Graduate Certificate

Intermediate Financial Accounting

This unit provides students with a better understanding of accounting’s role in the business context and covers a broad range of financial accounting issues with an emphasis on their practical application in business. On completion of this unit, students will demonstrate the application of accounting concepts that are fundamental to the preparation of accounting information and financial statements and to understand the important steps in the accounting cycle of businesses. Students will prepare selected components of the Financial Statements and address key questions about the importance of ethical internal control systems in the business. They will be able to evaluate contemporary international financial reporting issues and consideration of the impact of qualitative factors.

Students are expected to gain technical knowledge of financial accounting but also equip them with several important skills required in business practices such as analytical skills, critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills and written communication skills. The unit will have formative activities aligned to the unit learning outcomes to prepare students for summative assessments.
Collaborative learning is developed through students working together and supported in class, to practice applying the technical aspects of financial accounting to current real-world issues and receive real-time feedback from their lecturer.

Financial Principles and Analysis

The primary aim of this unit is to introduce basic concepts and principles of finance, relevant to the accounting, actuary and financial planning professions. The unit introduces finance theory as it applies to financial processes, products and institutions; develops a foundation in finance and application of a set of financial tools that will facilitate managers in their financial decision making and value analysis.

This unit focuses on developing students’ discipline knowledge, technical proficiency, critical thinking skills, and professional skills. Students will gain an understanding of ethical financial practices and the impact of financial decisions on a firm’s value. In addition, students begin to understand the concept of risk and risk management; apply it to a financial problem and evaluate the level of risk to help management to make informed business decisions.

Global Managerial Economics

This unit is an introduction to the basic aspects of microeconomics and macroeconomics in a global context. The fundamental aspects of the market mechanism and pricing are followed by an analysis of the whole economy. Economic theories and current economic policies are applied to real-world events. The unit will inform students of a range of key economic principles/policies and application of those to local, national and global economic issues.

Collaborative learning is facilitated with students working together, in class, to practice applying economic principles and concepts to current real-world issues and receive real-time feedback from their lecture. Case studies worked upon by the students provide the global perspective and cultural awareness essential in the modern interconnected business environment. The assessments in this unit help students to develop an understanding of the impact of global economic policies and issues on the business. The students will develop critical thinking and analytical skills as they will use quantitative and qualitative data to support their analysis and draw conclusions.

Fourth unit is dependant upon speciality. Choose from:

Intermediate Management Accounting

(Professional Accounting only)

This unit develops students’ discipline knowledge, critical thinking skills, and professional skills to undertake the work of a managerial accountant in both local and international business. This includes the ability to ethically prepare managerial accounting data, analyse managerial accounting data and utilise managerial accounting data in a wide range of business contexts and functions; using technologies as appropriate.

On completion of the unit, students will have an understanding of contemporary practices in managerial accounting, including the role of ethics and information technology in business decision making. The unit will have formative activities aligned to summative assessments and unit learning outcomes.

Introductory Econometrics

(Applied Finance only)

This unit can be considered to be the combination of two complex disciplines: Economics and Statistics. The unit exposes students to various concepts that are essential in modern quantitative research from both academic and industry perspectives. The unit applies mathematical and statistical tools to analyse economic, financial, and related data. The skill sets developed and assessed in this unit will enable students to undertake higher-level quantitative units and develop their industry-readiness in terms of employer/business needs.

Students are supported in the development of their technical and analytical skills and are given the opportunity to apply these newly-acquired techniques to better understand a variety of economic and financial variables, concepts and relationships. In-class activities and formative tasks focus strongly on supporting the development of students’ statistical competence, use of techniques for analyses and the application to Economics.

Students are guided through practice tasks, understanding of the marking criteria and performance of statistical analyses.