Overview and entry requirements 

This BSc Accounting and Finance programme is ideal for students whose ambition is to pursue a career in accounting, finance, investments, auditing, taxation, and other finance-related strategic roles in business.

You will learn how to analyse financial statements, how to critically evaluate investment opportunities, how to design financial plans, and how to make strategic decisions in the areas of accounting, banking, finance and investments. 

Our teaching offers you exceptional insights into financial institutions and markets in London and other major cities in the world. In addition, we offer specialist knowledge of financial and management systems in the emerging markets of Africa, Asia and the Middle East – something that will set you apart from graduates of other universities that normally focus on the analysis of Europe and the Americas.

By joining this programme, you will become a member of the world-leading Centre for Global Finance at SOAS University of London and participate in high-profile events and weekly seminars. This will provide you the opportunity to exchange ideas with leading scholars, practitioners and policy makers who shape local and global developments today.

See School of Finance and Management
 

Why study BSc Accounting and Finance at SOAS

• 5th in UK for graduate employability (Guardian League Tables 2021) 
• we are ranked 2 in London and 11 in the UK for Business and Management by the Guardian University League Tables 2019
• we are the hub of bespoke professors in accounting and finance, who have extensive academic and practitioner experiences in banking, investments, industry, and A-list International Organisations
• this programme is accredited by ACCA and CIMA – giving you exceptions from relevant modules of the ACCA and CIMA professional exams upon successful completion of this degree.
• we have the Centre for Global Finance (CGF), a world-leading research centre in finance, which hosts cutting-edge research projects that involve students and a global network of experts in generating innovative solutions to real-time challenges

Obtain real-world skills, right here in London, the global financial hub

• you will be equipped with skills, competencies and capabilities to prepare you for professional tasks in key areas such as: financial accounting, management accounting, financial management, financial reporting, auditing, and taxation
• on successful completion of the BSc Accounting and Finance programme, students may apply for exemption from respective modules of ACCA and CIMA professional accounting qualifications, supported by testimonials provided by our leading professors
• SOAS is in close proximity to the City of London, the leading financial centre in the world, with 75% of the top global companies based in the city, 100% of leading financial institutions represented, and 200 + foreign banks

Benefit from language support and diverse optional modules

• we are proud of our specialists in the delivery of languages, well over one hundred years
• your command of a language at SOAS will give you competitive advantage in global job market
• you will be able to flexibly structure your programme using our programme optional modules and/or our open options modules from other departments

Explore

• Meet Jesper: the SOAS grad revolutionising the food industry
• Why world leaders have a global blindset when it comes to Covid-19

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September

Mode of Attendance: Full-time

Structure

Students take 120 credits each year.

The programme has been designed so that second and third year modules build on modules taken in first year. 

Programme Specification

• BSc Accounting and Finance Programme Specification (pdf; 600kb)

Important notice

Teaching & Learning

In the School of Finance and Management, the modules draw from real life business experience and cutting-edge research.

Contact hours

Most undergraduate modules have a one or two-hour lecture and a one-hour seminar every week. Lectures and seminars are often taken by different professors in order to provide a variety of angles on the subject.  The majority of the student’s time will be through their own independent study. Students become more active in class through their reading and essay-writing and should greatly enhance their participation in discussion groups.

The Independent Study Project (ISP)

The ISP is usually taken by final-year students only. Its aim is to provide an opportunity for students to conduct original historical research on their own initiative, to engage in in-depth analysis of particular subjects and to use a range of primary historical sources. It is assessed by a single 10,000-word dissertation (including notes but excluding bibliography).

Learning resources

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Employment 

Graduates from the School of Finance and Management leave SOAS with a coherent and solid knowledge of management and finance, with skills in statistics and computing, critical reasoning and analytical thinking.

Recent Finance and Management graduates have been hired by:

• Christian Aid
• Dagong Global
• Deloitte
• Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
• Elbus Group
• Financial Times
• FM Capital Partners
• HM Treasury
• Houlihan Lokey
• Huaxia Bank, China
• IDB (Islamic Development Bank)
• Investec
• J.P. Morgan Asset Management
• KPMG
• Lloyds Banking Group
• Santander
• UBS
• University of Oxford
• White & Case LLP
• World Food Programme

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