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Some pictures from in and around Moor Hall
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Course structure
|
 | Issues in Management Accounting
(EXEMPT) |
| Financial Management
(EXEMPT) |
| Information Systems for
Accountants (EXEMPT) |
| Corporate Financial
Reporting (Exempt) |
| Corporate Governance (EXEMPT) |
| Comparative Study of
Financial Systems in Developing Countries (EXEMPT) |
| Critical studies in
Taxation (EXEMPT) |
| Multinational
Operations in Finance and Banking (EXEMPT) |
| Strategic Management
(EXEMPT) |
| Accounting Research
Management and Methods (Compulsory) |
| Contemporary Issues in
Accounting Thought (Compulsory) |
| Dissertation -
Management Research Project (Compulsory) |
Notes
-
EXEMPT means holders of the recognised professional accounting
qualifications do not have to study these modules.
- The whole programme
could cost as much as £8750 - professionally qualified accountants will
pay less than half of this figure (+VAT)
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Master
of Science in Accounting
|
The MSc Accounting from the University of Glamorgan
provides accounting practitioners with the knowledge, skills and
competencies to perform more effectively at all levels within an
organisation. The MSc is a rigorous ten-module course which will normally
take part-time students 3 years to complete: however, it is now available,
via Management Development Centre Limited, to experienced accounting
professionals who are
holders of one of the industry-recognised preofessional qualifications, as a part-time, one
year course. In offering this, the University recognises the levels of
knowledge attained in the profession and the value of practical experience in
accounting and accounting management. Candidates can gain a major academic
qualification
whilst still in their jobs, as teaching takes place over two residential
weekends supplemented by tutor supported learning over the WWW.
Candidates will attend two taught residential
weekends, held at Moor Hall in Maidenhead or
Warbrook House near Basingstoke. Unlike
the professional qualifications, there are no examinations: each weekend module is
assessed by means of assignments in the region of 5,000 words: following
these, students are required to develop a formal Research Proposal,
tutor-supported and with much of the content delivered over the WWW. The
final stage of the MSc programme involves a detailed research project:
taking between 6 months and a year to complete, this is then written up as
a 20,000 word dissertation. |
Module
1 -
Accounting Research Management and Methods
|
Aims of the module
| To critically appraise the use and value of research in an
accounting and/or professional development context |
| To clarify the role of the accountant/professional as both a user
and generator of research output |
| To critically review and evaluate a range of research methodologies |
| To analyse the skills and knowledge appropriate for the conduct and
reporting of research in management and professional contexts |
| To enable students to become effective researchers by obtaining a
critical understanding of the uses and limitations of statistical
research techniques. |
Synopsis of module content
| What is research? |
| Research and the creation of knowledge |
| Scientific and non-scientific knowledge |
| Traditions of research in finance and accounting |
| Methods of research. |
| Preparing a literature review, research objectives, formulating the
research question, the use of hypotheses, data types, identifying
dependent, independent and confounding variables. |
| Some important principles of research: validity, reliability,
objectivity, replicability |
| Questionnaire design and data gathering (use of FAME) |
| Analysing numeric data using spreadsheets (Excel) and statistical
packages (SPSS). |
| Sampling methods - reconciling theory, resources and practice,
validity and reliability |
| Data cleansing |
| Exploring data. |
| Correlation and linear regression: visual estimation and goodness of
fit, the calculation and interpretation of correlation coefficients
(Spearman's and Pearson's), regression analysis. |
| Testing for statistical significance: calculation and critical
values |
| Analysis of variance: one-way anova, two-way anova. |
| Non parametric statistics |
| Exploratory factor analysis, data reduction and multiple regression. |
| Numbers - policy and politics |
| Use, misuse and abuse of statistics |
| Causality in data analysis |
| Reading, analysing and evaluating research statistics. |
Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able to: identify an
appropriate problem or topic for research, formulate a research question
relevant to the problem, identify and justify appropriate methods for the
conduct of the research and report the proposal in a professionally
recognised manner.
Students will also be able to apply systematically a range of
statistical data techniques, while appreciating their applicability and
their limitations. |
Module
2 - Contemporary issues
in Accounting Thought
|
Aims of the module
This module aims to provide students with a
critical perspective and appreciation of contemporary theories and
developments in accounting thought and practice. It seeks to
highlight the substantive issues currently being addressed by accounting
academics, thus enabling students critically to valuate a variety of
contributions to the development of the discipline. In addition to
exploring theories practice the module seeks to introduce the many and
varied methodologies used by contemporary researchers working at he
boundaries of the subject.
Synopsis of module content
It is in the nature of the subject that
prescriptive synopses will invariably do little justice to the themes that
will be the subject of discussion. It will draw on the research
activities of staff. An indicative list of contemporary and
developing issues topics may include the following:
| Corporate governance |
| Culture and accounting |
| Environmental reporting |
| Influence on and of accounting standard
setters |
| International reporting Islamic
accounting principles and western practice |
| Issues in accounting education |
| Issues in public sector financial
reporting |
| Measuring and reporting performance |
| Off balance sheet finance and company
reporting |
Learning outcomes
In order to complete the module
successfully, students are expected to be able to demonstrate the
following:
- An awareness of gaps between
academic study and professional practice in accounting, including an
appreciation of the boundaries of knowledge and the processes
of change
- The ability to evaluate, appraise
and critique new ideas, models and concepts, and to identify any biases
and assumptions inherent in these.
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The
Dissertation
|
The final stage of the MSc is the dissertation,
usually based around a problem or issue within the student’s own
organisation, which is to be submitted within twelve months of the date of
the second module. During this phase, students will work with a supervisor
towards the final product; this will consist of a dissertation in the
region of 20,000 words, which should demonstrate originality,
understanding and the use of appropriate methodology. Although many
dissertations involve exploratory research in fairly abstract areas, more
applied research sets out clear recommendations for action, adoption or
otherwise. |
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