because of what you learn in Aberystwyth - not just about Accounting and Finance, but about yourself, your competencies and your confidence.

Key Skills and Competencies

Leadership in Accounting and Finance Research
The need for a thorough understanding of accurate valuation, responsible reporting, and effective regulation, will be paramount as the global economy recovers. As a graduate of the Aberystwyth Master’s in Accounting and Finance, you will be highly qualified to work as a research professional in this vital area.

You will graduate with a sound initial training in the skills of Advanced Research, having learned how to execute, analyse and evaluate research according to a number of different methodologies. The Research Training Modules will equip you with a thorough understanding of the uses of the nature and use of qualitative data, including the use of focus groups, participant observation, semi-structured interviewing, archival and documentary analysis, content and discourse analysis, as well as a working knowledge of the now-essential IT tools of the trade, such as NVIVO software.

If you wish to take those skills directly on to a research degree, to work towards publication and higher-level teaching, you will be ideally qualified to do so. Whether you take that route or not, your Research skills will also equip you for many other roles in Research and Consultancy in the finance world. Businesses, as well as statutory and voluntary organisations of all sizes, need expert help in relation to Accounting and Finance, so that they can be assured of their standards of financial control, reporting and regulatory compliance.

Skills in Advanced Finance
As a graduate of this Master's in Accounting and Finance, you will also be equipped with an excellent range of advanced skills specific to the Finance field, including: asset pricing, the state preference framework and option pricing, the evidence base for rational and behavioural perspectives, current issues in financial markets and financial institutions, theories of financial intermediation, and capital adequacy and balance sheet management.

Contacts

For further information about the course or the Department, please contact the School of Management and Business

Tel: 01970 622523

Fax: 01970 622524

Email: miminfo@aber.ac.uk

School of Management and Business

Other important information:

• University Accommodation
• International Student Care
• Aberystwyth Student Life
• About Aberystwyth (external site)

Apply

You can apply online for this course using UKPASS.

Click this link to Apply on-line for MScEcon in Accounting and Finance

Make sure you understand what you will need to do in order to make a successul application by reading through the steps on this link.