
Opleiding: MSc Financial Management and Corporate Accountability
Learning purpose
In today's financial climate there is a vital need for professionals with expertise in financial risk management, corporate governance and accountability. There is also an increasing trend in the number of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practitioners in the industry. In response, the Financial Management and Corporate Accountability masters has been specifically designed to meet the growing demand for graduates in this exciting and developing field.
The Financial Management and Coprorate Accountibility masters is suitable for students from a range of non-accounting and non-finance backgrounds. The programme allows you to gain grounding in core subjects in the field of financial management. It is designed to provide you with the opportunity to develop competencies and technical skills in financial management. In particular you will develop and apply decision-making skills to complex situations.
Programme
You take four compulsory modules. In addition, you write a 15,000-word dissertation on an approved topic of your choice in the area of corporate accountability. You submit your dissertation in the September following completion of the taught programme.
Full-time students may attend three days a week, part-time students once or twice a week.
Your knowledge will be assessed through a combination of methods including group and individual coursework, unseen examinations, essay and report writing and case studies. You will also be required to produce a dissertation on a topic in the field of corporate accountability.
- Corporate Finance (30 Credits) - Compulsory
- This module aims to develop a rigorous theoretical grounding for corporate financial decision-making. The module examines the development of analytical frameworks of corporate finance together with a critical appreciation of the interaction between financial decision-making and capital market behaviour. The module requires a minimum level of algebra and mathematics although a proper understanding of these issues requires some investment in a few formula used.
- Corporate Governance and Corporate Accountability (30 Credits) - Compulsory
- This module examines evolution of corporate governance mechanisms from theoretical and practical view points. The governance mechanisms in a number of major countries together with their high profile cases of corporate failure are discussed. I n this module, traditional corporate governance theoretical framework is extended to address issues underlying corporate social responsibility. Some of these issues include the significance of corporate transparency and social audit in maintaining corporate accountability
- Dissertation (60 Credits) - Compulsory
- The module provides students with the opportunity to select their own specialised research topic in the area of financial management and work under the supervision of an academic member of staff. Students will be expected to apply relevant theoretical frameworks and research methodologies/methods whilst conducting their research. The module requires students to independently plan, organise, and coherently produce a limited but a well researched work. Dissertation students on the MSc Financial Management are required to choose a topic of their interest in the field of financial management. Students on MSc Financial Management with Corporate Accountability are required to choose a topic in the field of Corporate Accountability. Students will research their chosen topic and produce a detailed research proposal 2000-word document in Stage 1. The 2,000-word document should indicate that the student has carried out a literature search on his/her topic and has chosen a suitable methodological approach and will apply the appropriate research techniques. The whole project approximately 15,000-word document will be completed in Stage 2. The final dissertation should have the following characteristics: 1.A clear statement of the problem to be investigated Research questions/ Hypotheses, Research methodology/ methods and data sample/ sources 2.Literature review/ theoretical framework 3.Evidence of original data collection 4.In-depth analysis of the problem, including evidence, ideas of arguments from major published sources where available in the problem area, that is, demonstration of linking of data to the literature 5.A reasoned conclusion based upon the analysis , and where appropriate recommendations policy related and for further research .
- Financial Reporting (30 Credits) - Compulsory
- This module aims to provide an overview of financial reporting to enable students to understand and evaluate the role of published financial statements. It provides an insight as to how accounting systems affect, and are affected, by society and the environment. The module grounds the accounting work in conceptual, regulatory and governance context. On the applied side the module allows students to interpret financial statements using commonly used techniques.
- Strategic Management Accounting (30 Credits) - Compulsory
The unifying theme of this module is the role played by management accounting information in organisational control and decision making processes. In this module, different concepts in strategic management accounting together with emerging issues in a wide range of related topics will be discussed and critically analysed
Entry Requirements
We welcome applications from graduates with a good honours degree, or equivalent qualification, in an appropriate subject. We also consider candidates with other relevant qualifications and individuals with a minimum of three years' work experience. Those without formal qualifications need to demonstrate relevant work experience and the ability to study at postgraduate level.
English language requirements
You must have competence in English language and we normally require Grade C GCSE or an equivalent qualification. The most common English Language requirements for international students are IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL (paper based) 575 or TOEFL (internet based) 90 with specified minimum scores for each component.
Professional perspective and employment market
What can you do with an accounting and finance degree?
Our MSc Financial Management and Corporate Responsibilty graduates are highly attractive to employers because of their analytical and problem-solving skills and their ability to think logically and quantitatively.
Some of our graduates have gained lucrative graduate training contracts at prestigious companies and many are working for very well known and respected organisations.
Where do our graduates go?
Based on data from the respondents of the 2007 Destination of Leavers in Higher Education survey, six months after graduating
- 83% of Middlesex graduates were in employment
- 17% were assumed to be unemployed or doing something else

