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BA (Hons) Business and Accounting

Solve business challenges and develop practical strategies for organisational success when you pursue an in-depth study of business, with a focus on accounting, taught by specialists.

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Over 90% student satisfaction (NSS, 2022)

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Triple accredited with CIMA, ICAEW & ACCA

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High level of UK professional accounting exam exemption

Course overview

With the knowledge and abilities, you acquire from our course, you'll be ready to enter the fast-paced world of business as an employee or entrepreneur.

Develop a solid basis of accounting knowledge, coupled with business fundamentals such as marketing, management and business ethics, to kick-start your commercial journey.

Understand how to interpret, prepare and present financial information for organisations of all sizes. Learn, and practise, invaluable skills in analysis, problem-solving, numerical based critical thinking, management and communication.

Appreciate the wider context in which accounting operates valuable for a career in business or management as you study economics, marketing and leadership for a well-rounded perspective.

Make an impact with varied assessment including professional report writing, group presentations and company projects help prepare you for work alongside the exams required for professional exemptions.

The course provides the opportunity to gain exemptions for professional accountancy exams enhancing your attractiveness with potential employers.

Boost your CV and commercial skills through industry placement, study abroad or internships (including the latest online bite-sized digital experiences), with a fully supported experience.

Why choose this course?

Learn from experts in their respective fields, together with guest speakers from the business world on this extensive course.

Enrich your skills with interactive teaching, including simulations and group exercises, honing and enhancing your professional skills such as communication and digital literacy alongside your commercial knowledge.

Stand out from the crowd with practical experience solving real-world business challenges. Effective decision making, in-depth understanding of current business challenges, teamwork, and leadership are just some of the areas you will develop.

We encourage and support you to aim high. Your dedicated support team will share their expertise, advice and experience as they focus on nurturing your potential to succeed, addressing academic as well as personal challenges.

Embrace career enhancing opportunities, such as the national University Business Challenge, or joining our Enactus society, organising projects that are making a difference every day. Students with an entrepreneurial spirit are encouraged to enter the ‘Flare Ignite’ annual competition with winners getting support, training and funding to help make their ideas a reality.

Graduate supported by a powerful network. We have extensive connections to industry organisations and global businesses, giving you access to industry experts as guest speakers and internship / placement opportunities.

Professional accreditations

We’re accredited by, and work in collaboration with:

  • The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
  • The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
  • The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
  • Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA)

This degree will give you exemptions from professional bodies accoutning exams.

Your future career

Learn to navigate and explore business from an accounting perspective, demonstrating your numerical, communication and commercial acumen as a firm basis to make decisions in business.

Areas in which you could work include:

  • Business consultant
  • Accountant
  • Management accountant
  • Management consultant
  • Financial manager
  • Practice manager

We are delighted that our alumni work for the "Big Four" accounting firms (Ernst & Young, Deloitte, PwC, and KPMG), as well as international and commercial organisations.

With a focus on consultative accounting and business awareness, you’ll be prepared for a business accounting, management or entrepreneurial career, understanding how to make numerical data engaging and relevant.

What you'll study

Immerse yourself in accounting as you become proficient in numerical analysis, digitised accounting and numerical report writing to stand out from the crowd.

Enhance your knowledge and skills within the professional accounting standards framework. Conceptualise and apply models to develop your understanding of application in business.

In your first year, you’ll learn the principles of business and accounting, exploring economics, managing people and organisations as well as learn digital and professional skills.

In the second year, you will expand your foundational understanding of the subjects, delving deeper into areas such as managing people, business ethics and financial management.

In your final year, you will develop your business and commercial awareness as well as strategic accounting skills. You’ll also have the chance to pick options in areas that interest you, such as financial crime, taxation and Islamic finance.

There are also opportunities to further enrich your personal development through our GoHerts program, placements, internships, study-abroad and Future Success team events.

What if I need support?

You'll benefit from dedicated support teams for the Business School including Academic Support, Wellbeing and a personal tutor to help you adjust to the demands of university learning and living.

Additional support is available from our Student Success team focused on inclusive learning and our dedicated Future Success network to help you with work experience, placements and graduate jobs.

You can also join and reach out to the Business School Student Voice community, a team of student representatives who regularly meet with staff to provide feedback and ensure teaching remains effective.

Optional sandwich year

At the end of your second year, you have the option to experience a year of working life with a placement, or a shorter internship, a huge CV booster!

Professional work experience is the biggest contributor to your future employability.  It allows you to put your knowledge into action, while learning how a business operates and making some handy professional connections.

Our dedicated HBS Future Success Team help you make the most of the experience, holding your hand from start to finish. You also get assistance with your CV, plus help preparing for interviews and presentations, at our ground-breaking mock Assessment Centre Experience.

Students on the programme have recently had the opportunity to benefit from placements at PwC, the NHS, Worldpay, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), Grant Thornton & Ernst Young.

You can take a sandwich year abroad, making that decision in your second year. Studying at one of our international partners is a huge personal development opportunity and an amazing experience.

More and more companies are now working internationally, the experience of living in another country will make a great impression on future employers. Put knowledge into action, learn how a business operates and make professional connections.

With over 100 partners in 40 countries, the world really is your oyster!  Our dedicated study abroad office advises you on your options, to help you make the most of this opportunity.

If you study abroad between your second and third year of study, you’ll pay no tuition fee, either to the partner university or us.

Find out more about Study abroad opportunities

At the end of your second year, you have the option to experience a year of working life with a placement, or a shorter internship, a huge CV booster!

Professional work experience is the biggest contributor to your future employability.  It allows you to put your knowledge into action, while learning how a business operates and making some handy professional connections.

Our dedicated HBS Future Success Team help you make the most of the experience, holding your hand from start to finish. You also get assistance with your CV, plus help preparing for interviews and presentations, at our ground-breaking mock Assessment Centre Experience.

Students on the programme have recently had the opportunity to benefit from placements at PwC, the NHS, Worldpay, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), Grant Thornton & Ernst Young.

Find out more about work placements

You can take a sandwich year abroad, making that decision in your second year. Studying at one of our international partners is a huge personal development opportunity and an amazing experience.

More and more companies are now working internationally, the experience of living in another country will make a great impression on future employers. Put knowledge into action, learn how a business operates and make professional connections.

With over 100 partners in 40 countries, the world really is your oyster!  Our dedicated study abroad office advises you on your options, to help you make the most of this opportunity.

If you study abroad between your second and third year of study, you’ll pay no tuition fee, either to the partner university or us.

Find out more about Study abroad opportunities

Find out more about study abroad options

Where you'll study

Your teaching is on our modern de Havilland campus, with our 24/7 Learning Resources Centre, offering open and private study spaces. You also get online self-study materials to further support you.

There are dining options, a bar, and a recreational space on campus (shoot some pool or play video games). It also houses Hertfordshire Sports Village, featuring a gym, swimming pool,

coffee shop and climbing wall.

Discover the Enterprise Hub , a vibrant destination where local firms and students work and learn in comfort.

The student union bar and additional facilities are only a 20-minute walk (or short bus ride) away at our second campus. Student housing is available at both campuses.

A train to central London takes just over 20 minutes, and you are also conveniently located on the A1(M) with access to the road network, making travel quick and convenient.

Who you'll learn from

In addition to academics and researchers, our team features cutting-edge professionals with extensive commercial experience and expertise.

They use their knowledge of industry, to give the numbers more meaning.

You also have access to an academic support team, a wellbeing team, and a personal tutor who can help you get used to the different ways of learning and living at university.

Our in-house Centre for Academic Skills Enhancement (CASE) is open to all Business School students, for extra support with academic writing, numeracy and referencing.

Your teaching and support team will work with you to help you realise, and reach, your full potential.

How we support our students

At the University of Hertfordshire, we want to make sure your time studying with us is as stress-free and rewarding as possible.

We offer a range of support services, from childcare to counselling, ensuring that you make the most of your time at Herts and can focus on studying, having fun, and have the support you need.

Entry requirements

The University of Hertfordshire is committed to welcoming students with a wide range of qualifications and levels of experience. The entry requirements listed on the course pages provide a guide to the minimum level of qualifications needed to study each course. However, we have a flexible approach to admissions and each application will be considered on an individual basis.

Typical offer (UCAS points)112–120
Typical A Level offerBBC–BBB
Typical BTEC offerDMM–DDM
GCSEGrade 4/C in English Languages and Mathematics
Additional informationFind out more about our Undergraduate Entry Requirements.

English language

All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency, equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band.

If you do not have the required IELTS or equivalent for direct entry on to your degree programme, our Pre-sessional English and International Foundation courses can help you to achieve this level.

Additional information

Find out more about International Entry Requirements.

Ready to apply?

UK and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status in the UK
Start date Study typeApply
September 2023Full timeApply via UCAS
Full time with placement year Apply via UCAS
Full time with study abroad yearApply via UCAS

Fees and funding

At Herts, we’re dedicated to proving world-class teaching supported by industry-level facilities and incredible social spaces. We believe cost shouldn’t be a barrier to higher education, and we strive to keep both our standard and additional costs as low as possible.

 Study type2023/24 fees
UK studentsFull time£9,250 for the 2023/2024 academic year
EUFull time£14,750 for the 2023/2024 academic year
International studentsFull time£14,750 for the 2023/2024 academic year

Tuition fees are charged annually. The fees quoted above are for the specified year(s) only. Fees may be higher in future years, for both new and continuing students. Please see the University’s Fees and Finance Policy (and in particular the section headed “When tuition fees change”), for further information about when and by how much the University may increase its fees for future years.

Scholarships, grants  and bursaries

Depending on your circumstances, you may be eligable for a non-repayable scholarship, grant or bursary to support your studies.

Disabled Students' Allowance

The Disabled Students’ Allowance can cover any study-related costs you have because of a mental health problem, long term illness or any other disability.

Student loans

Find out about securing a student loan, from how much you could be eligible for to when you need to start making repayments.

Accommodation costs

We offer a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget.

Additional course fees

Read more about additional fees in the course fact sheet.

More about the course

Course fact sheets
BA (Hons) Business and Accounting Download PDF
Programme specifications
BA (Hons) Accounting Download PDF
Additional information

Applications open to international and EU students

Yes

Course length

Sandwich, 4 Years

Not ready to apply?