MSc Accounting and Finance

The MSc Accounting and Finance is ideal for students who want to develop strong technical knowledge. It will provide students with a deep understanding of how accounting and finance concepts are used in practice and their role in global financial markets. The programme has an outstanding reputation that extends over five decades. It's suitable for those who are interested in pursuing careers in the fields of accounting, finance, management, consulting, regulation or academia.

You're expected to have taken academic courses in accounting, finance or economics, and quantitative methods prior to entry. Strong candidates who don't have the appropriate background in one or more of these areas may be required to take additional courses before being accepted.

In selecting your courses on the programme, you can emphasise either accounting or finance, or you can choose an equally balanced programme across the two areas.

Teaching in the Department of Accounting is world class, and you'll benefit from our faculty’s strong international and interdisciplinary orientation. A particular teaching strength is exploring the interface between accounting and managers, organisations, institutions, public policy and regulatory bodies.

The department is one of the leading groups in the world for teaching and research on the economic, institutional and organisational aspects of accounting and financial management. It’s also home to the Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation (CARR), an interdisciplinary research unit focused on the organisational and institutional settings for risk management and regulatory practices.

Previous graduates of the programme have gone on to enjoy successful careers in a wide range of sectors, including: finance, accounting, consulting, policy, and academia.

GRE/GMAT requirement

All applicants without a UK undergraduate degree must submit GMAT or GRE test scores with their application. The overall GMAT score should normally be in excess of 650 points. Applicants with UK undergraduate degrees, particularly those whose quantitative skills are not demonstrated by their undergraduate studies, may be asked to submit GMAT or GRE scores.

Find out more about GRE/GMAT

Welcome to the Department of Accounting – one of the world’s leading centres for accounting and financial management research. The department was rated the top place in the UK to study accounting (Good University Guide 2024).

Our work is focused on understanding the role played by accounting in organisations, the markets and society at large. We have strong links with national and international professional bodies and regulatory institutions, and our research has contributed to shaping international accounting practices. Alongside teaching and research, the department also hosts the interdisciplinary Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation.

Every year, we admit more than 400 students to our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Our students don’t just learn about accounting principles – they learn how accounting is used in institutional and organisational processes of calculation, reporting and evaluation. This involves exploring the interdependencies between accounting and accountability, sustainability, governance, risk, performance management, policymaking and change.

We’re proud of our open and collaborative culture, welcoming students, academics, external speakers and practitioners from around the world – all contributing to our rich and diverse community.

Learn more about our programmes and research.

Department of Accounting

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified prospective students. At LSE, we want to recruit students with the best academic merit, potential and motivation, irrespective of background.

We carefully consider each application and take into account all the information included on your application form, such as your:

• academic achievement (including predicted and achieved grades)
• statement of academic purpose
• two academic references
• CV
• GRE/GMAT.

See further information on supporting documents and check if you're exempt from taking the GRE/GMAT.

You may need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency. See our English language requirements.

Applications for this programme are considered on a rolling basis. This means that applications will close once the programme is full.

There is no fixed deadline. However, if you’d like to be considered for any funding opportunities, you must submit your application (and all supporting documents) by the funding deadline. See the fees and funding section below for more details.

For this programme, the tuition fee is different for home and overseas students depending on their fee status.

For this programme, the tuition fee is different for home and overseas students depending on their fee status.

All taught courses are required to include formative coursework which is unassessed. It's designed to help prepare you for summative assessment which counts towards the course mark and to the degree award. All full-unit courses are assessed by three hour unseen examinations in the Spring Term. Half-units are assessed by two hour unseen examinations. Some of the half-unit optional courses also have group/individual project work as part of the assessment. An indication of the formative coursework and summative assessment for each course can be found in the relevant course guide.

Students who successfully complete the MSc Accounting and Finance programme pursue careers across a wide range of sectors, in financial institutions, accounting firms, management consulting, industry, government and academia.

Our graduates have gone on to work at companies, including:

• EY
• PwC
• Deloitte
• KPMG
• JP Morgan
• Nomura
• Citi
• HSBC
• Macquarie
• Morgan Stanley
• McKinsey
• Boston Consulting Group
• Accenture
• Huawei

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.

Many of the UK’s top employers give careers presentations at the School during the year and there are numerous workshops covering topics such as job hunting, managing interviews, writing a cover letter and using LinkedIn.

See LSE Careers for further details.