BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance
Course Leader: John Parker
j.parker@shu.ac.uk
Download your 2010 Welcome Booklet (PDF, 514KB)
This one semester course is part of the University's Summer School programme for successful TAR College students. The course is at final year honours degree level and is designed as a continuation of certain Advanced Diploma courses at TAR College.We have welcomed and graduated over 360 TAR College students from the Advanced Diplomas in Commerce since 1999 and from the Advanced Diploma in Business Studies (Accounting) since 2002.
Subject overview
The course has been designed to enhance and develop the professional, academic and personal skills that you will have gained on your Advanced Diploma course. The programme of study at TAR College, coupled with the semester at Sheffield Hallam, will give you a total study experience that is the equivalent of a UK Accounting honours degree.
Main features of the course
The study programme at Sheffield Hallam comprises three 20 credit point modules at final UK honours degree level. We have accredited the Advanced Diplomas at TAR College as being the equivalent of the first two years and half of the third/final year of our honours degree in Accounting. Please note that no additional professional exemptions will be available by completing the degree course, although it strongly emphasises the skills and knowledge required by accountants and the relevant professional bodies.
Career opportunities
Students graduating from the University are able to enter a wide range of employment, including professional practice, industry/commerce and the public sector. An honours degree from a UK university and an internationally recognised professional accounting qualification is a powerful combination to offer a prospective employer.
Entry requirements
The course is only available to students who have successfully completed the Advanced Diploma in Commerce (Financial Accounting - ACCA), Advanced Diploma in Commerce (Management Accounting - CIMA) or Advanced Diploma in Business Studies (Accounting) at TAR College's Kuala Lumpur campus since 1999.
Modules of study
All the modules mentioned below are equally weighted; students are required to take three modules with options as indicated below:
•
Professional Accounting Skills for Business Decisions
(core module for all entry routes)
This is a skills-based module that does not rely on lectures, tutorials or an examination. It is driven by a number of case studies that will give you the opportunity to look at real life business related problems. You will need to use a range of skills on this module, including the identification of problems and solutions from case study data, working in groups, making group presentations, negotiating solutions and preparing individual reports on case study problems. The presentations may be to academic staff or practitioners.
Most work is organised in randomly generated groups of 5 or 6 students, working with a small team of academic staff during the semester. After the presentations you will receive feedback; some of the presentations will be assessed towards the final mark for the module, others will allow you to rehearse presentations and receive a similar level of feedback.
The unusual nature of this module also allows unusual assessment. The final piece of assessed work is a "learning review" that will allow you to reflect on the learning experience of the module.
• Corporate Reporting (CR)
(core module for ADC (MA) students, option module for others)
This module is an advanced and academically-oriented study of financial accounting and current issues raised by external reporting in the current economic environment, including all the pressures for change and improvement in financial reporting. You will consider the need for and nature of these changes, including the impact on reporting of increasing globalisation and recent corporate scandals. The module also develops a critical understanding of the regulatory and theoretical frameworks that lie behind external reporting. Please note that this module will not involve the routine preparation of financial statements using UK, Malaysian or International Accounting Standards.
•
Strategic Management Accounting
(core module for ADC (FA) students, option module for others)
This module is an advanced and academic-based study of management accounting and business strategy. You will learn about current and developing management accounting and strategic management theories. Through the use of specific articles and case studies you will be able to reflect on, and develop opinions about, the nature of modern management accounting. For example, you will develop a critical understanding of how management accounting informs competitive strategies. There will not be many ''numbers'' involved and you will certainly not be preparing detailed management accounting reports although computation skills will be expected.
The module will be delivered through both lectures and seminars. Students will be encouraged to participate actively in seminars. The assessment for the module will be based on both coursework and examination. The coursework will have two components – a short essay debating a contemporary business strategy issue, and a group presentation on the relationship between the environment, strategy and management controls. The group presentation will be based on an actual organisation. The final examination will require students to understand topics covered during the module.
• Corporate Finance (CF)
(option module for all entry routes)
This module explores how developments in modern financial theory are applied to listed corporates. You will learn about current and developing corporate financing issues, both from the point of view of the provider of funds and from the point of view of the user of funds. Through the use of specific mini-case studies you will be able to reflect on, and develop opinions about, issues in corporate finance. For example, you will develop a critical understanding of how instruments such as convertible loan stocks are priced, and you will appreciate the benefits and drawbacks of such instruments from the corporate's point of view.
The module will be delivered through both lectures and seminars. Students will be encouraged to participate actively in seminars. The assessment for the module will be based on both coursework and examination. The coursework will consist of a group project which will apply the principles of corporate finance to a specific UK listed company. The final examination will require students to understand topics covered during the module, and will consist of a mix of numeric and non-numeric questions.
Assessment
FDM is a combination of group case studies (75%) and an individual piece of reflective writing (25%). CR, BSMA and CF are assessed by coursework (25%) and an end-of-semester three hour examination (75%).
You must achieve an overall mark of 40% to pass a unit.
Honours classification will be based on a 25 per cent weighting for results from level 5 units studied on the Advanced Diploma at TAR College and a 75 per cent weighting for the three modules studied at Sheffield Hallam.
Applications
If you would like to apply for this course, please follow the standard application process.
Contact
The day-to-day co-ordination of the course will be under the direction of John Parker.
