Accounting and finance are all about managing the financial affairs of business and other organizations. This means the degree courses are closely related to economics and business, combining academic theories with real-life problems and technical skills. At university there are three main areas in accounting and finance:

• financial accounting - measuring and reporting annual performance to shareholders, creditors and other stakeholders, plus accounting regulation;
• management accounting - giving information to the management team for decision-making such as budgeting or costing;
• finance - raising capital and the problems of investment decisions.

Accounting and finance are more than just learning technical theory; many areas are controversial and you'll be involved in debating important questions. You might think that the cost of producing a product or service would be a matter of fact, for example. In reality it's really a matter of opinion, depending on how the calculations were done, what assumptions were made and what items were included or excluded.

The Accounting and Finance areas of study are suitable for all those considering careers in the different fields of accounting, finance or banking, whether in public practice with a firm of chartered accountants, in industry or business management, in the public sector or in other parts of the financial world.

You should note that some universities may expect an A level in mathematics if you want to study Economics.
Whether your future career lies in the City or elsewhere, this degree helps you to develop your understanding of economics and so give you a valuable insight into topical issues: How do markets work? What constraints and choices influence everyday and political decision-making? What is the role of government in making economic policy? Economics has three main objectives:

To explain...

• Given a wide range of circumstances, how does an individual make a rational choice between the available alternatives?
• To understand... How can we understand the nature of social institutions, such as firms and markets, within which such choices are made?
• To analyse... How do these individuals and institutions interact to generate outcomes for society as a whole?

Economics graduates move into a wide range of jobs in accountancy, management, the financial sector, banking, business consultancy, the civil service, journalism, NHS management, voluntary and community based organisations, social work, the police, international relief organisations and teaching.