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Are you thinking about starting your career in accounting and finance, but need extra support before you start a full degree? Then the BSc (Hons) Accounting and Finance with Foundation Year course at our Berlin campus is the perfect stepping stone – regardless of previous qualifications.
As with all of our foundation degrees, this course will provide you with the skills needed to achieve your career goals. A foundation year provides you with the extra support and skills needed to get started in higher education, helping you complete your accounting and finance degree with confidence. These courses are the ideal pathway if you don’t currently meet our standard entry requirements, or if it’s been a while since you were in formal education and need to brush up your study skills. After you’ve completed the foundation year, you’ll then move on to the first year of the full degree course.
This course is accredited by the ACCA, one of the world’s most respected accountancy bodies, and offers a range of specialist modules from financial accounting to business law. This means that when you graduate you’ll have gained the specialised skills and knowledge that employers in this industry value the most. Studying with Arden University in Berlin also means you’ll be able to work in Germany while you study, as well as being able to apply for an 18-month working visa after graduation.
My tutors assist me any time I have a question, and my classmates are very helpful too. If we have any problems in our assignments or don't understand something then we ask our tutor, and they respond right away and clear things up.
You have 4-12 years to complete your course, meaning that you can take up to three years to complete each level. However, many of our students complete the course in 4-6 years.
You’ll be assessed in a variety of ways throughout your finance and accounting degree. As this course complies with ACCA, CIMA, and ICAEW requirements, a number of modules will also be assessed by exams which will give you exam exemptions from these qualifications. However, we’ve limited these to a minimum to ensure you’ll gain real-life skills you can use in your future career.
Other methods of assessment may include:
This course is available to study full time through our blended learning study mode at our campus in Berlin, Germany.
The course is also available to students via online learning. This gives you the convenience of being able to study worldwide, providing you with the same high standards of teaching but with lower tuition fees.
I have enjoyed doing my master’s here because it’s not like a traditional university where you sit in a classroom and a lecturer talks and you write down everything. I like that when we come here there’s actually a discussion and we do a lot of analysis.
How does it work?
When you choose our blended learning study mode, you’ll have eight hours of timetabled classes spread over two days at our centrally located Berlin campus. This is combined with around 25 hours of independent study, which takes place through ilearn, our university campus in the cloud. ilearn contains all the resources you need to study successfully. You’ll also have access to our online library, BibliU, which contains almost half a million books, journals, and industry literature which you can make use of throughout your studies, removing the need to buy expensive course books in order to study successfully.
Full time study in Berlin is the best option for students who prefer the structure of regular face to face classes with their tutor and fellow classmates, and is particularly suited to students who are attracted by the opportunity to move to Germany to study, where you can take advantage of the employment opportunities available for overseas students.
Please note: our campus classes are temporarily being conducted online in our virtual classroom due to Covid-19 restrictions. Face-to-face classes will resume once the current restrictions are lifted.
Learn more about our Berlin campus
How does it work?
Studying this course online gives you the ultimate in convenience. You can enrol with Arden from anywhere in the world and study your degree from the comfort of home, without the requirement to attend classes in a physical location.
Our online students study their degree through ilearn, Arden’s university campus in the cloud. ilearn provides everything you need to study at University. It offers an integrated virtual learning experience, including your virtual classroom, lecture theatre, and online library (which when used along with our supplementary library, BibliU, gives you access to almost half a million books and journals – yours for free while you study with us).
ilearn is also integrated with Zoom, making it easier to chat with your course tutor during your scheduled seminar sessions. You can even integrate our study materials into your Kindle, making it possible to study wherever you have you Kindle handy.
Studying online doesn’t mean studying alone. As well as receiving regular feedback and guidance from your course tutor, you’ll be studying with likeminded students who you can meet with through our Unitu community, and you’ll have access to community message boards to discuss your course and the topics being raised within it. We’ve even set up community boards embedded into each of the course modules so you can have discussions with your tutor and classmates on the topics you’re currently learning.
At Arden University we consider applications on a case by case basis. If you have significant work experience, have qualifications you have gained elsewhere, or a degree or qualification that isn't a clear pathway to this degree - we are more than happy to discuss your application.
To be able to study this course, we need to see that you have:
At least 3 x GCSEs (including mathematics) / 45 credits at Level 2 or equivalent – if your qualifications are older than 3 years we would also ask to see a professional CV.
Applicants may be considered based on a minimum of 12 months of professional work experience evidenced with a CV and Reference if they do not meet the qualification requirements.
Applicants must also have a GCSE (or equivalent) in Mathematics, above grade C
We also offer an internal English test for applicants. More information on this can be found here.
Whilst you can read your study materials on your smart phone or tablet, to make the most of your learning experience, you will need access to a laptop or computer (we recommend one running the latest version of Windows), and a good stable internet connection.
Our business and management faculty in Berlin are a dedicated and passionate group of professionals who are here to help you reach your goals both in and outside of the classroom. Get to know some of our business faculty members before you start your programme by following the link below.
Here at Arden University Berlin, we’ve designed our accounting and finance foundation degree to help you develop into a confident and forward-thinking finance professional. Wherever your career path leads you after graduation, you’ll have gained a well-rounded accounting and finance education that prepares you to take on challenges in whichever are of industry you feel most passionate about.
I chose Arden University Berlin because they provide an environment to further your knowledge and pursue opportunities in a new field.
By developing important skills in the key areas of accounting and finance, you’ll be able to show employers how valuable you are to their organisation. Just some of the vital workplace skills you’ll develop on the course include:
Your accounting and finance degree with foundation year sets you up for any number of possible career paths after graduation. And don’t forget, as a graduate from our Berlin campus, you’ll also have the chance to apply for an 18-month post-study residence permit to work in Germany after you complete the course!
Here are some of the professions our previous graduates have gone on to explore:
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is a powerful global presence within the accountancy profession, inspiring its members and students towards greater success and prosperity.
When a higher education degree course is accredited by the ACCA, that course has been assessed by the ACCA’s professional qualifications approvals team, and exemptions from future ACCA exams are awarded accordingly.
At Arden, our BSc Accounting and Finance is awarded the maximum nine ACCA exemptions. This means that students who go on to study ACCA after graduation will start their studies at the appropriate level, studying only five ACCA papers out of the standard 14 that make up the ACCA qualification.
The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) is one of the most globally reputable organisations in professional accountancy. The institute works to provide continued professional development services, fund academic research, develop thought leadership, and monitor professional standards in the accountancy sector.
It also maintains a code of ethics for members and works with external tuition providers and assessment services to provide the best study and examination experiences possible for accounting students. CIMA currently has a network of more than 696,000 members, students, and professionals in management and public accounting.
Our BSc (Hons) Accounting and Finance has exemptions from CIMA at operational and certificate levels.
Arden University’s Faculty of Business is an esteemed member institution of the Business Graduates Association (BGA), an international quality assurance body of world-leading education providers who share a commitment for responsible management practices and lifelong learning. Membership with the BGA means that Arden University will support its students’ professional growth, allowing them to contribute to an international network in which ‘Leaders Never Stop Learning’.
We have partnered with Bloomberg to provide our students access to the Bloomberg Financial Markets Platform, an industry leading and cutting-edge financial tool. Through this, you will be able to interact with financial markets in real-time, giving you insight into what it’s really like to work in finance and allowing you to gain valuable employability skills in a safe environment.
You will also have access to Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) – an industry leading course. BMC is a self-paced e-learning course that provides an interactive introduction to the financial markets. The course is available to you for free for the duration of your degree, and a year after graduation.
