MSc in Accounting & Finance
Course Overview
The MSc in Accounting & Finance at the London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a one-year (or two-year part-time) postgraduate degree for graduates targeting senior analyst, audit and corporate-finance roles across the UK from 2026. The campus sits a short walk from the City, the syllabus maps onto ACCA, ICAEW and CIMA exemption pathways, and the programme is also delivered fully online with live seminars and via distance learning.
You will move from broad accounting theory into the working practice of corporate finance — valuing a UK-listed firm, modelling an LBO, auditing a set of accounts and writing a board-ready M&A note. The dissertation is supervised by faculty actively publishing in financial economics or auditing research.
Key Features
- ACCA, ICAEW and CIMA exemption mapping for graduates entering the UK professional pipeline.
- Three study modes — on-campus a short walk from the City, fully online with live seminars, or distance learning with structured deadlines.
- Bloomberg-style market-data lab with industry-standard valuation and modelling software.
- Live audit week shadowing a London mid-tier firm during interim audit season.
- Capstone valuation project — a full DCF and trading-comps valuation of a UK-listed business.
- Career clinics with City alumni working in audit, transaction services and asset management.
What You Will Learn
The MSc is built around three core territories — financial reporting, corporate finance and audit — assessed through case work, modelling tests and a 15,000-word dissertation. You will graduate able to build a clean three-statement model, defend a valuation, read an FRS 102 set of accounts and write a board-ready audit committee paper.
- Advanced financial reporting under UK GAAP and IFRS.
- Corporate finance — capital structure, dividend policy and real options.
- Financial modelling and valuation — DCF, comparables and precedent transactions.
- Audit and assurance, including ISA-aligned working papers and audit risk.
- Management accounting and decision support — pricing, transfer pricing and KPI design.
- Financial econometrics and quantitative methods for finance.
- Financial regulation, the FCA framework and corporate governance.
- Dissertation — an original 15,000-word empirical or applied study.
Who This Course Is For
- Graduates of accounting, finance or economics targeting Big Four and mid-tier firms.
- Engineers, scientists and lawyers moving into corporate finance or treasury.
- Working professionals preparing for ACCA, ICAEW or CIMA exemption progression.
- International students seeking a UK-recognised finance Master's near the City.
Career Pathways
LSCT accounting and finance graduates enter audit, transaction services, asset management and corporate-finance teams across the City, the West End and the Companies House registered SME landscape. The MSc is mapped onto the ACCA, ICAEW and CIMA exemption pathways so professional qualification time is reduced.
- Audit Associate (Big Four / mid-tier)
- Financial Analyst
- Corporate Finance Analyst
- Management Accountant
- Treasury Analyst
- Investment Banking Analyst (post-internship)
The MSc in Accounting & Finance is also a recognised route into doctoral research in finance, accounting and auditing. Qualifications do not guarantee a graduate-scheme offer, but the modelling portfolio and dissertation are deliberately written in the format City recruiters score.
Industry Context
UK audit reform — the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority transition and the FRC's tightened internal-controls expectations — has pushed Big Four and mid-tier firms to recruit graduates already fluent in ISA-aligned working papers. At the same time, FCA Consumer Duty has expanded the analyst headcount across asset management. The MSc syllabus is sequenced against that twin demand, so the audit and corporate-finance pathways inside the degree feed directly into where UK firms are hiring.
Assessment Approach
Assessment is mixed. Quantitative modules use timed modelling tests (a three-statement model from scratch, a DCF defended against an analyst's comparable). Reporting and audit modules combine a written technical paper with a recorded board-paper presentation. The dissertation accounts for one third of the programme weight and is supervised by faculty publishing in financial economics or auditing journals.
Entry Requirements
- A UK 2:2 honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant quantitative subject.
- Applicants from non-cognate fields may apply with five years' senior professional experience in finance, accounting or related sectors.
- IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
- A personal statement, two references and a short numerical aptitude task.
Why Study at LSCT
The London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies so qualifications carry weight with employers. London puts Whitehall, the City, Silicon Roundabout, the Royal Courts of Justice, the West End and the NHS estate within a short tube ride of every classroom — and our students use that proximity in their projects, placements and graduate job hunts. Our finance students hold a weekly Friday valuation clinic at which they pitch a live UK-listed stock — the kind of pressured discussion graduate recruiters actually run.
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