Undergraduate open days 2024
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Undergraduate Open DaysOverview
Top reasons to study with us
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7
7th for Accounting and Finance
The Guardian University Guide (2025)
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15
15th for Accounting and Finance
The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide (2024)
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QS 5 Star rating for Accounting and Finance
Introduction
BSc Finance can be a truly transformative degree. We have strong connections to industry and provide opportunities for internships in the City of London and Shanghai. This flexible course is designed to prepare you for a successful career in investment and finance through a perfect balance of academic theory and practical experience.
Course overview
You will learn the practical skills needed to be a future leader in this challenging and exciting arena, and over the course of your degree, you will have plenty of opportunities to tailor your studies as your interests evolve.
You will begin by learning the bedrock of finance theory and methodology and move on to study programming for financial applications, portfolio management, international financial markets, and advanced corporate finance.
Your first year includes Accounting and Finance, Quantitative Methods for Finance and Investment, plus Microeconomics and Macroeconomics.
Second-year students learn about Corporate Finance, Financial Engineering, Econometrics and Programming for Finance Applications.
In your final year, you choose all your modules, from Portfolio Management, Financial Markets, Bloomberg Analysis and Advanced Corporate Finance.
Throughout your studies, you will be led by academics at the frontier of financial research. Our researchers work on major European projects, including investigating how to apply artificial intelligence to banking, and on the art, precision and effectiveness of factor investing and hedge fund strategies. We have developed strong links with the Bank of England, top asset management companies, financial regulators and economists across the world. Our connections with Invesco allow us to deliver joint conferences and seminars, providing you with insights from both top academics and industry professionals.
Key facts
There is the opportunity to study Python, the programming language which is a key component of finance technology, and much of the degree content is relevant and desirable to Chartered Financial Analysts.
We will support you in finding internship opportunities in leading investment banks, asset management and insurance companies. We have established a highly-competitive internship exchange programme with Shanghai, open only to a small number of BSc Finance students and subject to international travel restrictions. This allows successful students to spend two months between their second and third years working with the Bank of Shanghai in a global financial hub.
Our Financial Services Careers Hub offers unique opportunities to access the world of finance and to prepare you for a successful career in a competitive industry. Finance Careers Coaches bring a wealth of financial services industry experience to the programme, for example, through delivering a third-year Financial Markets module, and supporting Lancaster students across the Financial Services industry. We work one-on-one with students, whether you are in your final year looking beyond your studies or in your first year applying for Investment Banking and Asset Management Spring Weeks.
As part of the course, there is the option to complete a period of study abroad, subject to availability. You can choose to study one module at one of our partner universities during the summer vacation period at the end of either your first or second year of studies. Alternatively, you can choose to spend one term in your third year studying abroad, learning selected modules in a new environment. Students have previously studied in the USA and Australia, among other countries.
Course outcomes
Our graduates leave as independent thinkers, problem solvers and skilled communicators. They have the hard skills that investment and financial firms are looking for and are incredibly well-prepared for interviews and entry assessments. Our graduates’ ability to analyse information quickly and precisely, respond to challenges, and work with others makes them highly attractive to employers.
Introducing your course
Find out what it's like to study Finance at Lancaster University Management School.
Three reasons to study with us
Finance is a flexible, academically rigorous programme of study that prepares you from day one for a fulfilling, challenging career. There is a lot to take in and we would love you to get in touch to find out more, but if you take away anything from your visit to our website today let it be these three things:
1. We are Career-focused. Students come into these degrees for their career outcomes. We know this and have built our programmes accordingly.
2. We are Transformative. The course prepares students for their careers in two key ways:
- You will develop excellent functional competencies and skills in all aspects of modern Finance,
- Our careers coaching, from which you will benefit throughout your degree, opens doors to fantastic careers.
3. We are Flexible. We know that students may want to focus on subject areas they didn’t even know existed when they came to the Management School. Our courses are flexible enough to allow for this.
Please contact our Admissions Tutor, Dr Sayjda Talib with any questions.
Careers
All our Accounting and Finance degrees prepare you for a wide variety of careers in business, with many of our graduates working with professional firms and financial institutions, as well as large commercial and local government organisations. Roles include trainee accountants, finance managers and banking advisors.
Your degree will also equip you with highly desirable transferable skills which have helped recent graduates find work in the fields of financial customer service, IT support and marketing and communications. Many of our graduates also continue their academic studies and embark on Master's degrees.
Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring you not only gain a highly reputable degree, you also graduate with the relevant life and work-based skills. We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which offers you the opportunity to complete key activities such as work experience, employability awareness, career development, campus community and social development. Visit our employability section for full details.
Lancaster University Management School has an award-winning careers team to provide a dedicated careers and placement service offering a range of innovative services for management school students. Our high reputation means we attract a wide range of leading global employers to campus offering you the opportunity to interact with graduate recruiters from day one of your degree.
Entry requirements
Grade requirements
A level AAB
GCSE Mathematics grade B or 6 (Applicants with a GCSE Maths grade 5 considered on a case-by-case basis), English Language grade C or 4
IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each component. For other English language qualifications we accept, please see our English language requirements web pages.
Other qualifications
International Baccalaureate 35 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects
BTEC Distinction, Distinction, Distinction
We welcome applications from students with a range of alternative UK and international qualifications, including combinations of qualifications. Further guidance on admission to the University, including other qualifications that we accept, frequently asked questions and information on applying, can be found on our general admissions web pages.
Contact Admissions Team + 44 (0) 1524 592028 or via ugadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk
International foundation programmes
Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.
Contextual admissions
Contextual admissions could help you gain a place at university if you have faced additional challenges during your education which might have impacted your results. Visit our contextual admissions page to find out about how this works and whether you could be eligible.
Course structure
Lancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and some which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism.
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
Core
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This full-year module is a self-contained introduction to Economics, and can be taken by students both with and without prior knowledge of the subject. It is divided into three parts. The first part provides a thorough introduction to Microeconomics (including the theory of demand, costs and pricing under various forms of market structure, and welfare economics). The second part provides a thorough introduction to Macroeconomics (including national income analysis, monetary theory, business cycles, inflation, unemployment, and the great macroeconomic debates).
The third part of the module, taught in parallel with the first two parts, first covers the key mathematical tools required for a good understanding of Economics (including linear and nonlinear equations, and differentiation), and then shows how the key Micro- and Macroeconomics ideas can help us understand the world around us. In this part, you will participate in economic experiments involving games with and without strategic behaviour. We will also discuss the lessons from the Great Depression and the Great Recession, speculative attacks and currency crises, inequality, democracy and growth, government deficits and inflation, and the macroeconomic implications of Brexit and Covid-19.
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the basic concepts and techniques of Accounting and Finance, which include financial accounting, managerial finance, and financial statement analysis.
An important element of this course is that it provides exposure to the business and financial environment within which the discipline of Accounting and Finance operates, using real-world financial data for actual companies.
The course covers concepts, techniques and interpretive skills that relate to the external financial reporting of companies and their relationship to the stock market, and to the use of accounting information for internal management purposes.
This non-credit-bearing module will allow you to identify your current skills level and begin to collect evidence of skills acquisition. It will cover a detailed analysis of the individual in terms of personality, skills, goals, interests and career ideas, and self-development. Skills development will be considered within an organisational context and will practically focus on teamwork, presentation and communication skills and self-reflection.
The key aim of this module is to equip you with essential mathematical and statistical skills relevant to the disciplines of accounting and finance. The module aims to prepare you for more quantitatively-focused subjects offered across the whole suite of Accounting and Finance undergraduate programmes.
This is a 40-credit module that spans across three semesters. In Michaelmas term, you will cover the topics in mathematics such as functions, differentiation, integration, matrix algebra. In Lent term, the module will introduce the basic statistics. You will learn some of the features of the financial data, the rules of probability and hypothesis testing. In Summer term, the module will introduce financial markets with some emphasis on risk, efficiency and operation.
Core
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The focus of this module is on developing more advanced employability skills for appropriately timed career needs including placements and earlier applications to graduate job schemes. This includes a focus on recruitment practices, engagement with targeted careers support and continued development of skills development within an organisational context
This module provides a detailed analysis of four key Finance paradigms:
- decision making under uncertainty, including utility theory,
- state preference theory and arbitrage pricing
- capital asset pricing and market equilibrium,
- option pricing.
This module provides an introduction to the theoretical concepts and applications of econometrics. Econometric techniques taught include bivariate regression, multiple regression, and two-stage least squares. The importance and relevance of statistical and diagnostic testing are emphasised in the context of econometrics applications.
You will also learn how to use STATA, a statistical package that is used by many academic, governmental, and non-governmental institutions to conduct research and consulting.
This module covers project evaluation methods, risk, return and the cost of capital (including the capital asset pricing model), corporate financing (including dividend policy and capital structure) and an introduction to options.
At the heart of many real management problems are data that needs to be described, analysed and interpreted. Statistical methods are important across the range of Management School subject areas (e.g. accounting and finance, marketing, economics, operations management and operational research). This module develops your ability to describe, analyse and interpret data soundly, making effective use of computer software.
Developing these skills will also help you demonstrate to prospective employers that you have practical skills that can immediately be put to good use to solve problems for organisations either in the public or private sector.
The lecture materials, and the problems you are asked to solve in workshops, reflect the problems that organisations have to solve in practical situations where data analysis skills are required.
Optional
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This module provides an overview of the design and main features of accounting information systems (AIS). It introduces methods used by business to meet the financial information needs of external parties and management and includes systems used for collecting, recording and storing transactions data, internal controls and effective design of AIS. It also provides an introduction to auditing, explaining why audit independence is a key factor in this profession. The module also examines some specific topics in auditing and relates these to the AIS syllabus, including materiality, going concern and the formulation of audit opinions.
Accounting often finds itself perched uneasily between, on the one hand, economics and, on the other, the law. Much of current accounting practice and many reporting standards require accounts to show the ‘economic substance’ of transactions rather than their ‘legal form’. However, every accountant needs to have some understanding of the law: if s/he doesn’t, their careers may be short!
This second year module (the first of two that, together, are intended to cover the basic accreditation requirements of the professional accountancy bodies) is intended to introduce the area of business law to students of Accounting and Finance. It covers topics such as the nature of the English legal system, the essential elements of contract law, the law of tort and the law of the sale and supply of goods and services
This module provides an introduction to the use of management accounting information for management purposes. This includes an examination of cost-volume profit analysis, the concepts of direct and indirect costs, and various costing methods. The importance of budgets to organisations and their impact on performance are also discussed.
This module examines some of the main features of financial reporting by UK companies, the associated regulatory requirements and the concepts that underlie the preparation of general-purpose financial reporting. The module employs a practical, applied approach in exploring several key International Financial Reporting Standards related to topics of current interest and concern, including revenue from contracts with customers and financial instruments.
Core
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The third component of a three part module taught throughout your studies and consists of a project utilising basic skills required by most employers, e.g. report writing, presentations, IT skills, etc. within the context of a topic related to the student's probably employment sector target, e.g. finance, auditing, accounting, etc..
Optional
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This course equips students with the knowledge to apply corporate finance theory to real-world situations. It builds on and extends the concepts covered in the basic financial management courses and introduces advanced topics in Corporate Finance. The major topics covered include capital budgeting, capital structure, corporate valuation, real options, equity financing for startups, IPOs, leasing, short term financing, merger and acquisitions, and corporate governance
The objective of this module is to offer a practical introduction to the workings of today’s financial markets and institutions built on a theoretical base. Moving beyond the descriptions and definitions provided by other textbooks and UK university courses in the field, this module encourages students to understand the connection between the theoretical concepts and their real-world applications.
Topics include foreign exchange, stock markets, bond markets, derivatives, central banks' monetary policy and financial crises. We also look at how trading in financial markets takes place. This module prepares students for successful careers in the financial services industry or successful interactions with financial institutions, whatever their future careers.
This module provides a foundation in banking by familiarising students with the basic business activities of banks, and illustrates the role of banks for the economy while retaining a bank-level rather than a macroeconomic perspective. It also highlights the role of regulation and supervision in the banking industry to differentiate banking from all other industries, and how crises reshape regulation in banking. The objective of this module is to introduce banking and what is special about it into the curriculum to equip students with a basic foundation to pursue careers in the banking industry.
This module provides knowledge that is important to those concerned with financial management in a multinational setting. Areas covered include the relationships between exchange rates, interest rates and inflation rates, forward, futures and options markets, and corporate exchange rate risk management.
The aim of this module is to equip students with the tools necessary to enable them to make the core investment management decisions that managers face on a daily basis as well as the knowledge as to where they can find the information necessary to apply those tools. This course is an introduction to investment analysis, with emphasis on the pricing of equity securities. This course covers fundamental concepts and key issues in asset pricing; modern portfolio theory and its applications; equilibrium theories of asset pricing; portfolio performance evaluation; mutual funds and hedge funds. It provides an entry point to advanced-level subjects and foundational knowledge on the valuation and arbitrage of investment assets.
The main purpose of this module is to give students a thorough grounding in the materials expected of a professional financial analyst and thus prepare students to take the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level 1 examination.
As such, it will introduce and review the theories, methods and professional standards relating to financial analysis; help students apply the knowledge and skills developed during this and other modules to the investment problems encountered by professional financial analysts; and prepare students to sit and pass the February CFA Level-1 exam administered by the CFA Institute.
This module is designed as an introduction to econometric and time series methods for the analysis and research of financial assets and capital markets relationships. The focus will be on the analysis of financial data and econometric methods for modelling of financial time series, risk management and forecasting. The key objectives are to i) explain how econometric methods can be used to learn about the behaviour of financial assets; ii) endow students with practical experience of analysing financial data useful for research and practical work in the quantitative finance industry using basic statistical software packages; and iii) endow students with the relevant quantitative skills for advanced studies in MSc programmes.
Fees and funding
Our annual tuition fee is set for a 12-month session, starting in the October of your year of study.
Our Undergraduate Tuition Fees for 2025/26 are:
| Home | International |
|---|---|
| £9,250 | £25,450 |
Additional fees and funding information accordion
There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
College fees
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small college membership fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.
For students starting in 2025, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses.
Computer equipment and internet access
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
Study abroad courses
In addition to travel and accommodation costs, while you are studying abroad, you will need to have a passport and, depending on the country, there may be other costs such as travel documents (e.g. VISA or work permit) and any tests and vaccines that are required at the time of travel. Some countries may require proof of funds.
Placement and industry year courses
In addition to possible commuting costs during your placement, you may need to buy clothing that is suitable for your workplace and you may have accommodation costs. Depending on the employer and your job, you may have other costs such as copies of personal documents required by your employer for example.
The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status.
Home fees are subject to annual review, and may be liable to rise each year in line with UK government policy. International fees (including EU) are reviewed annually and are not fixed for the duration of your studies. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
We will charge tuition fees to Home undergraduate students on full-year study abroad/work placements in line with the maximum amounts permitted by the Department for Education. The current maximum levels are:
- Students studying abroad for a year: 15% of the standard tuition fee
- Students taking a work placement for a year: 20% of the standard tuition fee
International students on full-year study abroad/work placements will be charged the same percentages as the standard International fee.
Please note that the maximum levels chargeable in future years may be subject to changes in Government policy.
Scholarships and bursaries
You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.
You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status:
Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.
| Scheme | Based on | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Based on {{item.eligibility_basis}} | Amount {{item.amount}} |
We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.
Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.
Programme scholarships
The Becketts Scholarship supports widening participation students from the Fylde Coast studying programmes in Accounting, Business Management, Economics and MORSE at LUMS.
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Study level: Undergraduate students studying Accounting, Business Management, Economics, and MORSE.
Fee status: Home students
Year of entry: 2024
Eligibility: Based on postcode, subject, widening participation status and application
Amount: £3,000 in the first year and then £1,000 a year for each subsequent year of on-campus study (Years, 1,2 and 4 for Industry or Study Abroad programmes).
Student insight
"I've been accepted onto a Summer Internship as a Finance Intern with Natwest. Lancaster University Management School has been incredibly helpful throughout. My careers coach was vital in enabling me to become as competitive a candidate as possible."
Max, BSc Economics and Finance student
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Rated 5 Stars for Accounting and Finance
Lancaster University has been awarded 5 Stars for Accounting and Finance by QS.
Overall, Lancaster is rated 5 Stars for Teaching, Employability, Global Engagement, Research, Facilities and Environmental Impact.
Lancaster University QS profile
=75th in the world for Accounting and Finance
Lancaster is ranked 13th in the UK and joint 75th in the world for Accounting and Finance according to the QS World Rankings by Subject 2024, one of 11 subjects at Lancaster to be featured in the top 100 in these prestigious listings.
QS Rankings by Subject 2024-
Accounting and Finance
- Accounting and Finance BSc Hons : N400
- Accounting and Finance (Industry) BSc Hons : N401
- Accounting and Management BSc Hons : NN24
- Accounting and Management (Industry) BSc Hons : NN25
- Accounting, Finance and Mathematics BSc Hons : NG41
- Accounting, Finance and Mathematics (Industry) BSc Hons : NG42
- Economics and Finance BSc Hons : NL31
- Economics and Finance (Industry) BSc Hons : NL32
- Finance (Industry) BSc Hons : N301
- Mathematics with Finance BSc Hons : GN13
- Mathematics with Finance (Placement Year) BSc Hons : GN1J
Alumni profiles
Link: click to see Yi Tao
Yi Tao
BSc Finance, 2018
I do think LUMS has a significantly positive effect on my life and my career, and I would definitely recommend LUMS for prospective applicants.
Important information
The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.
The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.
More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.
Our Students’ Charter
We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.
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Virtual tour
Take five minutes and let us show you what Lancaster has to offer, from our beautiful green campus to our colleges, teaching and sports facilities.
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Accommodation guide
Most first-year undergraduate students choose to live on campus, where you’ll find accommodation to suit different preferences and budgets.
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The city and beyond
Our historic city is student-friendly and home to a diverse and welcoming community. Beyond the city you'll find a stunning coastline and the picturesque Lake District.
