Welcome to our MSc Programme in Accounting and Financial Management at Keele Management School.

The MSc in Accounting and Financial Management enables students to develop their understanding of key principles in Accounting and Financial Management in a challenging and dynamic global environment.

The programme is chiefly suitable for students interested in a wide range of careers in accounting and/or financial management including global banking and in financial institutions, multinational firms and public organisations.  It will also provide a sound foundation for an academic career in Accounting and Financial Management.

The unique Keele MSc in Accounting and Financial Management delivers a rigorous examination of core accounting and financial management theories combined with a wide range of their practical applications globally.  Across the programme, students learn to work confidently with both numerical and qualitative accounting and financial management issues and case studies with access to professional data sources such as the Bloomberg Professional Services Platform and DataStream.

Please browse our webpages to find out more about the programme, teaching methods, and application procedure, and if you have further questions feel free to contact the course director, Dr Akrum Helfaya.

The MSc in Accounting and Financial Management is designed to provide a solid foundation to develop theoretical and technical skills in a number of subjects including contemporary areas such as multinational management accounting, corporate governance and sustainability, financial management, strategy and information management. 

The flexible programme structure is designed to encourage students to focus on particular areas of accounting and financial management whilst building a rigorous understanding of the international business environment.  Students will experience real world accounting and financial management problems, their efficient solutions and future challenges.

Successful students will gain:

• A systematic understanding of knowledge in accounting and financial management.
• A command of analytical theories and techniques, in the relevant areas of accounting and financial management
• Knowledge of the role and essential features of global accounting and financial management
• Increased confidence in the analysis, synthesis and evaluation of financial management decision-making problems and their solutions in dynamic and uncertain global financial markets
• Improved employability through enhanced professional and practical skills

All applicants must hold at least a good Second-Class Honours degree (2.1 or 2.2) or overseas equivalent in accounting and/or finance, economics or other business-related subject areas or in an alternative quantitative subject. Students who have appropriate professional qualifications or relevant work experience in other areas may also be considered. For example outstanding students (2.1 and above or overseas equivalent) with backgrounds outside of these areas may also be considered and are encouraged to contact the course director. The University uses a range of relevant selection criteria including academic qualifications, professional experience, evidence of likely commitment to academic study, and an estimate of a candidate’s future potential.

Students applying with a 2.1 and higher degree or overseas equivalent will be automatically considered for a scholarship subject to continual good performance throughout the year.

Anyone applying from a country where English is not the first language is required to take one of the internationally recognised English language tests such as Academic IELTS or equivalent English language qualification. The minimum entry is IELTS 6.5 or equivalent English language test scores with a minimum of 5.5 in each subtest.

Pre-Master’s programme for international students

International students who do not meet all direct entry requirements for this course have the opportunity to study a Pre-Master’s programme at the Keele University International Study Centre.

Upon successful completion of this course, students are able to progress onto this postgraduate course at Keele University.

If you need to raise your level of English before you start Keele ISC Pre-Master’s programme, you can first study English for Pre-master's (EPM), also taught at the International Study Centre. EPM is designed to develop your English language reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, so that you can meet the entry requirements for the Pre-master's programme.

The MSc programme will start in September and lasts 12 months.  During the first semester (September to January) students take the following four core modules:

Semester 1

• Accounting for Decision Making
• Globalisation and International Management
• International Corporate Governance and Sustainability
• Financial Markets
• Introduction to Research

In the second semester (January to May) students take the following two core modules:

Semester 2

• International Financial Reporting
• Contemporary Issues in Accounting

Plus one from the following two modules

• Multinational Accounting & Control
• Performance Management

Plus one from the following two modules:

• Research Methods
• Creativity and Business Development

Summer

Choice of either Dissertation or Applied Company Research Project

The Course Director is responsible for running the programme and will provide the main source of support for students.  The modules will be taught by delivery of two-hour lectures supplemented by hourly tutorial classes, and where appropriate by workshops.

Within Keele Management School, our postgraduate courses include both core and optional modules, so the students can tailor the content of his/her course to more closely fit his/her interests and aspirations.

Taught modules are usually assessed by a combination of unseen two hour examination and coursework which may include essays, assignments, mini projects and tests.  During the summer guidance is provided on the choice of dissertation topics and each student will be assigned a supervisor who will guide the student through to completion.

Apart from additional costs for text books, inter-library loans and potential overdue library fines, we do not anticipate any additional costs for this postgraduate course.

The Graduate Attributes Statement is designed to raise awareness of the attributes that will be developed whilst you are a student at Keele University.

It explains each of the attributes in detail, tips on how to achieve them and how they relate to your chosen programme of study.

The Graduate Attributes Statement for this course can be downloaded here.

ACCA

This programme is accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and offers a number of important exemptions from their professional exams. On successful completion of the MSc students will be eligible for exemptions on papers F1 to F4.

Click here for details about ACCA accreditation‌

CIMA

On successful completion of the MSc students can either present their certificate to CIMA in order to obtain five examination exemptions, CO1 to CO5, or they can choose to pay a fee (currently £410) and complete a computer based case study to obtain exemption from all twelve certificate, operational and managerial CIMA examinations.

Click here for details of the programme’s CIMA accreditation