BSc (Hons) Professional Accounting
BPP University College's Professional Accounting degree (N400) gives you an excellent grounding in accounting and business disciplines. Above all, we focus on both the academic theories and the practical real-life applications, preparing you for success in the UK or abroad.
Throughout your degree, you will be supported by experienced tutors and learning materials, to ensure you get the most from your studies.
Available to study full and part time from September 2012.
Programme Details
| Locations* | |||
| Birmingham, London, Manchester | |||
| Study Options | UCAS Code | Start date | Fees (per year) |
| 3 years; 2 years accelerated; part time | N400 (3 year) N401 (2 year) | September, January and May | 2012-13 from £5,000 2013-14 from £6,000 |
| Delivery Mode | Duration | School | Subject Area |
| Classroom, online | 2-6 years | BPP Business School | Accounting |
| Exemptions | Funding Available | Scholarships | Pathway |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| *Subject to demand. Please note programmes/modes may not run at all locations | |||
Key Information
- Studying full-time, you can speed up the time it takes to qualify as a professional accountant
- Maximum number of exemptions from ACCA professional exams
- Benefit from BPP Partner in Learning status with the ICAEW
- Multiple UK study locations
- Taught by experienced business and accounting professionals and academics
- Flexible payment options allow you to spread the cost
- Exemptions include CIMA, ACCA and ICAEW ACA professional qualifications
*from a UK landline.
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Your degree
BPP University College's BSc (Hons) Professional Accounting degree gives you a combination of technical and practical skills – preparing you for a rewarding and successful career. Taught by tutors with many years' experience, it makes extensive use of case studies, with seminars designed to replicate real-world scenarios.
More details about the programme can be found in the programme specification handbook.
Teaching for the real world
This degree is led by tutors and lecturers from both professional and academic backgrounds. Their experience gives you valuable insights into the different areas of business accounting.
We also have links with many professional accounting organisations – helping you to network and connect with practitioners and firms. Thanks to our Partner in Learning status with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), you'll be given access to a range of professional events, advice and materials to support your learning and kick-start your career.
Fast-track your career
To become a qualified accountant or begin a career in finance, there are a range of specific industry qualifications that you may wish to obtain. The BSc (Hons) Professional Accounting degree programme has been created with this in mind so, when you graduate, you'll already have completed some of the steps to achieving further certification.
Exemptions
Depending on your module choices you could apply for exemptions from several key assessments. With a BSc (Hons) Professional Accounting degree, you could gain exemptions for up to eight of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) or Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) ACA professional level qualifications – a big benefit for potential employers.
The ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) has recently granted BPP University College's BSc (Hons) Professional Accounting the maximum number of exemptions. Taking the degree could exempt you from papers F1 to F9, giving you a head start on your accountancy career.
Study Options
You can study full time on the traditional two-term per year basis and complete your degree in three years. Or you can accelerate your learning by studying three terms per year and complete you degree within two years.
Alternatively, if you wish to combine study with work or other commitments, you can choose to study on a part-time basis, with completion of your degree in four or more years.
Please note - If at any point during your programme you switch from full-time/part-time to mixed-mode or online study, you may no longer be eligible for government funding. Also if you change from a 2 year degree to a 3 year degree (or vice versa) or change the speed of your part-time study, you will be required to notify the Student Loan Company as changing modes or the speed at which you complete your studies will have fee or student funding implications.
Preparing you for industry
The BSc (Hons) Professional Accounting programme combines academic rigour with a practical focus. The BPP University College team is comprised of experienced accounting and business practitioners and academics, ideally positioned to put accounting and business in a practical context.
You'll have the opportunity to attend lectures and presentations given by a wide variety of potential employers – as well as network with practitioners at special events and career fairs.
This real-life emphasis means you graduate equipped with the practical skills and knowledge that make a difference – and give you the competitive edge in your career.
Specialist careers advice
BPP University College's specialist careers service offers you invaluable one-to-one support. From advice on applying for jobs and internships, to intensive coaching for interviews and guidance on research on potential employers; careers support is available from the moment you accept your place on the programme and up to a year after you graduate.
Virtual learning support
To help you get the best learning experience, we provide high-quality facilities and technology. BPP Univerisity College's Virtual Learning Environment – our student intranet – features a variety of resources and revision aids, including interactive modules, podcasts, videos and multiple-choice tests.
As with all our undergraduate programmes, we'll help you sharpen your competitive edge. We want you to graduate with the practical skills and knowledge necessary to build a successful career – in whatever area of finance you wish to enter.
Key Information Sets about this programme
Key Information Sets (KIS) are comparable sets of information about full or part time undergraduate courses and are designed to meet the information needs of prospective students. Find out more about KIS
Modules
The BSc (Hons) Professional Accounting degree is made up of 360 credits from the modules listed below.
You must complete all the compulsory modules, plus options totalling 150 credits.
Core modules allow you to focus on an application of core employability skills in a business context. In particular, you will develop the ability to:
- Undertake technical accounting training
- Analyse financial information
- Construct arguments on real business evidence
Please note that modules run subject to demand, therefore all modules may not run in all locations.
Stage 1 - Certificate in Higher Education (Professional Accounting)
‘Every failure to perform primary obligations is a breach of contract. The secondary obligation is to pay money by way of compensation’ are the famous words delivered in the judgement of Lord Diplock in Photo Productions v Securicor Transport. As such all persons and companies entering into legal relations will need to be aware of how these obligations will arise, how they are breached and the consequences of such breaches. Dealing in business will inevitably result in the need to enter into commercial relationships exposing the organisation to legal risks. To start with, is the business complying with relevant laws? In order to know this you’ll need to understand where this law has come from, and this may include the UK and European Parliaments, or perhaps a judicial principle that has developed from previously decided legal cases. Once the business starts to trade it will then be entering into contractual relationships with suppliers, customers, staff and other stakeholders. In these situations it is essential to know what does, and does not, constitute a valid legal contract, and then to understand your legal rights and remedies as a business, employer or a consumer.
It is important to appreciate however that legal liability extends beyond the parties you contract with. Since the infamous case of ‘the snail in the bottle’ in 1932 (Donoghue v Stevenson) the law of tort has allowed the victims of negligent acts or omissions to pursue the wrongdoers through the courts.
Stage 2 - Diploma in Higher Education (Professional Accounting)
The primary aim of Extra Credit Project is to develop your ability to work autonomously, conducting research and/or exhibiting other skills at a level appropriate for this stage of educational development. You will develop and submit a proposal arising out of a taught module (core or elective) or other areas that you may be involved in, then (once approved) undertake the Extra Credit Project, followed by submission of both evidence of your substantive work and a reflective learning report on that work.
If you are in employment when you take your degree, you can use this option to make your studies specifically relevant to your job.
Please note that an Extra Credit Project may be undertaken at any stage, provided that it is pitched at the appropriate level.
- Introduce you to the concept of a company as a separate legal person, and how this differs to trading through a partnership
- Give an overview of the administrative processes involved in running a company, including the duties of the directors and how their powers are controlled by the civil and criminal law, as well as the combined code on corporate governance
- Provide an introduction to the law of equity and how this operates through trusts
- Critically analyse the effectiveness of corporate governance in regulating executive management
- Further develop research skills allowing you to formulate conclusions and provide reasoned legal advice
- Demonstrate problem solving skills within a team
- Develop wider synthesis skills using a range of information sources to further your understanding of legal concepts
- Develop presentation skills using a range of written and electronic media to present legal argument to a range of different stakeholders
Stage 3 - BSc (Hons) Professional Accounting
This module aims to:
- Develop a comprehensive and critical understanding of the concept of strategic management accounting
- Develop the professional judgement necessary to apply appropriate performance management techniques
- Develop the ability to use market data to develop effective financial decisions (e.g. pricing)
- Enable understanding of the limitations of any analysis performed and the possible solutions to those limitations
- Develop communication skills to present information to different users of management information
The Assurance for Stakeholders module aims to:
- increase your awareness of the terms ‘audit’ and ‘assurance’ and how they are used in society
- inform you of the assurance provider’s rights and responsibilities under various legal, ethical, regulatory and best practice frameworks
- explain to you how an audit is obtained, managed, planned and delivered
- develop the professional judgement necessary to conclude the audit process and communicate its outcomes to various parties
- enhance your skills by illustrating the various techniques used during the audit, through analysis of internal controls and other elements of financial statements
- expand your awareness of the impact that the auditor can have on an entity’s corporate governance
- enable you to consider the future of both audit and assurance and where they could be going in the 21st century
Entry requirements
We use the UCAS Tariff to set our minimum entry requirements. General UCAS entry requirements for the full time programme are a minimum Grade C in English Language and Maths GCSE; and 260 UCAS tariff points or 3 A-Levels minimum BCC for the 3 year programme; or 300 UCAS tariff points or 3 A-Levels minimum BBB for the 2 year accelerated programme.
Applying for the BSc Professional Accounting programme
- For full-time two or three-year degrees you apply via UCAS
- Part-time applications should be made using this application form
International students
BPP University College welcomes students from all over the world. Applications for full-time undergraduate programmes are via UCAS.
For details of which international qualifications are accepted for this programme, please see the BPP University College country-specific entry requirements.
If you're an international student, and English is not your first language, you will need to have an IELTS level 6.5 score (or equivalent) to apply for both 2 and 3 year degrees in addition to the requirements outlined above. Students with an overall IELTS of 6.0 (or equivalent) can apply for 3 year degrees but will be required to undertake a compulsory, additional, in-sessional Academic English course during the first term of their studies.
Your experience
At BPP University College, your studies are just part of your student experience.
Being highly career-focused and concentrating on practical application as well as academic theories, we want your time at BPP University College to be a great all-round experience.
There are many student-led activities and societies for you to choose from and lots going on off-campus. So as well as giving you the practical and academic knowledge you need to get ahead, we'll help you build the social skills you'll need to thrive in work – and life.
At BPP University College we give you all the skills and advice you need to get ahead. As part of helping you get the best possible start to your working life, we provide a specialist Careers service.
BPP University College students are eligible for an NUS card.
BPP University College Students' Association
Founded in 2011 after a year of consultation with and design by students, the new BBP Students' Association is home to thousands of students across all ten BPP University College sites, and studying online.
Every student of BPP University College automatically becomes a member of the Students' Association when they start their programme.
The Association aims to put you – the student – at the heart of everything BPP University College does, giving you:
- an independent voice on student matters.
- information, support and guidance about your academic and personal life.
- academic, cultural, social and professional enrichment through the development of clubs, societies, events and initiatives.
- awareness and enhancement of your employability.
Study locations
You can choose to study our BSc Professional Accounting programme at the locations listed below. We offer part-time study – two evenings a week. We provide comfortable, high-quality classrooms and learning environments in the following learning centres:
Term and assessment dates
View the term and assessment dates.
Accommodation
Whether you're looking for long-term, short-term or temporary accommodation, we'll help you find the perfect place to stay while you study. We can offer information on halls of residence, student houses, flat-shares and hotels – as well as advice on any accommodation issues.
If you'd like to know more about mixing events, finding a housemate or discussion boards, or if you just need some general advice, please contact our Accommodation Officer:
- Tel: 0845 075 3506
- Fax: 020 7404 1389
- Email: accommodation@bpp.com
Fees from September 2012
- UK or EU students, three-year degree: £5,000 a year
- UK or EU students, two-year degree: £6,000 a year
- UK or EU students, six-year part time degree: £4,500 a year
- UK or EU students, four-year part time degree: £4,500 a year
- International students, three-year degree: £7,000 a year
- International students, two-year degree: £10,500 a year
Fees from September 2013
- UK or EU students, three-year degree: £6,000 a year
- UK or EU students, two-year degree: £6,000 a year
- UK or EU students, six-year part time degree: £3,000 a year
- UK or EU students, four-year part time degree: £4,500 a year
- International students, three-year degree: £7,500 a year
- International students, two-year degree: £11,250 a year
Funding, student loans and grants
All full time UK/EU students intending to study this programme at BPP University College are eligible to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan. These help cover tuition fees and living costs while you are studying. Part time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan for the first time from 2012/13. This means that if you opt to study with us on a face-to-face programme, you do not have to pay your tuition fees before or during your studies. Instead, you pay back your loan after you have completed your programme and are earning over £21,000 per year.
Please note - If at any point during your programme you switch from full-time/part-time to mixed-mode or online study, you may no longer be eligible for government funding. Also if you change from a 2 year degree to a 3 year degree (or vice versa) or change the speed of your part-time study, you will be required to notify the Student Loan Company as changing modes or the speed at which you complete your studies will have fee or student funding implications.
How you apply for student finance varies depending on where you live. You will find detailed information on the application process and the amount of funding you will be entitled to on the following sites:
- Student Finance Applications – England – Or for further information and guidance please visit the dedicated microsite
- Student Finance Applications – EU Countries
- Student Finance Advice – International (Non-EU Countries)
You can apply for funding online and it is recommended that you submit your application early to ensure that your money is with you by the time you commence your studies.
To help you with your fees, we also offer a number of instalment options.
View a list of 2012 Undergraduate Payment Plans.
For details, please contact the Student Finance Office: studentfinance@bpp.com
Scholarships
BPP welcomes and supports applications for student scholarships. With widening participation in the education sector, we now offer a number of scholarships for undergraduates.
For more information, please contact the Admissions Office:
- Tel: +44 (0) 845 077 5566
- Email: admissions@bpp.com
International students
Tel: +44 (0)207 430 7065
Email: internationaladmissions@bpp.com
