Accounting Brochure 2013

7/27/2019 Accounting Brochure 2013

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ABERDEEN BUSINESS SCHOOLUNDERGRADUATE COURSE GUIDE 2013



Accounting and Finance 2

What and when: course overview 8

…and course detail 10

How will I be taught? 14

Key facts 15

What next? 16



Choosing acourse isn’tstraightforward.

There’s lots of detail you need to know. Where will I study?What topics are covered?How will I be assessed?

You also want to gain a‘feel’ for things – directlyfrom some currentstudents and graduates. In this brochure we’vecombined hard facts about the degree with real views of students and graduates. Wehave also kept things short andclear, so you don’t get moreinformation than you need.

Our aim is to give you a quick,genuine and useful insight intoour courses. If there’s anythingmore you’d like to know, pleasedon’t hesitate to get in touch.



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skills y

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ACCOUNTINGAND FINANCEBA (Hons) UCAS N420



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Accountancy and Finance isa great career: challenging,rewarding and packed

with opportunities tosucceed, try new areasand work globally.

Giving you a head start in ithas always been our priority.That’s why we’re Top in the UKfor Graduate Employment(HESA, 2012). The BA (Hons)Accounting and Finance leads the way in providing practicalhands-on skills, together with

broader abilities – all of whichmake you an ideal employee.

There has long been a demandfor high-calibre graduateslike ours. With (on average) just 80 students a year, you’llbe joining an elite group.

The Times ranked ourAccounting and Financecourse as top in the UK forgraduate recruitment.

Iain AbernEthyLEARNING ANDDEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR,JOHNSTON CARMICHAEL

… currently has four RGUplacement students. “We’redelighted with the calibre.In return, they get goodexperience; are expected topick up information and takea degree of responsibility. Akey element is developingcommunication and teamworkskills – it’s where students seea big difference. They gain anappreciation of business, thedo’s and don’ts of meetings,writing skills… Our objectiveis that RGU students returnafter graduation and studyfor professional exams. Suchstudents tend to do very wellin their exams, then progresswell with their career.”




Helen CowieBA (HONS)ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE

“I spent my placementwith ConocoPhillips doingintercompany accounting.My placement was a greatopportunity to gain first handexperience and to apply andbuild on the knowledge gainedfrom 1st and 2nd year at RGU.The work environment wasespecially good and I was

never treated any differentlyas a placement student toother employees. I had the

opportunity to be involvedin teambuilding activitieswhereby I quickly got toknow my colleagues.

“After I graduate I am goingto do a 3 week Trek Americatrip travelling from NewYork to Los Angeles. Then inmid-August I will take up my

place on the Finance GraduateScheme with my placementcompany, ConocoPhillips.”

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Y0U’RE LEAR

NING

PROSPECTS:



Career options

Our graduates are highlysought after by employers.You’ll be well-preparedfor a career in areassuch as financial and

management accountancy, taxation, auditing andcorporate finance.

In the past few years, over half our graduates have gone on towork as a Trainee CharteredAccountant, and qualify withThe Institute of CharteredAccountants of Scotland (ICAS).

Many others work forcompanies in industry andstudy for qualifications withThe Association of CharteredCertified Accountants(ACCA) or Chartered

Institute of ManagementAccountants (CIMA).

The Honours degree is fullyaccredited with ICAS andgraduates are given excellentexam exemptions by ACCA,AIA, CIMA and ICAEW. Ourgraduates have had an excellentpass rate in these exams.

Job options

> CA Trainee> Financial Analyst> Tax Consultant> Treasury Accountant

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FOR

BUSINESS



PLACEMENTS:

ANOPPORTUNITYTO SHINE

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Who can I work for?

Your placement must be ineither a professional accountingfirm, or in the accounting orfinance department withinanother relevant employer.

We have a number of firms

who have offered placementsfor many years, and usedsuccessive placement studentsto fill a permanent postwithin their organisation.

Placements

Nothing beats realexperience. It brings yourstudies to life, tests yourunderstanding of topics,and helps you get an ideaof what you might like to do after graduating.

Plus it’s great to have onyour CV. In fact many of our graduates are offeredfull-time jobs by theirplacement employer.

Ours is the only accountingdegree at a Scottishuniversity with a year-long work placement.

How do I findmy placement?

Our Placement Office arrangesopportunities with a widerange of employers, who thenadvertise the position usingthe University’s internal ITsystem. You choose whichto apply for, and employersdecide who to interview andsubsequently employ.




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“It’s not just about studying inuniversity – going to lecturesand doing the research – it isabout applying this to real life.My main highlight was going onplacement and experiencing real

life work. I learned a lot abouthow the company operatedand I made a lot of connections.

Not many universities in theUK offer a placement yearand I believe it was one of themost important aspects of mydegree that allowed me to geta job offer immediately afterthe final exams. I have beenoffered a job as an Assistant

Business Analyst at CanadianNatural Resources and hopeto further my career there.”

Accounting and Finance

graduate, 2012

“There’s a good balancebetween coursework,exams and presentations.The well constructed

timetable allows you to planyour time effectively.”

What will I do?

Put your knowledge of accounting and financeinto practice, and develop

many new technical andinterpersonal skills.

At a firm of CharteredAccountants you’ll probablybe involved in preparingfinancial statements; audit;taxation and corporate finance.At a company, you might:prepare monthly financialstatements and budgets;compare actual vs budgeted

figures and prepare specialistreports for management.

How will I knowhow I’m doing?

The employer will assessyou, and you’ll be supportedby an academic member of staff who will make several

visits to monitor yourprogress during the year.

Can it help beyondmy degree?

Absolutely.

At the end of their placement,many students are offeredthe option to return to theemployer after graduation.

If your placement was in a

Chartered Accountancy firm,then the firm can also opt tocount the placement as part of the three years of CA training.This means you could qualifymuch earlier than graduatesfrom other Accountingand Finance degrees.

Some of ourplacement partners

CharteredAccountancy Firms

> Anderson Andersonand Brown

> Crowe Clark Whitehill(based in London)

> Deloitte> Ernst and Young> Hall Morrice> Johnson and Carmichael> KPMG> Meston Reid> PricewaterhouseCoopers

Companies

> BP> Deutsche Bank

(based in London)> GE Oil and Gas> Marathon> Shell> Simmons International> Talisman> Total



You develop generic skills:

writing reports, presenting

and working in a small team.

You’ll use these throughout

your course. They’re also skills

employers view as essential.Approximately 75% of our studentshave studied accountancy beforecoming to ABS. However, you don’tneed to have done so to enter at thisstage – and if you haven’t, we giveyou extra support if you require it.

The financial accounting moduleincludes the basic theoretical andpractical knowledge needed toprepare financial statements. Abook-keeping case study and theSAGE computer package allow youto record accounting transactions asthey would be in a real company.

Management skills are taughtin several modules in years 1and 2, this allows you to applyyour technical accounting andfinance knowledge in a generalmanagement context to prepare you

for working in the business world.

You study specialist

modules in financial and

management accounting

and business finance.

The two financial accounting

modules cover many of theinternational accounting andfinancial reporting standards,and preparing published financialstatements using these standards.During semester 1, we adviseyou on writing your CV andinterview techniques. Thishelps when applying for theyear 3 work placement.

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ACCOUNTING AND FINANCEBA (Hons) UCAS N420 WHAT & WHEN:

COURSE OVERVIEW…

YEAR 1YEAR 2



In year 3, almost all students

undertake a one year (minimum

48 weeks) work placement in an

accounting or finance position.

You could work in a professional

accounting firm, or the accountingdepartment of a company (includingone in financial services).

You also further develop youracademic knowledge by studyingtwo modules in auditing, usingdistance learning. Internationalstandards on auditing are taughtin these modules.

If you choose not to do a work

placement, or can’t get one,then you’ll study classroom-based modules instead.

In each semester, you study

compulsory modules in financial

and management accounting,

taxation, corporate finance

and corporate ethics.

The grade you achieve in eachmodule in this year determinesyour Honours classification.

Completed an HND in

Accounting at one of our

partner FE Colleges?

You can enter directly into year 3.Instead of doing a placement, you

study financial and managementaccounting, business finance,auditing, financial markets as wellas completing a literature projectwhich develops your researchand report writing skills.

After passing year 3 on this non-placement route, you can either:

> graduate with a BA Accountingand Finance degree

OR > go into year 4 to complete

the Honours degree

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YEAR 4YEAR 3 DEGREE LINK PROGRAMME



> Business Ethics > Financial Accounting

> Management Concepts

> Personal and Business Finance

> Business Law > Introductory Economics > Management Accounting > People Management

Certificate of HigherEducation Accounting

> Advanced Business Law > External Reporting > Financial Decision-making

> Quantitative Business Techniques

> Business Creation and Growth > Business Information Systems > Finance for Business Decisions > Management and

Cost Accounting

Diploma of Higher

Education Accounting

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ACCOUNTING AND FINANCEBA (Hons) UCAS N420 …& COURSE detail

Semester One Semester One

Semester Two Semester Two

If you left now, you’d have…


YEAR 1YEAR 2

Please note that the course

structure is reviewed each year

and may be subject to change.



> Corporate Financial Management > Financial Reporting Issues

and Applications

> Management AccountingDecision Making and Control > Personal and Business Taxation

> Corporate and Capital Taxes > Corporate Ethics > Financial Accounting for

Groups and Companies> Management Accounting

Issues and Applications

BA (Honours) Accounting

and Finance

> Placement > The Theory of Auditing

> Placement > The Practice of Auditing

> Corporate Governance > Economic Environment > Literature Project > Theory of Auditing

> Money and Financial Markets > New Business Project > Practice of Auditing

> External Reporting > Financial Decision-making > Literature Project > Theory of Auditing

> Finance for Business Decisions > Management and

Cost Accounting > Money and Financial Markets > Practice of Auditing

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BA Accounting and Finance

BA Accounting and Finance

Semester One

Semester One Semester One

Semester One

Semester Two

Semester Two

Semester Two Semester Two




Placement Route Direct Entry Route

Non-Placement Route

No exit award at this stage

YEAR 3 YEAR 4



G N O H , B H A Y

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THINGS ARELOOKING UP,

UP NORTH A great Scottish location and

brilliant career opportunities;

Robert Gordon University

gives you lots to smile about...

Consistently named “best

modern university in the UK”

by leading University Guides

and “top in the UK for graduateemployment” (HESA, 2012),

Robert Gordon University is the

ideal place to start your career.

What’s more, Aberdeen was

recently named the “sunniest

city in Scotland” (Bank of

Scotland Quality of Life

League, 2011). So it’s time to

get yourself up north, where

things will be good for you too!

Scotlandat its best.

Aye, that’s right!

Aberdeen is pretty unique in

the UK with its cosmopolitan

culture, rich heritage and

fantastic scenery. It’s got

everything you’d expect from

a major city – pubs, clubs,

restaurants, cinemas, theatres

and art galleries – but there’s

lots more than that!

Like the miles of beach

boulevard – loved by skaters

and surfers – and the wild

mountains right on the

doorstep: Aberdeen is home to

three superb ski and snow-

boarding slopes, plus some of

the best hillwalking in Scotland

and loads of great places for

canoeing, kayaking and sailing!

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In the classroom

You’ll study four modules persemester. Each module involvesaround three hours of class teachingper week. While this differs frommodule to module, most have

two hours of lectures deliveredto the whole class, plus a furtherone hour tutorial taught to a smallgroup of about 15 students.

Outside the classroom

In addition to lectures and tutorials,you have to spend approximatelyanother 24 hours (per week) outsideclass time working on your own.For example doing the prescribed

reading, preparing answers to thetutorial assignments or researchingand writing coursework reports.

Assessment

We use a mixture of assessments.Most modules are assessed by atwo hour exam at the end of thesemester, and by courseworksubmitted during the semester.

Other modules are assessed onlyby exam, or only by coursework.

All of the teaching staff onthe accounting modules areChartered Accountants, andmost completed their trainingin a Big 4 accounting firm.

The degree is taught in two

semesters. Each semester has a

block of 12 weeks of teaching.

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How w ill I be taug

ht?



Alternative qualifications

Equivalent overseas qualificationsand some access programmeswill be considered.

Degree link programme

Entry to year 3 of the course ispossible if you’ve completed anHND in Accounting at one of our partner FE Colleges. (If youenter via this route, you won’tundertake a placement in year 3.)

Study options

Full-time Honours: 4 years

Full-time unclassified: 3 years

(non-placement route)

Placement

A year’s paid placement inyear 3 (minimum 48 weeks).This placement experiencecan count towards an ICAStraining contract requirement.

Professional accreditation

The Honours degree is fullyaccredited by the Instituteof Chartered Accountants of Scotland and receives excellentexemptions from the Association of

Chartered Certified Accountants,the Association of InternationalAccountants, the CharteredInstitute of ManagementAccountants and the Instituteof Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. Studentswho enter the degree in year 3are considered on an individualbasis by the Professional Bodies.

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KEY FACTS



The next thing to

do is talk to us.

We can answer any questionsyou may have. Simply call uson 01224 262728 or email

UGOffi [email protected]

We also provide a range of opportunities for you to visit us– so you can see what we canoffer you first hand.

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This course guide is intended as a guide for applicants for courses delivered by Robert Gordon University.

In compiling it the University has taken every ca re to be as accurate as possible, and the information in this

course guide is correct at the time of going to print, but the course guide must be read as subject to changeat any time and without notice. The University underta kes to make every reasonable effort to provide the

teaching and academic facilities necessary for a pplicants’ programmes of study. However the University

reserves the right, if such action is considered to be necessary, to make variations to fees and/or to vary the

content or delivery method of any course at any time. In addition, the University may, at its sole discretion,

discontinue or amalgamate any course(s). In these rare cases the University will notify applicants a s soon

as possible and reasona ble steps will be taken to provide a suitable alternative to a discontinued course.

W HAT NEXT?



Open Day

We organise two annual open daysin October and November eachyear. It’s a perfect opportunity tovisit us, meet the academic staff,experience the first-class facilitiesand talk to current students.

For full details of dates and times,

and to see a full programme pleasesee www.rgu.ac.uk/openday.

Open Days

3 October 20123 November 2012

Applicants’ Days

2 March 201320 March 2013

Applicants’ Day

When you apply for any course atABS, you’ll be invited to one of ourcourse-specific Applicants’ Days.

We realise there’s a lot involvedin making your final choice, so wehope to give you all the insightand information you need.

For full details of dates and times,and to see a full programmeplease see www.rgu.ac.uk/absapplicantsday.

Visit Afternoons

We hold monthly Visit Afternoons.The visit includes a talk by anEducation Liaison Offi cer, a tourof the facilities and a chance tospeak to a lecturer about the

course you’re interested in.



b p ! |

b e b e

t t e r . c

o . u

k

Aberdeen Business School

Robert Gordon University

Garthdee Road

Aberdeen

AB10 7QE

Talk to us.

We can answer any questions

or queries you may have.

Simply call us on 01224 262728,

email UGOffi [email protected]

or visit us at rgu.ac.uk

Fiona Duncan

Course Leader

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 01224 263821

www.facebook.com/AberdeenBSchool

www.twitter.com/AberdeenBSchool

www.youtube.com/robertgordonuni

www.rgu.ac.uk/accountingandfinance

Documents

Accounting Brochure 2013