BSc

Accounting and Finance / Spanish

Accounting and Finance / Spanish Code NR44 Attend an Open Day Attend an Open Day

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You are viewing this course for September start 2024

The Accounting & Finance with Spanish degree is a major/minor programme, meaning that you will spend two-thirds of your time studying Accounting & Finance with the Aberystwyth Business School, and one-third studying Spanish in the Department of Modern Languages.

Accounting and Finance is concerned with the measurement and disclosure of financial information. As experts in a highly complex and regulated field, both within companies and as external professionals, accountants have a vital role in ensuring the accuracy of financial information given to private individuals, managers, investors, regulators, decision-makers and the public. A degree in Accounting and Finance from Aberystwyth University will enable you to develop the skills and expert judgement required for financial measurement and presentation together with an understanding of the legal framework regulating operational practice. 

Combining your studies with Spanish language will enhance your employability. This course accommodates beginners and advanced Spanish speakers, and involves spending a year abroad in Spain or other Spanish-speaking country in your third year to encourage and further develop your linguistic skills.

Course Overview

  • The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA)
  • CIMA - Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
  • The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales

Why study Accounting and Finance at Aberystwyth?

Our various Accounting and Finance programmes are accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA). This means that, on successful completion of your Accounting and Finance degree, you will be able to gain exemption from certain examinations and achieve professional qualifications at an earlier stage. Your accounting modules are complemented by linguistic and cultural modules including Spanish Civilization, Spanish Language and Language in Society.

The Aberystwyth Business School has an excellent reputation for the quality of its courses and for the success of its graduates across a wide variety of careers and contexts. We believe in a teaching model which requires active student involvement rather than passive information-gathering, ensuring that you can meet the demands of potential employers on graduation. The most recent figures for the National Student Survey show a high satisfaction rate with the course, so you can be sure that you will receive a very high-quality learning experience.

Teaching in the Aberystwyth Business School is underpinned by research. Our academic staff publish their work in leading academic journals and regularly act as consultants to a range of organisations. We have significant strengths in areas such as entrepreneurship, human resource management, international business and operations and supply chain management. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (2014) assessment the university was placed in the top 50 institutions for research power and intensity. It submitted 77% of eligible staff and 95% of the university's research was of an internationally recognised standard.

Our lecturers are actively engaged in academic and policy-oriented research and consulting. Many have a professional business, as well as an academic, background allowing us to inform you of the latest developments in your subject and pass on a practical awareness of the contemporary business environment. By applying their real-world knowledge to theoretical concepts, your learning experience is firmly located in the context of proper professional practice. Our programmes are supported by visiting speakers who also bring their professional experience to the classroom.

We have arrangements with many partner universities overseas to deliver short academic programmes (2 weeks) to small groups of management and business students (on a self-funding basis), to enable you to experience the impact of the cultural environment when conducting business abroad. We currently have partner universities in India, China, Russia, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil and our portfolio of countries is rapidly expanding.

Our Staff

Students at the Aberystwyth Business School are taught by lecturers and other teaching staff who are active researchers and expert practitioners in their chosen subject area.

Over 75% of full time members of teaching staff are qualified to PhD level. Most are currently research active, meaning that students benefit from being taught ‘new’ knowledge in their chosen field of study as well as recognized literature. The School also employs part-time and full time staff devoted purely to teaching. Many part-time staff combine teaching duties with consultancy and business activities, ensuring that students have access not only to up to date research but the latest applied knowledge.

All of the lecturers in the Department of Modern Languages are qualified to PhD level and are research active specialists in their chosen field. We also employ highly qualified and experienced language tutors, and native-speakers, who will ensure that your learning is of the highest possible quality and who will provide you with constant support through your years of study.

Modules September start - 2024

Please note: The modules listed below are those currently intended for delivery during the next academic year and may be subject to change. They are included here to give an indication of how the course is structured.

* Also available partially or entirely through the medium of Welsh

Careers

Career prospects

A degree in Accounting and Finance with Spanish will prepare you for a specialist career as a Chartered accountant, Chartered certified accountant, Chartered management accountant, Chartered public finance accountant or Accounting technician. Other career pathways include tax adviser, auditor, investment analyst, financial trader, retail banker, economist and actuary. Our languages training will assist you in work relating to lexicography, speech and language therapy, publishing, translating and teaching.

Transferable Skills

Studying for a degree in Accounting and Finance with Spanish will equip you with a range of transferable skills which are highly valued by employers. These include:

  • enhanced numerical skills
  • the ability to research, interpret and analyse business and financial data
  • the ability to express ideas and communicate information in a clear and structured manner, in both written and oral form
  • effective problem-solving
  • analytical and creative thinking skills
  • the ability to make decisions
  • the ability to work independently
  • time-management and organisational skills, including the ability to meet deadlines
  • self-motivation and self-reliance
  • team-working, with the ability to discuss concepts in groups, accommodating different ideas and reaching agreement
  • the ability to work in multi-lingual environments.

Year in Employment scheme (YES)

The University operates a Year in Employment Scheme (YES), which offers you a fantastic opportunity to take a year out between your second and third year to work in an organisation in the UK or overseas. YES provides a very rewarding and worthwhile experience, both personally and professionally, and can help you to stand out from the crowd in a very competitive job market. The University’s Career Service will help you to explore your options and secure a suitable work placement.

Teaching & Learning

What will I learn?

In the first year you will lay the foundations for your future studies through the three key areas of Financial Accounting, Management Accounting, and Financial Management. You will also be introduced to quantitative techniques and the use of specialist statistical computer software, and will become acquainted with the business environment. Your Spanish tuition will stimulate your academic interest in languages. By joining these two disciplines, this course will help you deepen your linguistic fluency and equip you with skills vital for work in the field.

In the second year you will build upon the key areas of management accounting and financial accounting, and will look in greater depth at investment analysis, portfolio selection and risk management. You will be able to select from a range of optional modules in Spanish enabling you to tailor your course to suit your preferences.

You will spend your third year in a Spanish speaking country honing your language competence.

In the third year you will further develop your competencies in management accounting and financial accounting, and will additionally focus on corporate finance. You will be able to specialise further in Spanish through a selection of elective modules.

How will I be taught?

Core material is delivered through lectures, and reinforced by small-group seminars and tutorials. These will help you to deepen your understanding of the subject matter and develop a range of essential, transferable skills. Group-working and delivering presentations will help you to improve your communication and leadership skills. All modules are backed up by electronic resources to help you study beyond the classroom, and a wealth of printed texts is available in the University library, and the National Library of Wales, which is situated next to the main campus.

You will be assessed bySpanish a variety of methods, including examinations, assessed essays, coursework, reports, projects and presentations. Coursework will develop your capacity to research, analyse and present data clearly and coherently, while seminars will help you hone your presentation and communication skills.

You will be assigned a personal tutor throughout your degree course, who will help you with any problems or queries, whether these are academic-related or personal issues. You should feel free to contact them at any time for help and advice.

You will also have the opportunity to complete a Personal Development Plan (PDP) at Aberystwyth. This is a structured process of self-appraisal, reflection, and planning, which will enable you to chart your personal, academic and professional development throughout your time at university. By recording your academic performance, and highlighting the skills you already have and those you will need for future employability, the PDP portfolio will equip you with the necessary tools to plan effectively, develop successful approaches to study, and consider your future career options and aspirations.

Typical Entry Requirements

UCAS Tariff 120 - 104

A Levels BBB-BCC to include B in Spanish (unless to be studied as a beginner)

GCSE requirements (minimum grade C/4):
English or Welsh and Mathematics

BTEC National Diploma:
DDM-DMM to include B in A level Spanish (unless to be studied as a beginner)

International Baccalaureate:
30-28 with 5 points in Spanish at Higher Level

European Baccalaureate:
75%-65% overall with 7 in Spanish

English Language Requirements:
See our Undergraduate English Language Requirements for this course. Pre-sessional English Programmes are also available for students who do not meet our English Language Requirements.

Country Specific Entry Requirements:
International students whose qualification is not listed on this page, can check our Country Specific Entry Requirements for further information.

The University welcomes undergraduate applications from students studying the Access to Higher Education Diploma or T-level qualifications, provided that relevant subject content and learning outcomes are met. We are not able to accept Access to Higher Education Diplomas or T-levels as a general qualification for every undergraduate degree course.
Our inclusive admissions policy values breadth as well as depth of study. Applicants are selected on their own individual merits and offers can vary. If you would like to check the eligibility of your qualifications before submitting an application, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for advice and guidance.

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