N/A Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
01 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2028
| Course Leader | Rhian Gosling, Joanna Howell |
|---|---|
| Course Team | Jared Davies, Rosemary Eaton, Teresa Marsh, Tamira Rolls, Claudia Scicluna, Rebecca Smith, Rebecca Wright |
| Awarding Body | University of South Wales |
| Teaching Institutions | University of South Wales |
| Modes of Study | Full Time, Part Time |
Document Version
| Version | 7 |
|---|---|
| Valid From | 01 Sep 2026 |
| Valid To | 31 Aug 2028 |
QAA Benchmarks
Educational Aim
The programme aims to equip students with the accounting knowledge, skills, professional values and ethics required to develop successful careers as finance professionals across all sectors within the economy.
Learning Outcomes
| A1 | Prepare taxation computations and giving professional advice on a range of taxation issues with regards to personal and corporate taxation; |
| A2 | Recognise the role of internal and external auditing with respect to financial review, control, accountability and assurance; |
| A3 | Apply financial management theory and techniques in the interests of sustainable and responsible value creation, and give appropriate professional advice on financing, investment and distribution; |
| A4 | Manage the strategic direction of an organisation and supporting business strategy through implementing business process change by applying appropriate project, systems and people management techniques and theories; |
| A5 | Appreciate that an accountant must embrace and adhere to a set of professional values and behave within an ethical framework, showing responsibility to stakeholders through operating within an effective system of governance, internal control and risk management. |
| A6 | Understand the implications for - and constraints on - accountants and managers imposed by corporate and business law; |
| A7 | Prepare and analyse management accounting reports, measuring, assessing and managing performance - giving appropriate professional advice; |
| A8 | Prepare and analyse financial accounts and reports, and give appropriate professional advice; |
| A9 | Research to support technical activities/solve problems; SPECIFIC ACCA LEARNING OUTCOMES AS ARTICULATED BY THE PROFESSIONAL BODY: |
| A10 | Gain good knowledge of the academic subject (see further detail in A4-A11 below); |
| A11 | Communication and information gathering; |
| B1 | Problem Solving; |
| B2 | Ability to analysis and evaluate information. |
| C1 | SPECIFIC ACCA LEARNING OUTCOMES AS ARTICULATED BY THE PROFESSIONAL BODY: Provide a world class professional accountancy qualification, recognised on a global basis; |
| C2 | Provide students, affiliates and members with the accounting knowledge, and skills needed to develop successful careers as finance professionals across all sectors within the economy; |
| C3 | Provide a strong focus on professional values, ethics and corporate governance - skills which will be essential as the accountancy professions moves towards a strengthening in codesof conduct and regulation. |
Course Structure
Level 4 Modules
| Module Code | Module Id | Module Title | Module Status | Credit Value | Module Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AF1S227 | MOD011434 | Management Accounting | Running | 20 | core |
| AF1S228 | MOD011435 | Financial Accounting | Running | 20 | core |
| AF1S229 | MOD011830 | Business & Technology | Running | 20 | core |
| AF1U24 | MOD013142 | Management Accounting | Running | 30 | core |
| AF1U25 | MOD013143 | Financial Accounting | Running | 30 | core |
| AF1U26 | MOD013144 | Business & Technology | Running | 30 | core |
| AF1U27 | MOD013391 | Corporate and Business Law | Running | 30 | core |
Level 5 Modules
| Module Code | Module Id | Module Title | Module Status | Credit Value | Module Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AF2U092 | MOD011963 | Corporate and Business Law | Closed | 30 | core |
| AF2U093 | MOD011965 | Performance Management | Closed | 30 | core |
| AF2U095 | MOD011966 | Financial Reporting | Closed | 30 | core |
| AF3U096 | MOD011440 | Audit and Assurance | Closed | 40 | core |
| AF2D02 | MOD013166 | Performance Management | Running | 40 | core |
| AF2D03 | MOD013167 | Financial Reporting | Running | 40 | core |
| AF2D01 | MOD013165 | Audit and Assurance | Running | 40 | core |
Level 6 Modules
| Module Code | Module Id | Module Title | Module Status | Credit Value | Module Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AF3U094 | MOD011438 | Taxation | Closed | 30 | core |
| AF3U097 | MOD011441 | Financial Management | Closed | 30 | core |
| AF3D10 | MOD013168 | Taxation | Running | 40 | core |
| AF3D11 | MOD013169 | Financial Management | Running | 40 | core |
| AF3D12 | MOD013392 | Business Research Project | Running | 40 | core |
Level 7 Modules
| Module Code | Module Id | Module Title | Module Status | Credit Value | Module Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AF4D118 | MOD010750 | Advanced Financial Management (ACCA) | Running | 40 | optional |
| AF4D119 | MOD010751 | Advanced Performance Management (ACCA) | Running | 40 | optional |
| AF4D120 | MOD010752 | Advanced Taxation (ACCA) | Running | 40 | optional |
| AF4D121 | MOD010754 | Advanced Audit and Assurance (ACCA) | Running | 40 | optional |
| AF4D122 | MOD010755 | Strategic Business Leader (ACCA) | Running | 40 | optional |
| AF4D123 | MOD010756 | Strategic Business Reporting (ACCA) | Running | 40 | optional |
| AF4D02 | MOD007944 | Practical Financial Trading | Closed | 40 | optional |
Teaching and Assessment
Learning and Teaching Methods
Employer Engagement
Means of Assessment
Learning Support
Course Exit Points
| Award | Criteria | Final |
|---|---|---|
| No Qualification Type | Applied Knowledge and Skills modules (BT to FM) Students can choose to sit internal USW assessments or external ACCA examinations at the Applied Knowledge and Skills Levels. Successful completion of USW assessments will allow a student to claim exemption from the equivalent ACCA modules as well as leading to intermediate USW exit awards. Strategic Professional Level modules (Essentials: SBR and SBL; and Advanced Options: AFM, APM, ATX, AAA) These are only available as externally examined ACCA modules. Final award - ACCA membership (NB - this is conferred by ACCA and not USW) On completion of all ACCA papers (13 in total, of which the first 9 are eligible for exemption), students become Affiliate members of the ACCA. At this point they are allowed to attend a USW graduation ceremony as ACCA Affiliates. On completion of a minimum of 36 months of practical work experience (monitored by ACCA under their Practical Experience Requirements scheme) plus an on-line professional ethics module, students become full Chartered members of ACCA. Intermediate USW awards Certificate of Higher Education (Professional Accounting, ICAEW) Students who choose to sit the core modules BT, MA, FA and LW internally, plus the optional internal modules Principles of Taxation and Assurance, will be awarded the Cert HE (Professional Accounting, ICAEW) as noted above. In addition, they will be able to claim exemptions from the ICAEW Certificate Level papers Business Technology & Finance, Management Information, Accounting, Law, Principles of Taxation and Assurance. (NB – subject to pending confirmation from ICAEW.) Certificate of Higher Education (Professional Accounting) Students achieving 120 credits drawn from Applied Knowledge and Skills Levels modules will be eligible for a USW Certificate of Higher Education (Professional Accounting) (for example modules BT – FA plus two modules from LW – FM). Note that credits are not tied to specific modules. Students achieving 240 credits (covering all nine Applied Knowledge and Skills Levels modules) will be eligible for a USW Diploma of Higher Education (Professional Accounting). For all USW awards, students may claim accreditation for prior learning (APL) for up to half of the credits for that award, for example APL for 60 credits for a USW Certificate of Higher Education. Intermediate EXTERNAL awards ACCA’s Diploma in Accounting and Business Students achieving the first three exams of the ACCA Qualification (BT to FA, externally examined) plus ACCA’s foundation professionalism and ethics module (‘Foundations in Professionalism’) will be eligible for ACCA’s Diploma in Accounting and Business. ACCA’s Advanced Diploma in Accounting and Business Students achieving all nine Applied Knowledge and Skills examinations of the ACCA Qualification (externally examined) plus ACCA’s Professional Ethics module will be eligible for ACCA’s Advanced Diploma in Accounting and Business. | Final |
| Certificate of Higher Education | 120 credits of which at least 100 must be at Level 4 or above and no more than 20 at Level 3. | Exit |
| Diploma of Higher Education | 240 credits of which at least 100 must be at Level 5 or above, 120 credits at Level 4 or above and no more than 20 credits at Level 3. | Exit |
| Bachelor of Science | 360 credits of which at least 100 must be at Level 6 or above, 120 at Level 5 or above, 120 at Level 4 or above and no more than 20 at Level 3. | Exit |
Progression Route
Internal USW progression (postgraduate degree):Students who have complete all nine Applied Knowledge and Skills modules are able to join USW’s MSc Professional Accounting (with ACCA tuition). This course prepares students for internal masters assessments and the external exams of the ACCA Strategic Professional Level concurrently. External progression – undergraduate degree (Oxford Brookes University BSc (Hons) degree in Applied Accounting):This route is only open to USW students if they choose to study modules FR, AA and FM EXTERNALLY. This degree is a collaboration between ACCA and Oxford Brookes University. It is based on the premise that ACCA’s Applied Knowledge and Skills modules are equivalent to 330 credits of an undergraduate degree and allows students who have studied AIB - FM to top up to an Oxford Brookes degree by completing a research project.To be eligible to take this route students must be registered with Oxford Brookes (i.e., ‘opted-in’ to their BSc degree scheme) BEFORE passing any of the modules FR, AA and FM. Further, students must successfully complete all nine Applied Knowledge and Skills modules and pass the three modules FR, AA and FM by sitting the exams externally. To obtain the BSc, students are then required to (1) complete ACCA’s Professional Ethics module and (2) to submit a Research and Analysis Project to Oxford Brookes University. The degree must be completed within 10 years of starting ACCA’s professional qualification otherwise eligibility will be withdrawn. Full details can be found at: http://www.accaglobal.com/en/student/acca-qual-student- journey/bsc-degree.html
Entry Requirements
Admission to the course is typically through the following qualifications:
Part time course
To be eligible to be admitted to the course students must hold the basic minimum qualifications accepted by the ACCA (i.e. two A Levels and three GCSEs or equivalent in five separate subjects, including English and Mathematics).
Subject to ACCA’s progression rules, entrants to the course can enrol and study for any number of internal modules per annum (up to a maximum of four).
Students who do not hold the minimum entry academic requirements are eligible to join the course if they have relevant practical experience and register under the Diploma Level of the Foundations in Accountancy route with ACCA. Such students will need to achieve passes in (or be exempted from) the three FIA Diploma Level modules (Accounting and Business (FAB), Management Accounting (FMA) and Financial Accounting (FFA)) in order to be transferred to the main ACCA Qualification. These are equivalent to the three modules in the Applied Knowledge stage of the ACCA Qualification. If students choose to sit all three modules internally they will be awarded the relevant exemptions and be able to transfer to the ACCA Qualification but will not qualify for the Diploma. Until students have successfully completed the FIA modules and have been transferred to the main ACCA Qualification they will not be able to enter for any of the Applied Skills modules (namely Corporate and Business Law to Financial Management).
Students who possess qualifications above the basic requirements (such as the CAT or AAT qualifications or an undergraduate degree in Accounting or Business Studies) may be eligible for admission to the Applied Skills stage, subject to the exemptions that their entry qualifications give. Some graduates may have exemptions from all Applied Knowledge and Skills modules and can enter the course at the Strategic Professional Level.
Applicants can be admitted at any level of the course provided they can provide documentary evidence of exemptions or passes granted by the ACCA, subject to USW’s internal accreditation for prior learning procedure if they are entering part-way through Applied Knowledge or Skills.
Full time course
Entry is available to students who have passed (or who are exempt from) the Applied Knowledge modules, i.e. those who are eligible to commence studies at the Applied Skills Level.
ACCA student registration
In general, students admitted to the course must either already be registered students of the professional body or in the process of applying for student membership and exemption from any modules for which they qualify.
Documentary evidence of registration and exemptions will be requested at the START of the course and held on file by the relevant year tutor.
It is the students’ responsibility to register with the professional body.
However, students who commence studies at the Applied Knowledge Level (modules BT, MA, FA) will be allowed a six week tester period during which they can consider which ultimate route they wish to follow (ACCA or ICAEW), before joining the appropriate body.
International Entry Requirements
We also welcome international applications with the qualifications above.
English Requirements
In general, international applicants will need to have achieved an overall IELTS grade of 6.0 with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component. However, if you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, but please visit the country specific page on our international website for exact details.
Inclusive Curriculum Statement
The University of South Wales operates a policy of inclusive learning, teaching and assessment to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to fulfil their educational potential. Course teams will have considered ways of designing out any potentially disadvantageous element of courses during the course design process. However some specific needs may remain, details about how to apply to have your needs assessed can be found at: http://unilife.southwales.ac.uk/pages/3040-disability-and-dyslexia-service/
Addendum for Delivery at a Partner Institution
N/A
Methods Of Quality Standards
N/A
Quality Of Standards Indicators
The Course Specification has been written after consulting the QAA Subject Benchmark for Accounting and the Revised (2018) UK Quality Code for Higher Education.