BSc Hons Mathematics, Statistics & Accounting

You'll study the basic concepts and standard methods of mathematical notation and proof, polynomial equations and inequalities, sequences and series, functions, limits and continuity, differentiation and integration.

The fundamental concepts of calculus (differentiation and integration) presented in Applications of Calculus will be examined in more detail, extended to a larger class of functions by means of more sophisticated methods, including an introduction to complex numbers and variables, all demonstrated in application to practical problems including solving basic first and second-order differential equations.  

This class will introduce you to vectors and matrices, along with the idea of mathematical modelling through their application to real-world problems.

Some basic ideas and techniques of statistics will be presented while introducing some essential study skills, allowing you to develop and practice personal and technical skills eg self-study, teamwork, analysing data, writing reports and making presentations.

This class is designed to provide an introduction to accounting for those students who intend to study accounting or accounting and finance in subsequent years. It assumes no prior knowledge. It ensures that, in combination with other classes, the accreditation requirements of professional accountancy bodies are met. Please note that this isn't a suitable class for students seeking an elective that provides an overview of accounting.

This class provides an introduction to finance, covering the basic theories of financial markets, corporate finance and investment, financial management, personal finance, security analysis and statistical applications in finance. It provides the foundations for the Business Finance course.

*Students looking for professional accreditation in Accounting must also take this class.

This class will introduce you to the basic ideas of linear algebra, such as matrices and determinants, vector spaces, bases, eigenvalues and eigenvectors. You'll study various standard methods for solving ordinary differential equations and understand their relevance.

Basic ideas, techniques and results for calculus of two and three variables, along with differentiation and integration over curves, surfaces and volumes of both scalar and vector fields will be presented.

Presentation of the basic concepts of probability theory and statistical inference will be covered to provide you with the tools to appropriately analyse a given data set and effectively communicate the results of such analysis.

This class will introduce you to the R computing environment. It'll enable you to use R to import data and perform statistical tests, allow you to understand the concept of an algorithm and what makes a good algorithm and will equip you for implementing simple algorithms in R.

Governance issues have been debated at great length for many years, but have reach particular prominence in the aftermath of many of the major business scandals that have arisen since the 1990s. The publication of the Cadbury Report (since revised and repackaged as the UK Code on Corporate Governance) and the changes that have occurred on an international basis make it desirable to present the accounting aspects of governance and the study of ethics in an accounting setting as a separate class. This class is intended to provide an overview of the role of accounting within business and society more generally.

We'll introduce you to analytical methods for solving ordinary and partial differential equations so you'll develop an understanding along with technical skills in this area.

This class will:

• review the concepts of probability distributions and how to work with these
• present approaches to parameter estimation, focusing on maximum likelihood estimation, bootstrap estimation, and properties of estimators
• present hypothesis testing procedures, including classical likelihood ratio tests and computer-based methods for testing parameter values, and goodness-of-fit tests.
• introduce and provide understanding of the least squares multiple regression model, general linear model, transformations and variable selection procedures
• present use of R functions for regression and interpretation of R output

This class will introduce functions of a complex variable, define concepts such as continuity, differentiability, analyticity, line integration, singular points, etc. It'll examine some important properties of such functions, and consider some applications of them, eg conformal mappings, and the evaluation of real integrals using the Residue Theorem. It'll also introduce you to Fourier and Laplace transform methods for solving linear ordinary differential equations and convolution type integral equations.

Here we'll introduce basic algebraic structures, with particular emphasis on those pertaining to finite dimensional linear spaces and deepen your understanding of linear mappings. We'll also provide an introduction to inner product spaces and bilinear forms.

This module will motivate the need for numerical algorithms to approximate the solution of problems that can't be solved with pen and paper. It'll develop your skills in performing detailed analysis of the performance of numerical methods and will continue to develop your skills in the implementation of numerical algorithms using R.

You'll be introduced to the basic concepts of random phenomena evolving in time, from two complementary points of view: probabilistic modelling and data-driven analysis. Presentation of underlying ideas of simple stochastic processes, time series models, and the associated probability theory and statistical techniques will be covered. In addition to applications of the methods to financial and economic systems, including modelling, data analysis, and forecasting.

This class provides you with experience of the skills required to undertake project work, and to communicate the findings in written and oral form using a variety of sources, such as books, journals and the internet.

This class will provide you with a range of applied statistical techniques that can be used in professional life.

You'll be introduced to a range of modern statistical methods and practices used in industry, commerce and research, and will develop skills in your application and presentation.

This module will cover the fundamental statistical methods necessary for the application of classical statistical methods to data collected for health care research. There will be an emphasis on the use of real data and the interpretation of statistical analyses in the context of the research hypothesis under investigation.

Topics covered will include:

• survival analysis
• analysing categorical data using hypothesis tests
• experimental Design and sampling
• clinical measurement

An introduction to ideas in mathematics and statistics that can be used to model real systems, with an emphasis on the valuation of financial derivatives. The class places equal emphasis on deterministic analysis (calculus, differential equations) and stochastic analysis (Brownian motion, birth and death processes).  In both cases, in additional to theoretical analysis, appropriate computational algorithms are introduced.  The first half of the class introduces general modelling and simulation tools, and the second half focuses on the specific application of valuing financial derivatives, including the celebrated Black-Scholes theory.

Here you'll get an introduction to ideas in mathematics and statistics that can be used to model real systems, with an emphasis on the valuation of financial derivatives. This module places equal emphasis on deterministic analysis (calculus, differential equations) and stochastic analysis (Brownian motion, birth and death processes). In both cases, in addition to theoretical analysis, appropriate computational algorithms are introduced. The first half of the class introduces general modelling and simulation tools, and the second half focuses on the specific application of valuing financial derivatives, including the celebrated Black-Scholes theory.

This class will present the main results in Functional Analysis, give an introduction to linear operators on Banach and Hilbert spaces and study applications to integral and differential equations.

You'll be introduced to the theory of Newtonian fluids and its application to flow problems and the dynamics of waves on water and in other contexts.

You'll be presented with the basic theory and practice of finite element methods and polynomial and piecewise polynomial approximation theory.

Here you'll learn the application of mathematical models to a variety of problems in biology, medicine, and ecology. It'll show the application of ordinary differential equations to simple biological and medical problems, the use of mathematical modelling in biochemical reactions, the application of partial differential equations in describing spatial processes such as cancer growth and pattern formation in embryonic development, and the use of delay-differential equations in physiological processes. The marine population modelling element will introduce the use of difference models to represent population processes through applications to fisheries, and the use of coupled ODE system to represent ecosystems. Practical work will include example class case studies that will explore a real-world application of an ecosystem model.

This class will demonstrate the central role network theory plays in mathematical modelling. It'll also show the intimate connection between linear algebra and graph theory and how to use this connection to develop a sound theoretical understanding of network theory. Finally, it'll apply this theory as a tool for revealing structure in networks.

To provide students with a range of applied statistical techniques that can be used in professional life. This class provides students with the fundamental principles of statistical modelling through experimental design and multivariate analysis.

To introduce students to a range of modern statistical methods and practices used in industry, commerce and research, and to develop skills in their application and presentation.

This class will discuss selected topics in the preparation of financial statements for external publication. The subjects selected will be issues that provide an opportunity to explore various parts of the regulation of financial reporting and the associated accounting choices implied by such regulations. The class will include a significant coverage of contemporary issues which have been of interest both to the accountancy profession and to society in recent years. This is an advanced level class in financial accounting. It discusses complex issues at both a practical and a theoretical level. By the time that students complete this class they should have an appreciation of both the difficulties faced by preparers, auditors and standard setters in ensuring that a set of accounts gives a true and fair view and also an awareness of the extent to which academic research can guide and illuminate this process. 

Risk and risk management is the basis of many accounting techniques. Financial reporting was introduced to protect investors from the actions of bad or incompetent managers. Financial auditing was introduced to further enhance this risk management tool. Many business decisions are about balancing risks – for example decisions to insure or not to insure, what level of investment in safety equipment, to hedge against currency or interest rate movements. Accounting can be viewed as a desire to reduce risks.

Over the past few years new theories of risk have been emerging that question our understanding of risk and the way in which risk is factored into organisational and individual decision-making. These new theories question the applicability of objective risk and probability theories used in finance and accounting. The consequences of these theories have the potential to radically alter many accounting conventions and basic techniques. This class explores these potential consequences. This class will explore the emerging risk debate by introducing the students to a new literature base and consider the impact on accounting from this new risk perspective. Existing techniques will be deconstructed using risk theories and new ways of accounting for risk explored. Students will develop an enhanced risk framework offering new insights into existing problems and phenomena.

This class will discuss the nature and purpose of the external audit of financial statements through an examination of the formal institutional framework (the work of the International Federation of Accountants), the informal framework (the Big Four audit firms) and the processes underlying the collection of audit evidence and reporting of results.

It'll adopt the perspective of the institutions and participants in the audit process themselves. This will require an agency-based approach to the discipline. While the limitations of this approach will be addressed in the passing, it's intended that students will see this class as a counterpoint to the more rigorous and theoretically motivated classes that are presently offered in the honours programme.

This class will discuss the nature of ethics and the manner in which ethical dilemmas can be identified and resolved. It'll explore a number of specific themes that can be used to clarify the nature of ethical dilemmas affecting accountants. These will include aspects of financial accounting, (the pressures associated with creative accounting) auditing, (the need to report findings honestly), management accounting (the implications of setting unattainable budgets), and taxation (the extent to which tax avoidance can be justified).

It'll provide students with a set of techniques with which to explore the dilemmas that will be introduced. These are necessarily philosophical in nature and cannot be regarded as objective or beyond challenge, but they do offer the means to subject a course of action to a rigorous analysis. 

This class is concerned with the use of various social theories in the interrogation of the accounting profession and accounting practice. It begins with a general introduction to social theories in accounting in order to situate the different theoretical perspectives in relationship to each other. It then takes several modern and postmodern theoretical frameworks to evaluate the insights they may or may not offer to accounting practice, practitioners and students. Different historical methods are then developed and critiqued. The end section of the class reconfirms the importance of history and the lessons we can learn from it. The theoretical theme running throughout the class is based upon the 'linguistic-turn' in its various theoretical forms (ideology, discourse, semiotics and so on).