BE908-4-FY-CO:
Professional and Academic Development (Finance)
2026/27
Essex Business School
Colchester Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Thursday 08 October 2026
Friday 02 July 2027
15
16 April 2026
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BSC N390 Banking and Finance,
BSC N391 Banking and Finance (Including Foundation Year),
BSC N392 Banking and Finance (Including Placement Year),
BSC NH90 Banking and Finance (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N300 Finance,
BSC N301 Finance (Including Foundation Year),
BSC N302 Finance (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N304 Finance (Including Placement Year),
BSC N344 Finance and Management,
BSC N345 Finance and Management (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N346 Finance and Management (Including Placement Year),
BSC N347 Finance and Management (Including Foundation Year)
This module will provide our students with a foundation in our core academic skill requirements with the intention of improving the standard of work across all first-year modules.
The module will also enable students to begin focussing on employability skills and developing career awareness. In addition, the module links students’ individual goal setting consultations with their student advisors into a broader academic and employability context.
The aim of this module is:
- To deliver a range of study skills and introduce professional development at the start of Essex Business School students’ undergraduate programmes.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of study skills in relation to the requirements of a first-year undergraduate programme.
- Understand the graduate labour market and align their skill development to suitable career pathways.
- Use critical reflection for their professional and academic learning development.
Syllabus
Welcome week
Module overview: content, assessment & transition to university / setting expectations
Library Induction
Introduction to question analysis, essays and coursework
Critical reading: sources, selection and purpose; reading lists
Reading for assessments - working with texts
Notetaking and notemaking
Writing reflective essays critically
Referencing and plagiarism
Applying assessment criteria to coursework
Coursework Clinic
Graduate labour market
Graduate employability skills and self awareness
The value of work and how to apply
Networking and using social media
Guest speakers
Understanding and using feedback
This module will be delivered via:
- 19 one- and two-hour lectures that comprise of teaching, interactive activities, discussion and group work.
This module does not appear to have any essential texts. To see non - essential items, please refer to the module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Moodle Quiz |
|
0% |
| Coursework |
Reflective Essay |
|
100% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Hardy Thomas, email: hardt@essex.ac.uk.
Lorcan Whitehead & others
hardt@essex.ac.uk
Yes
No
No
Dr Hf Guo
University of Durham
Assistant Professor in Finance
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can
be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements,
industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist
of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules.
The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.