"The friendly atmosphere amongst students and staff has given me the confidence to develop my skills and succeed in my studies, which helped me attain my position as a Student Representative."

Aliyah Akhtar
BA (Hons) in Business Studies and Law

"The Financial Planning degree suits me perfectly! I am really passionate about mathematics but it's not just all about numbers; it's about people, their way of thinking and behaviour too."

Andrada Padurean
Bsc (Hons) in Financial Planning

"One of the biggest highlights so far has been my study abroad experience, where I spent the second semester of my second year at a partner institution (Clarkson University - New York)."

Abigail Garland
BSc (Hons) in International Business & Management Studies

"Life is what you make it; the School of Management will help you get to where you want to go."

Jhannatul Khatun
BSc (Hons) in Marketing

Financial Planning

UNDERGRADUATE

Management
Accounting and Finance
- Accounting and Finance
- Financial Planning
Law
Corporate

Overview

Our Financial Planning degree is a four year programme designed to develop your understanding of the theory and practice of financial planning and give you first-hand practical experience working alongside industry practitioners.

There is currently high demand for graduates with the right knowledge and skills in financial planning (including in financial advising, wealth management, asset management, banking, insurance) and the degree was developed in collaboration with the independent financial advice sector and industry bodies.

A special feature of the programme is a compulsory placement year, providing you with first-hand practical experience working in a firm of financial advisors (this is a real paid job!), and potentially, an employment contract at the end of your degree study. The placement year is a vital part of your learning and will add significantly to your personal development, self confidence, planning, communication and business acumen skills, thus improving your employability.

Graduates will be exempt from five of the six units of the Chartered Insurance Institute Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning (the most popular qualification used to meet the Financial Services Authority’s minimum regulatory requirement). Depending on your module choices, you may also gain exemptions from relevant accounting professional bodies.

There is also the option to combine your subject with a language to make yourself more attractive to employers or to study abroad at one of our partner institutions for Semester 2 of your 2nd year.

+Course details

In the first year, you study compulsory modules designed to give you a good grounding in the disciplines required by a modern manager. In the second and final (fourth) year, you go on to develop your understanding of the theory and practice of financial accounting, management accounting, and finance, including personal finance. At all stages of study, there is the opportunity to choose elective modules, enabling you to design a programme of study to suit your needs and interests.

+Module details

Compulsory modules in the first year

Business Economics
Introduction to Accounting and Finance (20 credits)
Foundations of Marketing (20 credits)
Foundation of Production/Operations Management
Organisational Behaviour
The Sociology of Work
Organisational Information Systems
Quantitative Methods in Information Management
Student Self Development
The Macroeconomic Environment of Business

Compulsory modules in the second year

Principles of Personal Finance
Financial Accounting (20 credits)
Management Accounting (20 credits)
Employability and Enterprise Skills (20 credits)
Capital Markets, Investment and Finance
Company Law and Administration
Financial Management

Compulsory modules in the final year

Personal Financial Planning (20 credits
The Financial Services Environment
Taxation
Portfolio Management

Elective modules, choose two in the second year and seven in the final (fourth) year, from a list of 50 covering the specialist areas of

Accounting
Financial Management
Marketing
Psychology
Production and Operations Management
Human Resource Management
Information Management and Business Information Systems

There are also multidisciplinary modules on subjects such as International Business and Strategic Management.

+Accreditation

Graduating with the degree in Financial Planning will provide exemption from five of the six units of the CII Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning and other exemptions from relevant professional bodies, dependent on your module choices.The degree was developed in conjunction with market practitioners and we worked closely with the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) who is the leading professional body in the financial services market. The CII Diploma is the most popular qualification used to meet the Financial Services Authority (FSA)'s minimum regulatory requirement. Completion of the Advanced Diploma meets the requirements for the award of Chartered Financial Planner. Additionally, the degree offers some exemptions from the main professional accounting bodies such as ACCA, CIMA and ICAEW.

Additionally, a number of professional accountancy bodies give exemptions for examinations taken at different stages of their professional qualification, including the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales (ICAEW), the Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA), and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). This programme entitles students to be eligible for exemptions, but the exact detail of which examinations may be exempted vary depending on the modules taken in their studies at Bradford. For further information, please visit the appropriate websites:

Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA)

The Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales (ICAEW)

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)

+Student Placements

In the 3rd year of your Financial Planning degree, you will undertake a work placement within a firm of independent professional advisors. Whilst we cannot guarantee this placement opportunity for every student, we are confident that placements will be available for all students on this course with the initiative and drive to demonstrate their commitment to undertaking a placement. Our Career Development Service will support you to achieve this, and an annual Financial Planning speed networking event is held to facilitate this.

+Study Abroad

There are opportunities for School of Management undergraduate students to study abroad. This is usually in their 2nd year of studies, see the Study Abroad section for further information.

+What the IFA sector is saying about the programme

Kath McKenna, Operations Manager and Chartered Financial Planner at Pearson Jones plc, who took two interns summer 2011, says: “Pearson Jones feel this degree will have a big impact on the financial services sector in the West Yorkshire area. The fact that students will exit the course and be almost fully qualified to give financial advice will give anyone wishing to enter this industry a massive boost.”

Caspar Bartington, Relationship Education Manager at CII, “ We are excited about the growth of Bradford’s BSc (Hons) in Financial Planning, as a way for graduates to hit the ground running in financial advice, thanks to the placements, the sandwich year and the significant CII Diploma exemptions the degree offers”.