- Our top-up course is an excellent fast-track choice for international students and anyone with relevant qualifications such as a HND with accounting
- The qualification enables you to excel in a global business environment and opens doors to careers in areas including financial consultancy, business analysis and project management
- We cover key issues and practices in accounting, alongside wider business skills like commercial awareness, cultural understanding, leadership and management
- Your employability is our focus: how you study and what you learn is grounded in professional practice, helping you hit the ground running from day one in your career
- Exciting opportunities for live consultancy projects and fieldtrips will introduce you to the realities of the modern business world
- In our Financial Markets Lab, you will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and harness the same technology used by financial experts worldwide
Our BA (Hons) International Accounting (Top-up) equips you with the skills and knowledge you need to generate and or support new business opportunities and income for organisations worldwide. It has been introduced at a time of growing demand for high-calibre accounting professionals who can work in international settings.
The course is specially designed for students who already have a HND – or equivalent qualification from overseas – in a relevant subject like Business Management, Finance or Accounting. It enables international students to achieve a highly regarded UK honours degree within a year. It will also appeal to mature students with significant professional experience who could use the degree as a platform for promotion and improved career prospects.
We will give you in-depth technical knowledge of financial practices and processes, plus a thorough understanding of how they relate to the global business environment. You can also choose from optional modules, covering subjects such as international taxation and financial reporting, so that you can tailor your degree to match your professional interests, career ambitions and professional developments in your home country.
Hands-on learning
Thanks to our strategic partnerships with key employers, you could get involved in live projects and fieldtrips to translate theory into practice. A recent visit to Chatsworth House featured an informative talk by the Chief Executive of the Devonshire Trust and the Head of Visitor Experience for the Chatsworth Group. Such opportunities deepen your understanding of the wider business world.
To help broaden your international outlook further still, you could take part in optional overseas fieldtrips. On a trip to Copenhagen, our students visited the Louisiana Modern Art Museum to learn more about the problem of art fraud, bringing to life themes such as business ethics, forensic accounting, audit and assurance.
Expert teaching
Our accounting and finance teaching staff are all professionally qualified, with industry as well as academic experience. Because they have also taught on courses for professional bodies such as ACCA and CIMA, they can keep you up to date with latest standards and developments.
Our staff have recently edited an influential book entitled Contemporary Issues in Accounting – the Current Developments in Accounting Beyond the Numbers, exploring the challenges and opportunities which are likely to impact accounting professionals in the near future.
Further networking opportunities are arranged through our dynamic Accounting Society, established and run by students. They organise activities such as mentoring sessions, social and fundraising events.
Facilities and resources
You can make the most of our exciting Financial Markets Lab, a high-specification facility for you to access to support your learning across various modules and assessments on the course. You could even work towards the Bloomberg Market Concepts Certificate to add to your CV.
Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.
You will learn mainly through:
- formal lectures, seminars and tutorials
- case study analysis
- role play and discussions
- Financial Markets Lab sessions
- guest lectures by leading professionals
- visits to relevant organisations
Throughout your studies, you will develop a wide range of transferable skills which will support your progress in a graduate career. These include technical numeracy, digital competency, critical analysis, presentation and communication skills.
How you are assessed
We use a combination of assessment methods to match the different learning styles of our students. Types of assessment include:
- traditional essays and business reports
- case studies
- presentations
- group work
- computer-based assessments
Some modules may include both an exam route and a non-exam route to give you added flexibility.
Personal academic tutoring
Your personal academic tutor will work with you to help you get the most out of your time at university. Having someone to talk to about your academic progress, your university experience and your professional aspirations is hugely valuable. We want you to feel challenged in your studies, stretched but confident to achieve your academic and professional goals.
Find out more about personal academic tutoring
You need to have an HND or Foundation degree in a relevant subject.
You need at least five GCSEs (or equivalent) including Maths and English at grade 4/C or above.
When you apply, please send us a transcript of the modules you have already studied so that we can make sure that the HND or foundation degree is compatible with the top-up programme.
English language requirements
IELTS: 6.0 (with at least 5.5 in each skills area)
How to apply
Please look at our application deadlines before you apply.
The BA (Hons) International Accounting (Top-up) prepares you for finance and business careers in organisations that operate both in your home country and across borders. Your knowledge of accounting in a global context will give you the edge when applying for roles with multinational accountancy firms, merchant and investment banks, high street banks and building societies, insurance companies, management consultancies and public sector employers.
Our Careers and Employment Service will provide you with support from day one of your course to ensure you leave Derby as a ‘work-ready’ graduate – industry aware, motivated and enterprising. Throughout your studies, you will also benefit from our Personal Development Planning (PDP) scheme which enables you to reflect on your learning and develop your career ambitions.
The support continues once you have completed your course too: you are entitled to further help and guidance from the Careers and Employment Service for up to three years after leaving the University.
Further study
You can choose to continue your studies at Derby with the MSc Accounting and Finance or the MSc International Business. You may be entitled to an alumni discount on your fees if you decide to extend your time with us by progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate study.
If you need any more information from us, eg on courses, accommodation, applying, car parking, fees or funding, please contact us and we will do everything we can to help you.
Contact us Contact us Teaching hours
Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.
Additional costs and optional extras
We’re committed to providing you with an outstanding learning experience. Our expert teaching, excellent facilities and great employability prepare you for your future career. As part of our commitment to you we aim to keep any additional study costs to a minimum. However, there are occasions where students may incur some additional costs.
The information provided on this page is correct at the time of publication but course content, costs and other individual course details do change from time to time and are updated as often as possible, so please do check these pages again when making your final decision to apply for a course. Any updated course details will also be confirmed to you at application, enrolment and in your offer letter.
Included in your fees
- Opportunity to visit to an organisation related to a live brief.
Please note: Our courses are refreshed and updated on a regular basis. If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.
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