Business Accounting and Finance with Placement Year

• Access our Financial Markets Lab and gain hands-on experience using the same information and technology relied on by financial professionals all over the world
• Join a dynamic new generation of business and finance all-rounders, equipped for a wide range of business accounting and finance careers
• Combine skills in accounting and finance with knowledge of leadership, strategy and governance
• Build your problem-solving skills with projects for real organisations
• Work with experts who are shaping contemporary business and finance thinking
• After successful completion of this course, you’ll be eligible to apply for all 11 of the maximum exemptions offered by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants  (CIMA)

A high-performing business professional has to meet high expectations. Our new BA (Hons) Business Accounting and Finance gives you the versatility, flexibility and broad knowledge base to meet those expectations.

You’ll mix a strong grounding in financial and management accounting with business strategy and the capacity to lead an organisation. It’s a powerful combination marking you out for rapid advancement in any branch of contemporary business - anywhere in the world.              

Boost your employability with a placement year

You’ll have the opportunity to take a placement year to put the skills you’ve learned into practice in a real-world environment. We'll support you to find your placement and throughout your year in industry. Placements allow you to gain valuable experience to add to your CV, make industry contacts and help you to narrow down what kind of role you may be interested in after graduation. 

A professional perspective

You’ll be working towards professional accountancy qualifications with industry bodies like the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), one of the world’s largest accounting bodies, and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), as part of your BA (Hons) Business Accounting and Finance course.

After successful completion of this course, you’ll be eligible to apply for all 11 of the maximum exemptions offered by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). You will also gain many other exemptions from professional bodies ACCA and ICAEW.

During your undergraduate studies, you can register with CIMA, giving you access to a range of benefits whilst on your degree. This added support combined with your CIMA syllabus exemptions will all help fast track your career once you graduate.

You’ll also gain hands-on experience with the latest professional data and information services, including Bloomberg and specialist accounting software. You'll take a placement year between the second and third year of your degree to gain valuable industry experience. 

Accounting – your questions answered

In the below video, Senior Lecturer, Darren Byrne, answers some of the most frequently asked questions about Accounting at the University of Derby.

Forward thinking

Professionally qualified and industry experienced, our teaching team will keep you up-to-date with the latest developments shaping the modern business world.

They’re passionate about their subjects and influential in their research. You’ll learn from academics who are leading the way in fields like strategic management accounting, financial control, small business management and accounting ethics.

Hands-on learning

Fieldtrips will help you to translate theory into practice. We have visited companies such as PKF Cooper Parry as well as a council finance department. A recent fieldtrip 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 and underpin your live coursework projects. 

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.

Besides the placement opportunity, where students work in real organisations for up to a year to develop their practical skills and experience, students also complete a professional consultancy project with a real employer within their third year, having gained the skills to do this in their second year. The skills mastered within these business accounting and finance modules help prove your capabilities to employers and have been used by students to demonstrate their competences even at interviews for roles.

We also have a diverse range of guest speakers to inspire our students and share their stories. Recently we had Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, who delivered a session on ‘The concept of microcredit’ as part of our 2021 Student Lecture Series.

How you're assessed

There are a range of assessment methods used throughout the BA (Hons) Business Accounting and Finance degree. In the first stage, we use a variety of computer-based assessments to help you gauge your own level of learning. These assessments give you feedback on how you do so that it helps your learning in a constructive way. In other modules, there are essays and reports to submit. At the second and third stages, you will be assessed mainly by examinations, but also by essays, business reports, projects and presentations.

How you’re supported

We’re proud of our personal touch which means that each year has a year leader and all students have a personal tutor whose aim is to ensure that by the end of the programme, each student has achieved what they need to achieve to take their next step whether that be into employment or further study.

Who you'll meet

Darren Byrne - is the Programme Leader, his areas of focus include management theory, professional consultancy projects, corporate governance and strategic business leadership. His research interests are in business and accounting ethics and developments in accounting curriculum.

This business accounting and finance degree is the ideal foundation whether you’re seeking a senior position in industry and commerce, applying for a coveted graduate training programme or setting your sights on postgraduate studies.

Your employability is central to everything we do. Throughout, you’ll work with a personal tutor on maximising your professional development and career prospects.

By the end of your studies, you’ll be well on your way to full professional accountancy qualifications. But you’ll be able to offer an employer much more in terms of leadership, strategy and problem-solving skills.

Typical roles graduates will be aiming at are: accountant, compliance manager, credit controller, finance analyst, finance manager, management accountant.

2025 entry

These are the typical qualification requirements for September 2025 entry.

Contextual offers may apply to students who meet certain criteria.

2025/26

Further information about our fees and support you may be entitled to.

Additional costs and optional extras

Additional information about your studies

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.

Course updates

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.

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.

Other courses you might like

• Accounting and Finance BA (Hons)
• Business Management BA (Hons)
• Business Management and Accounting BA (Hons)
• Business Management and Finance BA (Hons)
• Business Management and Business Technology BA (Hons)

Contact us

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.