Proceedings_of_the_International_Conference_in_the_Built_Environment_in_the_21st_Century

ACCA OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting Degree Programme Kaplan Financial Kaplan Financial 1 Feb2009 Why should you do the BSc Honours degree in Applied Accounting' A great, satisfying personal achievement - something for you and your friends and family to be proud of! Improves your career prospects if you decide to change employer and helps progression within a company if you are staying Gives you a change from sitting exams, helping you to refresh and re-focus Develops your communication, analytical & report writing skills Helps you understand how exam topics work in real business environments If you’ve qualified, will count towards your required CPD points You will have a degree from a well-respected English University to your name. ‘Easiest and cheapest way of getting a degree!’ - Quote from a student who has recently completed the course. Kaplan Financial 2 Feb2009 Overview The BSc (Hons) in Applied Accountancy is a joint initiative between ACCA and Oxford Brookes University (voted best modern University for the seventh consecutive year by The Times newspaper). The degree programme was designed to recognise the quality of the ACCA professional qualification and to provide students with the opportunity to gain an internationally recognised academic qualification, whilst taking their ACCA examinations. The degree is a highly regarded qualification that is based on practical, professional, employer-driven accounting requirements. It enables students to prove that not only have they mastered the knowledge required for the degree, but that they have the key skills required by graduate employers. The degree is awarded on the basis of successful performance in the Fundamentals level of the new syllabus ACCA examinations and a Research and Analysis Project (RAP) assessed by Oxford Brookes University in line with their normal degree assessment criteria. Eligibility Criteria To be eligible, you must have completed the Fundamentals level of the new ACCA qualification (F1 – F9) and specifically have sat and passed papers F7, F8 & F9. If awarded exemptions from papers F7, F8 or F9 you will not be eligible to join the degree scheme. You are also required to hold a minimum English language qualification (e.g. GCSE English) or equivalent (which includes ACCA paper F4). You are given the opportunity to opt into the degree at the time of initial registration with ACCA. For those who do not opt in at this time you can do so on the ACCA website, any time prior to passing papers F7, F8 or F9. Your status is indicated on each examination entry form, which is sent out in February and August each year. Please note that you must complete your RAP within ten years from your first date of registration with ACCA (see ACCA website for details). You must also complete the online Ethics module BEFORE you can submit your RAP. Deadlines are as follows: o o to submit your RAP in the Spring, complete the Ethics module by 31 January of the same year to submit your RAP in the Autumn, complete the Ethics module by 31 July of the same year Students will only be permitted 3 attempts to complete the degree. Requirements To obtain the degree, you need to have passed not only the relevant ACCA examinations (see above) but also have to produce the following output specifically for Oxford Brookes: • Pass the Research and Analysis Project (RAP) which consists of 2 parts: o o • • 6500 word Research Project (RP) 2000 word Skills & Learning Statement (SLS) Deliver a presentation of your findings to the Project Mentor and peer group Attend 3 mentor meetings with your Project Mentor Oxford Brookes provides a list of 20 project titles, which should cater for the majority of projects being undertaken. It is strongly advised that you adhere to this list of topics, which can be adapted to suit individual interests and/or company requirements. These can be found on the ACCA website. Kaplan Financial 3 Feb2009 When to do the degree Before starting the degree, make sure you have sufficient time available to conduct your research and prepare your reports, ensuring you have a good work / study / life balance. Most students who work fulltime will require 5-6 months in order to obtain and analyse their data and then and prepare their reports, ready for submission. If you are a full-time student then you may be able to complete the degree in a shorter amount of time, provided you are able to obtain all the research information you require. There 3 key times to do the degree are: After Fundamentals level After Essentials module When all exams are completed (this can count as part of your CPD requirement) Many students prefer to wait until they have passed all their exams before attempting the degree. Project Submission deadlines Instead of exam deadlines, there are RAP submission deadlines. The university allows the submission of RAP reports during two periods each calendar year. The next submission periods are: Submission period 9 March – 3 April 2009 7 November – 27 November 2009 Results due 29 July 2009 March 2010 (Exact date to be confirmed) There is a fee payable to Oxford Brookes University when you submit your RAP, which is currently £75. Student Responsibility It is your responsibility to drive the process (one of the skills being assessed is ‘planning’) but with the aid of a mentor to guide you throughout the process. You should personally ensure you: • • • • • • • are eligible for the degree have passed the relevant ACCA papers prior to submission of the RAP completed the online Ethics module within the correct period are registered with Oxford Brookes University (although this should be automatic if registered with ACCA) choose your mentor submit all relevant documentation on time and in line with requirements have access to computer and Internet facilities for research purposes. Kaplan Financial 4 Feb2009 Classification of Degree Students must pass both the Research Project (RP) and the Skills & Learning Statement (SLS) in order to be successful in the degree. Your RP will be awarded one of four grades: A, B, C or fail Your SLS will be awarded one of two grades: Satisfactory or unsatisfactory In order to pass overall, you must achieve A, B or C in the RP and Satisfactory in the SLS. Degree classification is determined by the average of the exam results achieved in the specified ACCA papers (F4 – F9 inclusive) and also the grade (A, B or C) that you achieve in your RP. ACCA average mark First 68 or more 67 66 60-65 59 58 54-57 53 50-52 A, B, C A, B A C B, C Class of Degree Upper Second Lower Second C B, C A, B, C A, B Third C A, B, C A, B, C A, B A - Role of the Project Mentor The project mentor’s role in the process is varied and consists of the following aspects: • • • • Supporting/advising you throughout the process Monitoring your progress during the project Verification of your progress / output / submission Confirmation of process in line with University regulations The above is to be achieved via three formal meetings between you and the mentor during the course of the project. Oxford Brookes guidelines stipulate that these meetings should last around 30 minutes each but Kaplan’s experience to date has shown that there is no one standard time period and the meetings (sometimes more than three) last according to individual your requirements. The choice of mentor is critical to the process and can be any of the following: • • • A qualified ACCA Your employer Kaplan tutor The mentor also has responsibility to ensure that the relevant mentoring forms are completed correctly. The final submission form needs to be counter-signed by the mentor to verify a number of necessary regulations. Kaplan Financial 5 Feb2009 How Kaplan Financial adds value to the process Kaplan provides a formal three-day course structure spread over 5-6 months. You will be able to contact the Project Mentor in between the formal days if you require further advice and support. Meeting 1 An introduction to the programme with sessions covering detailed regulations and requirements, report writing skills and the critical selection of project title to suit your requirements. Meeting 2 (about 3 months into the project) Involves individual one to one meetings between you and the Project Mentor to check upon progress, highlight and resolve obstacles and discuss research findings to date. Work should also be in progress on developing the report. Meeting 3 (about 5 months into the process) This incorporates a 20 minute presentation to the Project Mentor and peer group, with individual meetings (to suit requirements) after the presentations. Preparation work will have been monitored prior to this day. In between these days our experience has been one of extensive communication between students and the Project Mentor, which adds value to the process in a variety of ways. You will also receive the Kaplan Publishing Oxford Brookes text book (approved by both ACCA and the University) which will guide you through the process. What next' Please contact one of these Kaplan centres for more information on the individual courses available. Centre Birmingham Bristol Cardiff Leeds Leicester London Manchester Nottingham Reading Email Birmingham@kaplan.co.uk Bristol@kaplan.co.uk Cardiff@kaplan.co.uk Leeds@kaplan.co.uk Leicester@kaplan.co.uk ACCALondon@kaplan.co.uk Manchester@kaplan.co.uk Nottingham@kaplan.co.uk Reading@kaplan.co.uk For more information on the degree programme, you can also read the information on the ACCA website: http://www.accaglobal.com/students/study_exams/qualifications/degree/ Kaplan Financial 6 Feb2009