BSUB10
2010
LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY
Programme Specification
BSc (Hons) Accounting and Financial Management
Please Note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the
programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably expect to
achieve and demonstrate if full advantage is taken of the learning opportunities that are
provided.
The accuracy of the information in this document is reviewed by the University and may
be checked by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.
Awarding body/institution
Details of accreditation by professional
bodies
Name of the final awards
Programme title
UCAS code
Date at which the programme
specification was written or revised
1.
Loughborough University
The programme is accredited by some
accounting bodies1
BSc (Hons) and DPS
Accounting and Financial Management
NN34
July 2009
Aims of the Programme
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The programme aims to:
produce high quality graduates with the knowledge, skills and understanding for
an effective and valued career in the accounting and financial management
professions or more general management situations;
develop knowledge, concepts and skills in the major academic disciplines of
business and management, as well as accounting and financial management
subjects, as a sound basis for practice, study and training in the graduate’s
chosen profession;
enable students to develop a deep understanding in areas of particular interest by
pursuing them over an extended period and in considerable depth;
provide a relevant, practical and constantly updated programme through close
links with industry, professional firms and accounting bodies, through vocational
experience in a professional placement and through accreditation by the major
professional accounting bodies1;
provide students with the opportunity to see ways in which theory can be applied
in practice, both through taught content and through individual experience on
professional placement;
to develop teaching and learning in response to advances in scholarship and the
needs of the business community;
enhance the employability of our graduates;
to attract well-qualified students from a variety of educational backgrounds;
1
Exemptions from some professional accounting examinations may be available from: The Association of Chartered
Certified Accountants (ACCA); The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), The Chartered
Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
(ICAEW) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS).
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9. to encourage in our students hard work, enthusiasm and self-motivation, a
positive attitude to change, a desire for excellence, a visionary and positive
approach to future developments and an openness to new ideas.
The Business School at Loughborough University is distinctive amongst
'traditional' university business schools in incorporating a third year spent on
professional placement. This is an integral element of the programme and
something which we believe is of particular benefit in achieving these aims and
offers graduates of our Accounting and Financial Management additional and
valuable opportunities to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills.
2.
Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external and internal
reference points used to inform programme outcomes:






3.
Accounting Subject Benchmark Statement
The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications
Loughborough University Mission Statement
Loughborough University Teaching and Learning Strategy
Business School Mission Statement and Statement of General Aims for
Undergraduate Programmes
Requirements of the professional accounting bodies (See footnote 1).
Programme Outcomes
The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate
knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the areas
shown in the tables below. These intended learning outcomes are set in the
context of the QAA subject benchmark statement for Accounting and those
relating directly to this benchmark are marked (A) below.
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials,
seminars, workshops and practical IT sessions. Each student is assigned a
personal tutor who provides advice and guidance on academic progress and
study problems. Students are required to work both individually and in groups for
both study and assessment. A programme booklet is provided every year to each
student, which sets out general advice on study, key regulations on assessment,
programme regulations and module specifications for all modules available for
study. At the first session for each module, further information is provided in a
module outline. This details the specific arrangements for teaching and
assessment, the week by week lecture schedule and associated reading
guidance.
Students progress from descriptive understanding to critical evaluation and
synthesis as the programme develops. They are expected to take increasing
responsibility for their own learning as they progress through the course. This is
reflected in the nature of the modules and the fact that students have more
choice of optional modules in their final year, providing an opportunity to pursue
areas of particular interest in depth. Constructive criticism is provided to students
on coursework assignments and feedback on exam performance is given on
request to help students in their academic progress through the course.
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The specific learning outcomes for the programme are detailed below:
Knowledge and understanding
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to
demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
Foundational disciplines of management, including economics, business
mathematics and statistics;
Business organisations in their technological, economic, fiscal, legal and political
contexts;
The behaviour of people in organisations;
The processes of management and decision making;
Accounting and financial management in its major contexts, including the legal
and social environments, the business entity and capital markets (A) and the
integral nature of the accounting function in the successful management of
organisations;
Current technical language, developments, methods, practices and issues in
accounting and financial management;
Selected alternative techniques and practices in accounting and financial
management (A);
Methods of recording and summarising economic events and preparation of
financial statements (A);
Analytical tools for the effective financial management of business operations
(A);
Contemporary theories of accounting and financial management and their related
research evidence (A);
The development, management and exploitation of information systems and their
impact on organisations;
A range of contemporary issues in management.
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be
achieved and demonstrated:
Aspects 1 to 4 are acquired in Parts A and B, through a combination of lectures,
tutorials, examples classes, workshops, guided reading and private study. These
fundamentals are integral to the components of Part C. Opportunities for
advancement of in-depth knowledge and understanding of selected aspects also
exist in the choice of optional modules available to students.
The foundations for 5 to 11 are laid in Part A and continued in Part B through a
combination of lectures, tutorials, practical sessions, guided reading and private
study. They are taken to more advanced levels in Part C, using a combination of
lectures, seminars, guided reading, group work and private study.
Choices of optional subjects allow development of aspect 12 in Parts B and C.
Testing of the knowledge base is accomplished using a mixture of objective tests,
assessed tutorials, computer-based assignments, individual reports and essays,
group reports and presentations and unseen examination papers.
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Skills and other attributes
a. Subject specific cognitive skills:
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:
i) Analyse, model and solve structured and unstructured problems (A);
ii) Evaluate and assess alternatives in complex scenarios;
iii) Gather relevant data and evidence from various sources, integrate them
appropriately and reference sources adequately (A);
iv) Critically evaluate arguments and evidence (A);
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be
achieved and demonstrated:
Intellectual skills are developed throughout the teaching and learning programme
as outlined above and the Programme Structure shown below. In Part A, this
development would normally be expected to relate to the analysis and solution of
straightforward situations with a limited number of possible alternatives but
including a basic level of discernment as to appropriate data collection and
interpretation. This is further developed through Part B, whilst in Part C, students
are exposed to complex situations and ways of critically assessing evidence and
argument. A combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops, discussion
groups, guided reading and private study are used for these purposes.
Assessment of these skills occurs throughout the programme, through a mixture
of individual reports and essays, group work and unseen examinations.
b. Subject-specific practical skills:
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:
i) Record and summarise transactions and other economic events (A);
ii) Prepare financial statements (A);
iii) Use appropriate analytical tools for accounting and financial management tasks
(A);
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be
achieved and demonstrated:
Practical skills are developed through the teaching and learning programme
outlined above and the Programme Structure shown below. These practical skills
are acquired principally during Parts A and B and applied also in Part C. A
combination of lectures, tutorials, practical sessions and private study are used to
accomplish these.
Subject-specific practical skills are assessed using individual and group
coursework and unseen examinations.
c. Key/transferable skills:
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:
i) Organise themselves personally and independently to be a valued contributor
through time management, self-direction, self-motivation, tenacity and
proactiveness (B&M);
ii) Learn (A) and work independently;
iii) Work well in a team, using appropriate skills, including leadership, team-building
and project management (B&M);
iv) Interpret numerical information, reason numerically and apply appropriate
mathematical and statistical techniques (B&M);
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v) Use communication and information technology appropriately in acquiring,
analysing and communicating information (A);
vi) Communicate quantitative and qualitative information, analysis, argument and
conclusions in appropriate ways (A);
vii) Make oral and written presentations appropriate to the audience (A);
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be
achieved and demonstrated:
Transferable skills are developed throughout the teaching and learning
programme outlined above and the Programme Structure shown below.
The foundations of skills i) to iii), vi) and vii) are laid specifically in plenary
sessions and workshops in Part A. Skills iv) and v) are also introduced in Part A,
through lectures, tutorials and practical work. All these skills are cultivated
through Parts B and C of the programme.
Skills i) and vi) are important aspects of assessment in almost all elements of the
programme, whether by coursework or examination.
Whilst skill ii) is not formally assessed, it is a necessity in all individually produced
assessments.
Skill iii) is assessed through group coursework assignments.
Skill iv) is assessed throughout the programme by coursework and examination.
Skill v) is assessed both specifically and indirectly, primarily using coursework
assignments.
Skill vii) is assessed primarily by group coursework (oral) and by coursework
reports and written examinations.
4.
Programme Structure and requirements, levels, modules, credits and
awards
The programme is a four-year, full-time course of study, with the third year spent
on a professional placement. The programme is divided in to units of study called
modules, which may be rated as 10 (single) or 20 credits (double). Each Part of
the programme comprises 120 credits taken over one year of study, 60 credits in
Semester 1 and 60 credits in Semester 2. Each semester lasts 15 weeks, with 11
weeks of teaching followed by revision time and examinations.
In Part A (Year 1), students take 120 credits of core modules, of which 30 are
specifically accounting-related. The remainder provide the foundational subjects
of economics (20 credits) and business mathematics and statistics (30 credits),
and related contextual subjects such as law (10 credits), organisational behaviour
(10 credits) and information technology (10 credits). Part A also provides the
specific opportunity for students to understand and develop key transferable skills
(10 credits).
Part B (Year 2) further develops students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in
specialist and other core areas and provides the opportunity to choose optional
10 credit modules in other business-related areas.
Students spend their third year on a professional placement. This is an integral
part of the degree programme and on successful completion of the placement
and the programme, students will be awarded the Diploma in Professional
Studies in addition to their degree.
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Part C (Year 4) comprises of core modules in advanced accounting subjects and
optional subjects, which can be chosen from a wide range of accounting and
financial management and other business areas.
Full details can be found in the Programme Regulations at:
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/ar/lps/progreg/index.htm
5.
Criteria for admission to the programme
Typical admission requirements for this programme can be found at:
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/prospectus/ug/courses/dept/bs/index.htm
6.
Information about the programme assessment strategy:
Full information about our assessment strategy can be found in section 6 of our
comprehensive statement to supplement this programme specification which is
available on our web site at:
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/bs/ug/progspec-6to9.html
7.
What makes the Programme Distinctive
The Business School was awarded an ‘Excellent’ grade in its school wide Teaching
Quality Assessment. It has also been very highly rated for research in the recent
RAE, indicating international excellence in research.
The Business School values its undergraduate programmes very highly and
excellence in teaching and related support activities amongst its staff is actively
encouraged, highly rated and fully rewarded.
All Business School Undergraduate Programmes have very high graduate
employment levels.
8.
Particular support for learning
Information about the support offered by the Business School for this programme
and the general support offered by the University for all programmes can be
found in section 8 of our comprehensive statement to supplement this
programme specification which is available on our web site at:
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/bs/ug/progspec-6to9.html
9.
Methods for evaluating and improving the quality and standards of learning
The official University statement about improving quality for all programmes can
be found in section 9 of our comprehensive statement to supplement this
programme specification which is available on our web site at:
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/bs/ug/progspec-6to9.html
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