Why choose the School of Accounting, Law and Sustainable Tourism
The course receives maximum exemption (nine papers) from the Association for Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT).
In the National Student Survey 2025, our accounting courses scored student satisfaction rates of 90% and over for teaching, academic support and learning resources; 100% of students were satisfied with freedom of expression on the course.
Our accounting and finance courses rank UK 3rd in their subject field for satisfaction with teaching (Guardian, 2026); they rank in the UK top 15 for student experience (Times, 2026).
About the course
This accredited course provides a direct route to a professional qualification in accounting, opening the way to a range of rewarding careers. It offers a comprehensive knowledge of the main ideas and principles of accounting and finance as well as the skills to apply your knowledge. Using the latest technology, you study business practice and the business environment in which accountants operate before proceeding to corporate law; data analysis; and the advanced study of management accounting, taxation and auditing.
Course accreditation
This course is accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA); Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT); The Association of International Accountants (AIA); and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).
Completing relevant accredited course units makes you eligible for exemptions in ACCA, AAT, AIA and CIMA examinations.
Facilities and specialist equipment
- New business analytics suite to support data analytics, 'big-data', data mining, SEO and other management skills needed in today's workplace
- Access to industry-standard applications and platforms to aid practical learning including Sage, Refinitiv Workspace and econometrics software STATA
- Access to digital learning platforms and knowledge tools
- A well-equipped trading room to enhance your financial skills
- Gain competencies in key digital skills such as Excel through SIMnet, our Microsoft Office training platform
Industry links
Our students benefit from our collaboration with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
Student experience
Completing relevant, accredited course units make you eligible for exemptions from:
- the first nine papers of the ACCA professional exams (the maximum ACCA
- exemptions available at undergraduate level)
- seven out of 15 of the CIMA exams
- AIA’s Professional level 1
- paper full exemption from AAT L4
Benefit from our connections with top finance and accounting firms, including Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG, PwC, and Deloitte, along with professional bodies like the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
With our state-of-the-art trading room, experience what it’s like to be on the trading-room floor, reacting to live ‘stock-market’ data and building investment portfolios using data on listed companies from around the world.
Learn from masterclasses from industry experts and guest speakers, benefitting from their experience and keeping at the leading edge in the accounting and finance field.
Enhance your student experience with field trips to major financial institutions such as the Bank of England as well as industry networking events.
Acquire transferable, professional skills in communication, problem-solving, teamwork and leadership.
Working with the University’s Research and Innovation Service (RIS), get involved in solving real-life problems for businesses, from start-ups to established corporations, through our business development packages.
Companies that have benefited from our business development packages include Vauxhall; Drax Technology; the Royal Air Force; Luton and Bedford Borough Councils; a range of small businesses and national charities.
with Professional Practice Year
This course has the option to be taken over four years which includes a year placement in industry. Undertaking a year in industry has many benefits. You gain practical experience and build your CV, as well as being a great opportunity to sample a profession and network with potential future employers.
There is no tuition fee for the placement year enabling you to gain an extra year of experience for free.
*Only available to UK/EU students.
with Foundation Year
A Degree with a Foundation Year gives you guaranteed entry to an Undergraduate course.
Whether you’re returning to learning and require additional help and support to up-skill, or if you didn’t quite meet the grades to pursue an Undergraduate course, our Degrees with Foundation Year provide a fantastic entry route for you to work towards a degree level qualification.
With our guidance and support you’ll get up to speed within one year, and will be ready to seamlessly progress on to undergraduate study at Bedfordshire.
The Foundation Year provides an opportunity to build up your academic writing skills and numeracy, and will also cover a range of subject specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree.
This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will need to successfully complete the Foundation Year to progress on to the first year of your bachelor’s degree.
Why study a degree with a Foundation Year?
- Broad-based yet enough depth to give you credible vocational skills
- Coverage of a variety of areas typically delivered by an expert in this area
- Gain an understanding of a subject before choosing which route you wish to specialise in
- Great introduction to further study, and guaranteed progression on to one of our Undergraduate degrees
The degrees offering a Foundation Year provide excellent preparation for your future studies.
During your Foundation Year you will get the opportunity to talk to tutors about your degree study and future career aspirations, and receive guidance on the most appropriate Undergraduate course to help you achieve this; providing you meet the entry requirements and pass the Foundation Year.
Studying on our Accounting BA course will provide you with the in-depth knowledge and skills you need around the fundamentals of accounting, economics and finance. Beginning with an Introduction to Economics and Finance, you will digest basic economic theories and policies underpinned by finance concepts and techniques. You will then get to apply this knowledge in our business-focused units, such as in an Introduction to Accounting and Business Technology using the latest technology alongside various analytical tools, you will engage in preparing, analysing and interpreting account statements within a business environment. Our Applied Numeracy for Business unit will give you the confidence to develop the mathematical and numerical skills used for decision making and problem solving for businesses. With our Data Analysis for Finance and Economics unit, you will also be guided to use statistical techniques and software to collect, summarise and analyse data that informs business processes and economic policy.
Similarly, you will also develop a thorough knowledge of national and international accounting standards and how they are applied to prepare financial statements in our Financial Reporting unit and understand how this process ties into existing laws. Specifically, Corporate and Business Law, that will expose you to possible legal issues that affect businesses and how to respond to them in the real world. In more advanced study, our Management Accounting unit will enable you to understand how accounting informs planning, decision making and performance control within an organisation. You will then have the opportunity to engage in academic research and/or a practical accounting project with our Specialist Project in Accounting unit. Our Financial Management equips you with the knowledge and skills required for financial and investment decision making based on long-term business objectives. Additionally, you will also develop knowledge and skills in the audit process in our Audit and Assurance unit. Here, you will learn to demonstrate evidence of compliance and maintain assurance of the integrity of financial processes. Finally, our unit in Taxation (UK) aims to introduce you to the UK tax system while discussing its impact on planning and decision making for individuals and organisations.
These units combined will help you develop personal skills and attributes essential towards your responsibility as a finance and/or tax professional. Additionally, the course also offers a Professional Practice Year where you will have the opportunity to undertake a career-related experience. To prepare you for this, we have specialised units - Beginning your Professional Business Journey and Professional Development and Employability - that aim to ease your transition into the workplace and provide an insight into professional business environments. Using real-life situations, you will work with faculty peers to practise a broad range of business skills such as communication, team collaboration and networking that will develop your professional practice.
The assessment strategy on this course is bounded to a large degree by PSRB requirements thus unseen tests and examinations dominate the types of assessment employed on the course. However their format and type vary from online objective tests to written multi-task examinations. Compulsory and objective questions will be used to encourage you to study across the breadth of the syllabus whereas the multi-task questions will assess your ability to simultaneously assimilate a wide range of information apply and justify your choice of several ideas and concepts to make informed decisions or recommendations.
Accounting is not only about numbers and the manipulation of numbers rather it is a systematic way of preparing reporting presenting and analysing financial data to inform business or investment decisions. You will develop a number of transferable skills including the ability to present your findings both verbally and in writing in a professional clear and concise manner. Written reports are designed in a way that promotes critical thinking as you move up the stages of the course; from knowledge comprehension and simple explanations in the early stages to application analysis appraisal and synthesis as you get closer to graduation.
In your final capstone (specialist project) unit you will be required to produce an individual and independent piece of work which will place demands on your academic judgement and integrity whilst being the most challenging but yet enjoyable and rewarding experience you will encounter.
Careers
You will be able to enjoy maximum exemptions from the ACCA leading to professional accountancy qualifications. As graduates you will be able to join commerce industry and financial and banking institutions.You will also be able to purse postgraduate studies in Accounting and other related fields and this in turn will ultimately lead to senior financial positions in a variety of organisational settings.
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,535 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See www.gov.uk/student-finance
Excellence Scholarships
Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*
» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**
» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available
* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.
International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,535 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See www.gov.uk/student-finance
Excellence Scholarships
Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*
» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**
» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available
* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.
International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
Virtual Tour
