BSc Accounting and Finance with Professional Placement

2025 entry

Course summary

This four-year course offers a fully integrated degree that combines Accounting and Finance subjects. This course with a professional placement allows you to spend your third year gaining experience in the industry.

During your placement year, you will undertake a paid placement in an accounting role within a large organisation or an accountancy firm. Previously, students have secured roles at PwC, Grant Thornton, Hazlewoods, and Milsted Langdon.

Places on the course are allocated on merit depending on first-year examination results and an offer of employment for your placement from a qualifying employer. You can work towards your professional accreditation with ICAEW during your placement year.

On the whole, this course enables you to pursue a career in the accounting profession with the benefit of a year in the industry. The course provides you with access to subjects accredited by professional accountancy bodies or you may decide to pursue a career in finance or investment banking through our finance-oriented units.

You can also benefit from a range of specialist employability services from the Professional Liaison Network within the faculty.

Previous graduates have gone on to work for the Bank of England, JP Morgan, UBS, PwC, KPMG, EY, Deloitte, Microsoft, IBM and many other blue-chip organisations.

Accreditations

Our Accounting and Finance with Professional Placement BSc is approved by major professional bodies in the UK (ACCA, ICAS, CIMA, ICAEW, CIPFA) so as a graduate you can gain exemptions from a number of their examinations or credits for prior learning.

Course structure

In the first year, the focus is on strengthening your problem-solving skills. You will study the fundamental principles of the discipline through mandatory units that cover Accounting, Finance, Economics, Mathematics, and Statistics. You will be able to choose an optional unit in the second semester of the first year.

The second year builds on principles learnt in the first year while advancing your knowledge in Accounting and Finance subjects. It emphasises problem-solving and application skills. You will study Financial Accounting, Management Accounting, and Finance in more depth. You will be able to choose some optional units.

In your third year, you will undertake a paid placement in an accounting firm or within the accounting function of a large organisation.

The final year consolidates your learning from years one and two. You learn more advanced quantitative and qualitative skills.

You will have the opportunity to develop your critical skills and deepen your knowledge of complex issues in Accounting and Finance.

The final year offers greater flexibility and choice in the selection of options. You may choose to tailor the degree to your own interests by specialising in a particular area. You may also choose to keep your options open by selecting units across disciplines, such as management units. Examples of recent units include Management Accounting for Strategy, Advanced Financial Reporting, Auditing, Advanced Corporate Finance, and Financial Markets.

Full details about the course structure and units for this course can be viewed in the programme catalogue.

Go to programme catalogue

Entry requirements

We accept a wide variety of qualifications and welcome applications from students of all backgrounds. Below is a guide to the typical offers for this course.

The University of Bristol welcomes applications from international students, and we accept a wide range of qualifications for undergraduate and postgraduate study.

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This course is available by transfer only. View the BSc Accounting and Finance entry requirements information.
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