Accountancy BSc (Hons)

Overview

If you're thinking about a future in accounting or roles in controllership, auditing, taxation, or financial consulting, the Brunel Accountancy BSc is a great place to start. This degree gives you the knowledge, practical skills, and real-world insights that reflect what’s happening in today’s accounting profession. You’ll build a strong foundation in financial management and control, preparing you for a wide range of career paths in both the private and public sectors.

This ACCA, CIMA, and ICAEW accredited degree gives you a solid foundation in the core areas of accounting, including financial analysis, financial management, management control, taxation, and auditing. You’ll also gain a clear understanding of the regulatory and social frameworks that shape these practices.

You’ll learn from experienced academics, many of whom are professionally qualified accountants or bring significant industry expertise into the classroom. This ensures your learning is both academically rigorous and practically relevant.

You’ll also benefit from hands-on insights through our well-established Student Experience programme, which runs annually across two key themes: Job market preparation, and Contemporary issues in accounting, finance, and economics. Our popular Finance and Accounting Uncovered events have recently featured professionals and industry experts from organisations such as PwC, KPMG, Grant Thornton, Goldman Sachs, Lloyds Banking Group, and the UK Civil Service.

Throughout the course, you’ll develop a comprehensive understanding of the conceptual, professional, and practical dimensions of accountancy - both nationally and globally. You’ll build the skills to analyse and solve complex accounting problems across a variety of business scenarios.

You’ll also gain a strong grasp of the financial drivers behind business leadership, strategy, planning, governance, and ethics. To prepare you for the modern workplace, you’ll be trained in industry-relevant accounting software and analytical tools widely used by financial institutions, including SAS, EViews, Bloomberg, Reuters, and STATA.

We offer two study options. You can choose three years full-time or four years full-time with a one-year professional placement between years two and three that will give you hands-on experience in a real-life working environment. You can tailor the final year of your course to specialise in an area of particular interest.

As this degree is accredited by the ACCA, CIMA and ICAEW, you'll receive exemptions from certain professional qualifying exams. This will allow you to speed up your path towards professional qualification, should you so choose to do after graduating from Brunel.

As a proud member of the University of London federation, Brunel offers you a degree that's respected and recognised both nationally and internationally, enhancing your academic profile and boosting your career prospects worldwide. As a Brunel student, you’ll gain access to Senate House Library - one of the UK’s premier academic libraries for the arts, humanities, and social sciences, along with a network of libraries across the University of London. These exceptional resources support your learning and research throughout your studies.

The theoretical and practical expertise you’ll gain from your Brunel Accountancy BSc will make you a ‘business ready’ graduate preferred by employers in the accounting profession, industry, and the public sector.

You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.

Course content

This course is designed to give you a comprehensive grounding in the skills, theories and professional practices of the accounting profession.

Brunel’s accounting degree consists of compulsory and optional modules. In the final year students can furthermore choose whether to write a dissertation or take additional modules instead. The optional dissertation project is a year-long project students write under close supervision by a dedicated academic supervisor in one-on-one meetings.

Year 1

Compulsory

Accountancy for Business
This module aims to develop knowledge and understanding of the role and functions of accountancy and audit in a business context, with particular emphasis on reporting and assurance of financial information.
Foundations of Economics
This module aims to provide students with a firm foundation in the principles of macroeconomics and microeconomics at the theoretical level. It also aims to demonstrate the application of theory to current issues in macroeconomics and microeconomics.
EC1602 - Mathematics for Economics and Finance
This module is designed to provide students of all academic backgrounds with strong mathematical foundations necessary for further study in Economics, Finance and Accountancy. Students will strengthen their understanding of basic algebra and differential calculus and the way they are applied in Economics, Finance and Accountancy.
EC1603 - Financial Markets
This module aims to give students an understanding of the roles and functions of financial markets and an awareness of the financial system, in order to provide a necessary basis for further study.
EC1605 - Statistics and Data Analysis
This module is designed to build numerical and data analysis skills which are in high demand in industry. It aims to provide an understanding of key statistical concepts and methods, such as descriptive statistics, probability theory, inference, testing and sampling. Students will have the chance to develop hands-on expertise with analysing data sets and utilising software tools to draw meaningful insights from real-world data.

Year 2

Compulsory

Management Accounting
This module aims to develop knowledge and skills in the application of management accounting techniques to quantitative and qualitative information for purposes of planning, decision-making, performance evaluation, and control.
Taxation
The module aims to enable students to examine the conceptual and computational principles of the UK taxation system as they affect businesses and individuals. Develop skills of using a computerised accounting system to execute and manage typical accounting processes of business organisations and acquire a critical understanding of the role that modern technology plays in making accounting procedures and practices more effective and efficient.
EC2AAA - Financial Accounting and Statement Analysis
This module aims to develop knowledge and skills in understanding and applying accounting standards and the theoretical framework in the preparation of financial statements of entities.
EC2609 - Company Law and Regulation
This module aims to explore the nature and scope of the general legal system in the UK and its major laws related to business and companies, to provide a critical understanding of the legal framework within which companies operate, to investigate legal obligations and the effects of the law on key factors in relation to company formation, day-to-day administration and failure, and to develop knowledge and analytical skills on evaluation of issues related to obligation of companies and their directors.

Optional

AF2CCC - Ethics and Accountancy Research Methods
The aim of the course is to provide students with the theoretical and practical skills needed to understand and analyse main characteristics of financial and accounting data. Develop an understanding of relevant knowledge and skills related to the exercise of professional judgement in carrying out the role of the accountant in the areas of governance, internal control, compliance and the management of risk in an organisation, within the context of an overall ethical framework.
EC2610 - Quantitative Methods
The aim of the course is to provide students with a review of statistical methods applied in economic analysis, the theoretical skills needed to understand and analyse data and the practical skills needed to construct and estimate relevant models. Students will learn about and practice techniques in performing and discussing data analysis. This modules is recommended for students who wish to write a dissertation in Economics.

Year 3

Compulsory

Audit and Assurance
This module aims to develop knowledge and understanding of the process of carrying out the assurance engagement and its application in the context of best practice and current developments.
Financial Management
This module aims to enable students to recommend relevant options for financing a business, recognise and manage financial risks and make appropriate investment decisions.
AF3DDD - Advanced Financial Reporting
This module aims to develop knowledge and skills in understanding and applying accounting standards and the theoretical framework in the preparation of financial statements of entities, including groups and how to analyse and interpret those financial statements.

Optional

Comparative and Contemporary Issues in Accountancy
The aim of this module is to develop awareness of various aspects of the international financial accounting environment, to provide an overview of the international differences in financial reporting, examines harmonisation and classification and assesses the obstacles to and progress of the adoption of international standards in major countries. The module also provides a critical understanding of theories and contemporary approaches to ethics, corporate social responsibility and governance and the challenges of sustainable development and responses to it.
Forensic Accounting
This module aims to develop students' critical understanding of the meaning and purpose of forensic accounting and the role of the expert witness. To facilitate a critical awareness of the nature and extent of financial dispute resolution. To enable students to apply techniques used in forensic accounting engagements, including the identification and quantification of admissible evidence and the quantification of damages.
Sustainability in Accounting
The module aims to develop knowledge and understanding of the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development, as they apply to the accountancy and auditing professions, and how they inform future accounting/auditing practice.
Public Sector Accounting
This module aims to develop an understanding of the basic principles of public sector accounting, appreciate differences and similarities between public and private sector accounting and enable students to appreciate the significance of accountability in the public sector.
Applied Research in Accountancy
The module is aimed to provide final-year undergraduates with the opportunity to provide evidence of their ability to independently pursue research in the area of accountancy chosen by them, with the assistance of, and the recommendation by, members of the Department. Students will be expected to develop their analytical ability and skills to conduct a general investigation into issues relating to accountancy.

This course can be studied undefined undefined, starting in undefined.

This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available.

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Careers and your future

Our aim is to teach you ‘employable knowledge’, which can be applied to real-world situations. giving you the skills you need to find the right role after you graduate. You’ll be well prepared for work, especially if you undertake a work placement. Securing an accounting degree job is highly competitive so we’ll support you to gain a strong foundation in the skills employers are looking for. We also offer opportunities within the Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting, as well as through the University’s Professional Development Centre (PDC) to help you build skills and experience.

Recent successful work placement opportunities have seen our candidates placed in ‘Big 4’ accounting firms in audit / consulting and reputed banks / financial services firms.

Our graduates are employed in many fields, with roles at NatWest (Financing Futures), PwC, EY, KPMG, the Treasury, and the Bank of England. Within industry, graduates are working at businesses like BP, Xerox and Marks and Spencer.

UK entry requirements

2026/7 entry

For Brunel Foundation of Economics and Maths with Integrated Foundation Year progression requirements, see the course page.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants as well as our full GCSE requirements and accepted equivalencies in place of GCSEs.

GCSEs

A minimum of five GCSEs are required including GCSE Mathematics (grade B/5), and either GCSE English Language (grade C/4) or GCSE English Literature (grade B/5).

A-level

Standard Offer: GCE A level ABB

Contextual Offer: GCE A level BBB