Accounting and Finance graduate destinations

87.2%

of our Accounting and Finance graduates are in work or further study after 15 months*

*The structure and coverage of this survey are determined by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) employment indicator 2020/21, published in March 2023.

Great graduate careers

The majority of our Accounting and Finance graduates go into jobs related to their degree specialism. They find careers in:

  • Audit
  • Broking, Insurance
  • Chartered Accountancy including Financial Accountancy
  • Financial Planning
  • IT Audit associates
  • Management Accountancy
  • Policy Advisers
  • teachers of, as well as Financial or Investment Analysis
  • Tax and Business Consultancy
  • Treasury Administration
  • Researchers
  • Research & development tax associates
  • Revenue Analysts
  • Risk Management
  • working for the Government.

Thanks to the transferable skills and experiences they develop through our courses, they also find careers outside of their degree specialism, for example in:

  • Buying
  • Project Management
  • Trading and Investing
  • Business Development.

Some graduates also develop varied portfolio careers or become self-employed.

Top graduate employers

Graduates work with leading public and private sector organisations across the country, as well as small to medium sized enterprises. We have employer partners who shape our courses, ensuring they are distinctive, future-facing and practice-led. They also attend virtual and in-person Q&A career panels; and provide placements and work experience.

Our students benefit from these relationships through placements, internships, and applied projects, leading into exciting graduate careers. Graduates find jobs with our partners as well as these leading employers:

  • Airbus
  • Avis
  • Babcock
  • BDP
  • Bishop Fleming
  • BT
  • Capita
  • Clarke Willmott
  • Curtis Bank
  • Deloitte
  • EY
  • GES
  • Grant Thornton
  • Hargreaves Lansdown
  • Intel
  • JP Morgan
  • Lloyds Banking Group
  • Mazars
  • Microsoft
  • ONS
  • PKF
  • PWC
  • Quantuma
  • Thames Water
  • THG
  • TSB Bank

Further study

Accounting and Finance students frequently continue their professional development with postgraduate study either through Professional Bodies such as ACCA, ICAEW and CIMA or through Masters courses to hone their skills and knowledge in financial technology, risk management and insurance, and global political economy.

Recognised by industry

Our programmes benefit from accreditation from seven different accounting and finance professional bodies, including ACCA, ICAEW, CIMA, and CII. Students also have the opportunity to gain the Bloomberg Trading Certificate alongside their studies. Accreditation provides relevance, ensures rigorous standards and provides exemptions which can fast-track career progression.

Find out more about Accounting and Finance courses

See more information about UWE Bristol's excellent university rankings and reputation.

Career support throughout your degree

Careers and enterprise information and advice is embedded from the moment our students arrive, starting with a careers fair during Starting Block (induction) and continuing throughout their degree, meeting employers, working with our careers and enterprise team, and planning their professional development with their Academic Personal Tutors.

By the time our students graduate, they are well equipped with the experience, networks and skills to succeed in their chosen careers.

Specialist careers support

Sector-specific careers advice is delivered for each department, with embedded teaching and learning classes delivered by the Careers and Enterprise Team. Daily careers drop-ins, workshops on skills such as interviews, assessment centres and networking, the online Careers Toolkit, and one-to-one coaching appointments with our dedicated Careers team, all provide outstanding support to students. The extensive UWE Bristol InfoHub vacancy search engine provides access to hundreds of graduate opportunities, whilst employer-led workshops with companies such as PWC and Lloyds Banking Group, and industry insight and networking events, give students the opportunity to engage with employers directly. Once our students graduate, we provide free careers support to alumni for a further three years.

Placements and work experience

Relevant work experience is vital in today's competitive jobs market. Our award winning careers service provides one-to-one support to help students gain relevant and career enhancing experience that fits their future plans.

All of our programmes provide the opportunity to complete a one-year industrial sandwich placement and this often leads to a permanent graduate role with the placement employer. Find out about placements. Students are also able to gain employability skills through a study year abroad with one of our many international partners, shorter local internship opportunities, volunteering in the UK and overseas, and UWE Bristol-based positions such as Student Ambassadors, Student Representatives and PAL Leaders. In their final year, all students on Accounting and Finance programmes undertake a compulsory module to enhance their employability skills, strengthen their CV and boost their confidence and networking skills.

Students can also work with small businesses giving accounting, tax and business advice in our Business Clinics.

Strong business skills

Enterprise skills are embedded in all our programmes and many of our graduates go on to become entrepreneurs, so we give them a head start while they're here. Through innovation and enterprise workshops and events, small business competitions, pop up shops and start-up support in Launch Space incubator, we support students to develop, test and launch their business ideas with the best possible foundation for success.

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