Accounting and Finance (with professional placement)
UCAS Code: NN43
Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Typical offer AAA or A*AB in three A levels including A in Mathematics. If you are taking a GCE A level in a science subject, you will need to pass any separate science practical endorsement. A level - Alternative offer AAB Most of our students will join us with three A levels, but you may have study beyond this (such as a project qualification or additional study in maths) which demonstrates your individual talents that will help you with your degree. We recognise these studies through our alternative offers. AAB in three A levels including A in Mathematics plus one of: grade A in an EPQ grade B in the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate grade A in AS level Further Mathematics (except if you are studying an A Level in that subject) grade B in a fourth A level, where your four A levels include A level Further Mathematics If you receive an offer for this course and are studying one of these qualifications you will be given both the typical and alternative offer. If you are taking a GCE A level in a science subject, you will need to pass any separate science practical endorsement. Further information about alternative offers including a complete list of qualifications we consider can be found on our webpage Alternative offers for undergraduate applicants - https://www.bath.ac.uk/guides/alternative-offers-for-undergraduate-applicants/
Access to HE Diploma
Typical offer A pass in the Access to HE Diploma with at least 36 credits achieved at Distinction and 3 credits achieved at Merit or above including at least 12 credits achieved at Distinction from Mathematics units. As our Accounting and Finance course has a strong mathematical component, you will need to be studying Mathematics units worth at least 12 credits.
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
Typical offer D3, D3, D3 or D2, D3, M1 in three principal subjects including D3 in Mathematics. Alternative offer D3, D3, M1 Most of our students will join us with three principal subjects, but you may have study beyond this (such as a Global Perspectives course or additional study in maths) which demonstrates your individual talents that will help you with your degree. We recognise these studies through our alternative offers. D3, D3, M1 in three principal subjects including D3 in Mathematics plus one of: grade M1 in Cambridge Pre-U Global Perspectives grade A in an EPQ grade B in the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate grade M1 in a fourth principal subject, where your four principal subjects include Further Mathematics If you receive an offer for this course and are studying one of these qualifications you will be given both the typical and alternative offer. Further information about alternative offers including a complete list of qualifications we consider can be found on our webpage Alternative offers for undergraduate applicants - https://www.bath.ac.uk/guides/alternative-offers-for-undergraduate-applicants/
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Typical offer 36 points overall and 6, 6, 6 or 7, 6, 5 in three Higher Level subjects including 6 in either HL Mathematics. You may also be considered if you are taking Standard Level Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches alongside a highly numerate Higher Level subject (such as Physics). In this case the typical offer is 36 points overall with 6, 6, 5 in three Higher Level subjects and 7 in Standard Level Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches.
Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)
Typical offer D*DD plus A in A level Mathematics D*DD in the BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (QCF) plus A in A level Mathematics. You must be studying A level Mathematics alongside your BTEC qualification. We prefer BTEC qualifications in Business, but you can also be considered if you are studying qualifications in Engineering or Science. In this case we would expect you to demonstrate evidence of strong essay-based skills, such as strong GCSE performance in English and humanities subjects.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Typical offer DDD in the BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (RQF) plus A in A level Mathematics. You must be studying A level Mathematics alongside your BTEC qualification. We prefer BTEC qualifications in Business, but you can also be considered if you are studying qualifications in Engineering or Science. In this case we would expect you to demonstrate evidence of strong essay-based skills, such as strong GCSE performance in English and humanities subjects.
Scottish Advanced Higher
Typical offer AA in Advanced Highers AA in two Advanced Highers including Mathematics. We make offers based on Advanced Highers. You will typically be expected to have completed five Scottish Highers and your grades in these will be considered as part of your application. We prefer applicants who have achieved at least AAAAB in their Highers.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Gain a solid grounding in core management areas. You’ll develop the knowledge and skills needed to open career opportunities in accounting, finance and a range of other sectors.
Accounting and finance professionals are important to almost all functions of business. Learn to use your numerical abilities in a practical way.
Year 1
Your first year includes fundamentals in accounting, finance and economics. You will also develop your skills in topics like law, maths, statistics and computing.
Year 2
Build on Year 1 with more advanced core accounting and finance units. You’ll also study company law and choose from a range of options in business subjects.
Final year
In your final year, optional units will allow you to continue to specialise in accounting and finance and pursue interests in other business areas. You can also apply for our International Academic Exchange programme. You’ll gain international exposure by spending a semester studying abroad at a partner business school.
Professional Development Programme
Prepare for the career you want with our Professional Development Programme (PDP). PDP includes training and workshops to improve your skills in areas like:
writing CVs and applications
job interviews
aptitude tests
If your course includes a placement, PDP will help you find a relevant role and make the most of your time there.
For our three year (non-placement) course, PDP is only available in Year 1.
Study in an enriched learning environment
Alongside teaching, our academics carry out research in accounting, finance and law. This ensures that you’ll learn about the latest developments in these areas. You’ll be taught by experts in a range of subjects like finance, accounting, business, management and economics.
Building for the future
The University is investing in a new School of Management building, set to open in 2021. The latest technology will give you a flexible and modern learning environment. The design focuses on working together, with an open layout to enable effective teamwork. Our new building will encourage engagement with other students and academics. A dedicated Employment Hub will provide a space for you to meet and network with our industry partners.
Prepare for your future
90% of our Accounting and Finance (four-year) graduates are employed or studying within six months of finishing the course. 100% of those working are in a professional or managerial job. The average graduate salary six months after the course is £28,000 (Unistats, 2019).
Recent employers include Deloitte, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, KPMG, PwC and Royal Bank of Scotland.
Many of our graduates continue their studies and pursue academic or research careers.
The Uni
University of Bath
School of Management
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Finance
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Accounting
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Finance
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Over 2,000 students graduated with a degree in finance in 2015, and a sign of the strength of the finance industry, numbers are on the up. Over half of finance graduates go into the finance industry, with accountancy and financial advice roles particularly popular. It's also quite common for finance graduates to go into jobs which require you to take more training and gain professional qualifications — finance graduates who take further study are more likely to be studying accountancy than finance. About a third of graduates start their careers in London - but Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham are other popular locations for finance graduates to work.
Accounting
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
You don't have to be an accountant if you take this degree, but over half of graduates take a look at the rewards on offer for accountancy trainees and go into the job. Many others go into other parts of the finance industry as advisors or book-keepers, and some go into management or marketing. London is very popular for accountancy graduates going into their first job, but it's also quite common to work in Scotland, with Glasgow a perennial hotbed of Scottish accountancy recruitment. If you want to find a job in finance as an accountancy graduates, recruitment agencies were particularly important last year, so try to get in touch with one as soon as you can to improve your chances.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Business and management
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£28k
£39k
£51k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Explore these similar courses...






This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Course location and department:
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
Have a question about this info? Learn more here