(BSc) Bachelor of Science
Finance (Including Placement Year)
Current
University of Essex
University of Essex
Essex Business School
Colchester Campus
Honours Degree
Full-time
Accounting
BSC N304
08/06/2026
Details
Professional accreditation
Accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) for the purpose of exemptions from some professional examinations.
Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) for the purpose of exemption from some professional examinations through the Accredited degree accelerated route.
Admission criteria
- GCSE: Mathematics C/4.
Plus a level 3 qualification:
- 120 - 112 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of the equivalent of 2 full A-levels.
- IB: 30 - 29 points in the IB Diploma or 120 - 112 UCAS tariff points to include a minimum of 2 Higher Level subjects. Our Maths requirement can be met with either: 2 in Standard level Maths; 2 in Higher level Maths; or 4 in IB Middle Years Maths.
- We accept A-levels, AAQs, BTECs, Access to HE Diploma, T-levels and most other qualifications that hold UCAS tariff points. Acceptability of some non A-level qualifications (such as BTECs) may depend on the subject studied and units taken.
You can calculate your UCAS tariff points on the UCAS website.
Whilst International A-levels and BTECs aren't on the UCAS tariff calculator, we assign them the same tariff points as their UK counterparts.
More information about our requirements and how to apply is on our undergraduate application information page
Contextual Offers:
We are committed to ensuring that all students with the merit and potential to benefit from an Essex education are supported to do so. We make Contextual Offers, of up to two A-level grades (or equivalent) below our standard conditional offer, to applicants from underrepresented groups residing in the UK. Our Contextual Offers policy outlines the full eligibility criteria.
If you haven't got the grades you hoped for, have a non-traditional academic background, are a mature student, or have any questions about eligibility for your course, more information can be found on our undergraduate application information page.
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) code
English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English
IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component, or specified score in an equivalent test that we accept.
Details of English language requirements and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here
If we accept the English component of an international qualification it will be included in the academic levels listed above for the relevant countries.
Pre-sessional English courses
If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.
Additional Notes
If you’re an international student, but do not meet the academic requirements for direct admission to this degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the University of Essex International College
Course qualifiers
A course qualifier is a bracketed addition to your course title to denote a specialisation or pathway that you have achieved via the completion of specific modules during your course. The
specific module requirements for each qualifier title are noted below. Eligibility for any selected qualifier will be determined by the department and confirmed by the final year Board of
Examiners. If the required modules are not successfully completed, your course title will remain as described above without any bracketed addition. Selection of a course qualifier is
optional and student can register preferences or opt-out via Online Module Enrolment (eNROL).
- Sustainable Finance: To achieve the ‘Sustainable Finance’ qualifier for BSc Finance, students must undertake and pass the specified modules and also complete their research project in the specific subject area.
- Banking: To achieve the Banking qualifier for BSc Finance, students must undertake and pass the specified modules and also complete their research project in the specific subject area.
- Fintech & Big Data: To achieve the Fintech & Big Data qualifier for BSc Finance, students must undertake and pass the specified modules and also complete their research project in the specific subject area.
- Management: To achieve the ‘Management’ qualifier for BSc Finance, students must undertake and pass the specified modules and also complete their research project in the specific subject area.
- Applied Data Science: In order to be eligible for the qualifier, you must successfully complete the following modules: Year Two: BE311 - (15 credits) Corporate Finance BE313 - (15 credits) Portfolio Analysis BE314 - (15 credits) Financial Modelling Students must achieve 2:1 or above in one of the modules listed above and no result (from the list above) can be lower than a 2:2. Final Year: BE332 - (15 credits) Options and Futures BE333 - (15 credits) Empirical Finance (take as option in Accounting & Finance, Banking & Finance and Financial Management) BE631- (15 credits) Risk Management and Financial Institutions. Students must achieve 2:1 or above in two of the modules listed above and no result (from the list above) can be lower than a 2:2. Students must also have completed and pass one of the following modules (must utilise data gathering/retrieval, econometric estimation and analysis and a result of no lower than 2:2 must be achieved): BE936 – (15 credits) Accounting Project BE937 – (15 credits) Finance Research Project
Rules of assessment
Rules of assessment are the rules, principles and frameworks which the University uses to calculate your course progression and final results.
Additional notes
None
External examiners
External Examiners provide an independent overview of our courses, offering their expertise and help towards our continual improvement of course content, teaching, learning, and assessment.
External Examiners are normally academics from other higher education institutions, but may be from the industry, business or the profession as appropriate for the course.
They comment on how well courses align with national standards, and on how well the teaching, learning and assessment methods allow students to develop and demonstrate the relevant knowledge and skills needed to achieve their awards.
External Examiners who are responsible for awards are key members of Boards of Examiners. These boards make decisions about student progression within their course and about whether students can receive their final award.
Programme aims
To provide students with a broad foundation in finance relating to financial decision making of companies, institutional investors, and individuals while devoting specific attention to the nature and role of financial markets and with an opportunity to develop expertise in a chosen specialism.
To equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue careers in financial markets or corporate careers that involve financial decision making.
To encourage and facilitate critical, analytical thinking by students as a vital foundation for subsequent academic study, employment, professional and personal development, and participation in society.
To enable students to acquire the personal and key skills they need to develop as autonomous and reflective individuals with the capacity to continue learning.
Learning outcomes and learning, teaching and assessment methods
On successful completion of the programme a graduate should demonstrate knowledge and skills as follows:
A: Knowledge and understanding
A1: Fundamental accounting concepts and principles;
A2: The contexts in which accounting is situated, including the business entity, capital markets and the legal framework;
A3: Contemporary theories relating to portfolio analysis, asset allocation and the market efficiency debate;
A4: Contemporary theories relating to issues in corporate finance such as the role of dividend payments and the nature of external finance;
A5: The context, nature and processes of management and the core theoretical frameworks employed in attempts to explore and conceptualise the management process;
A6: The application of economic principles to individual decision making and to the performance of the economy;
A7: The essential consequences of monetary and fiscal policy for the performance of the economy;
Learning methods
Lectures and tutor-led seminars
Directed reading
Individual and group tasks
Assessment methods
Unseen written examinations
Assessed essays
Class tests
Pre-published class assignments
B: Intellectual and cognitive skills
B1: Bring together data from a variety of relevant sources in order to support an argument;
B2: Critically evaluate contemporary theories and empirical evidence, marshal evidence, develop an argument (in writing) and present ideas in a coherent and effective manner
B3: Manipulate and analyse numerical (including financial) data and appreciate the nature and limitations of basic statistical concepts.
Learning methods
Lectures and tutor-led seminars
Directed reading
Individual and group tasks
Assessment methods
Unseen written examinations
Assessed essays
Class tests
Pre-published class assignments
C: Practical skills
C1: Record and summarise transactions and other economic events.
C2: Analyse and evaluate financial statements.
C3: Undertake investment appraisal analysis using DCF and other techniques
C4: Ability to locate, extract and analyse data from multiple sources, including the acknowledgement and referencing of sources.
C5: Present data in an appropriate format.
Learning methods
Lectures and tutor-led seminars
Directed reading
Individual and group tasks
Assessment methods
Unseen written examinations
Assessed essays
Class tests
Pre-published class assignments
D: Key skills
D1: Present ideas and arguments in a coherent and effective manner.
D2: Use appropriate Information Technology to locate, acquire and analyse data.
D3: Manipulate and analyse numerical (including financial) data and appreciate the nature and limitations of basic statistical concepts.
D4: Identify and analyse problems and apply appropriate knowledge and skills to develop effective solutions
D5: Improving own Learning/Performance.
Learning methods
Lectures and tutor-led seminars
Directed reading
Individual and group tasks
Assessment methods
Unseen written examinations
Assessed essays Class tests
Pre-published class assignments