Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
The ACCA Professional Qualification, covering all accounting disciplines, can act as a springboard to career success in many different areas of accountancy and finance.
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The combination of the practical experience and technical expertise of our lecturing team and our excellence in teaching and learning make USW's ACCA course very special.
DESIGNED FOR
USW's ACCA qualification, subject to ACCA’s practical experience requirements, enables you to become a Chartered Certified Accountant, use the designatory letters ACCA after your name and to typically work across a range of finance or management roles in any business. Some students then opt to study at postgraduate degree level.
In partnership with
- ACCA
Career Paths
- Chartered Certified Accountant
- Management
Skills taught
- Financial Management
- Audit and Assurance
- Financial Reporting
- Performance Management
- Management Accounting
- Law
- Taxation
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Course Highlights
Module Overview
The combination of the practical experience and technical expertise of our lecturing team and our excellence in teaching and learning make USW's ACCA course very special. Tuition includes all the syllabus content, question practice, and revision sessions needed to prepare you for the final ACCA exams. Students who need to complete all elements can do so over a four-year period. Students with exemptions will take less time than this, while others may opt for a longer period of study. Tuition hours are between 50 and 60 hours per paper, depending on level. The exception is Strategic Business Leader, which has 84 tuition hours.
Applied Knowledge
- Business and Technology
- Management Accounting
- Financial Accounting
Students studying the course on a full-time basis are required to enter at Applied Skills Level upwards, i.e. they must have passed or be exempt from Applied Knowledge level papers. They must also choose the externally examined or internally examined (BSc) route at point of application.
Students studying the Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills Levels can choose between sitting external ACCA exams or internal university assignments and exams. Those who obtain sufficient internal credits can be awarded a university Diploma of Higher Education or BSc (Professional Accounting) as part of their ACCA studies (BSc only for full-time students). Those undertaking the BSc are required to complete an end of course Business Research Project. The internal scheme leads to ACCA exemptions on a module-by-module basis as the University modules are passed. Strategic Professional exams are sat externally.
Applied Skills
- Corporate and Business Law
- Performance Management
- Taxation
- Financial Reporting
- Audit and Assurance
- Financial Management
- Business Research Project (if undertaking internally-assessed route)
Essentials
- Strategic Business Leader
- Strategic Business Reporting
Options Papers (two from four)
- Advanced Financial Management
- Advanced Performance Management
- Advanced Taxation
- Advanced Audit and Assurance
In addition to the modules studied in Year One, students are required to complete the Ethics and Professional Skills module and the PER (Practical Experience Requirement) before they can become a full ACCA member. Please note: It is the responsibility of students to enter external ACCA exams (see the ACCA website for further details).
Ethics and Professional Skills module
The module introduces students to advanced ethical and professional skills and they are exposed to realistic business situations via an interactive environment. The module supplements a student’s technical knowledge by helping them develop the ethical and professional behaviours that they will need to successfully complete the Strategic Professional exams.
Please note the module is charged at a one-off fee which is payable to ACCA. See more information on the ACCA website
Practical Experience Requirements
The PER is where students demonstrate relevant skills and experience within a real work environment.
Completion of PER involves:
- achieving 36 months of supervised experience in a relevant accounting or finance role(s)
- completing nine performance objectives
- recording progress online in MyExperience
- having the experience signed off by a practical experience supervisor
Students are responsible for arranging their own PER usually via their normal place of work.
Course Highlights
How you’ll learn
Workshops are delivered in various combinations of morning, afternoon or evening sessions (session availability subject to student demand). Part time students generally attend one day per week and full-time students attend more often.
Our brochure gives details of tuition offered for December, March and June exams for full and part-time students. September-December deliveries also include one to three additional whole study days. Students can generally commence their studies in either September or January.
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Teaching staff
Our Accounting teaching team includes 9 qualified accountants and a qualified solicitor, who have significant industry and accounting practice experience, as well as significant experience of teaching professional accountancy qualifications.
The learning environment here is friendly and supportive, and we are able to offer an exceptional level of pastoral support.
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Assessment
The internal papers are assessed by coursework (30%) and an end of module examination (70%).
The coursework is designed to test transferable skills such as group work, report writing and presentations. The external papers are assessed by end of session examination.
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Study Duration
Students who need to complete all elements part-time can do so over a four year period. Students with exemptions will take less time than this, while others may opt for a longer period of study. Note that study of Applied Skills and Strategic Professional Levels on a full-time basis will take two years (one year for each Level). Tuition hours are between 50 and 60 hours per paper, depending on level. The exception is Strategic Business Leader, which has approx. 84 tuition hours.
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ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Typical qualification requirements:
At Applied Knowledge Level: Two A Levels and three GCSEs or equivalent including English and Maths. Students who do not have the minimum academic qualifications may be eligible for the Foundations in Accountancy qualification. Holders of relevant degrees and accounting technician qualifications can apply to ACCA for exemptions. For example, holders of AAT or CAT qualifications are exempt from the ACCA Applied Knowledge Papers.
Please note that whilst this course does not require a DBS Check for entry, some professions will not consider candidates who have certain types of criminal convictions. Therefore, if you have a criminal conviction and you are considering a particular career path we would recommend that you check with the relevant professional body or refer to their recruitment policy to make sure that your conviction will not disadvantage you.
Additional requirements include:
Students wishing to join the course MUST also have applied for student membership with ACCA before the start date and obtained confirmation of their exemptions. Ensure to upload your exam/exemption statement as part of your application if you already have these.
International applications welcomed:
We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.
English language requirements
International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.
Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.
If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.
If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.
We're here to help
Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.
Fees and Funding
Additional Costs
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
* Obligatory
Students will be required to pay separately for ACCA student membership, exemption and external examination fees. For the latest information, visit: www.accaglobal.com
University Quality Assurance
At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.
If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.
Life at USW
Halls are a big part of your student experience and there’s accommodation at all three of our locations. If you don’t want to live near the campus, there are great transport links to keep you connected.
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How to apply
There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred start date and mode of study (i.e. full-time or part-time).
- September 2025 Full-time
- September 2026 Full-time
- September 2025 Part-time
- January 2026 Full-time
- January 2026 Part-time
- September 2026 Part-time
International admissions
Please see our international admissions advice for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.
