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Accounting and Finance Graduate Programmes

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN FINANCE

In the field of finance, this proliferation of knowledge has led to an increasingly greater proportion of business organizations side-stepping the traditional financial system mediated by banks, to participate in the market-driven financial system where capital is obtained directly from the financial markets. In tandem, there is an increase in demand for skills and expertise in the concomitant areas of asset management, real estate finance, and securities analysis. These changes have caused organizations to increasingly seek specialized management skills and avoid management generalists.  Higher education in the field of finance needs to provide this advanced specialized training, featuring a solid foundation of finance as well as a broader focus on accounting, auditing, economics, law, and business administration. 

The Masters of Science in Finance program is designed to train business leaders, financial policy managers, and academicians who are firmly grounded in the core areas of corporate finance, capital markets, asset management, financial risk management, financial reporting, securities research, and strategic management control.  A range of careers is available for graduates including management of financial institutions, financial analysis, financial market trading, real estate, consultancy, and financial regulatory agencies. 

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD) IN FINANCE

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree Programme in Finance is a research and thesis degree that is focused on developing cutting-edge quantitative research academic skills that are needed to advance teaching, research and consultancy in finance.  The PhD programme in Finance is structured around student mentoring processes management by faculty to inculcate independent and critical thinking, with emphasis on the interplay between theory development and empirical applications.  The graduates are encouraged to foster this culture of scholarship as prospective faculty at higher learning institutions. A critical component of the PhD programme is dissemination on knowledge through peer-reviewed scholarly journals.   To achieve this, faculty and students work closely together throughout the programme to develop the capabilities requisite for scholarly success, namely, academic craftsmanship.  The hallmark of the PhD in Finance programme is that students acquire broad based business knowledge, horned skills in the specialization area and academic craftsmanship.  Research topics include but not limited to public finance, corporate finance and personal finance, financial markets, financial economics,  portfolio theory, tax planning, retirement planning, estate planning, financial services, financial mathematics, experimental finance and behavioral finance.

A range of stimulating and rewarding careers is available to finance graduates including teaching in higher learning institutions, business leadership in public finance, corporate finance, financial markets, tax planning, retirement planning, estate planning, financial services , financial analysis and investment banking.

The Doctor of Philosophy in finance programme that we offer provides a platform for interrogation of finance theories and practice while recognizing its interplay with other disciplines such as accounting, economics, econometrics, statistics and research methodology. The programme grounds application of scientific approaches to test finance phenomena. It encourages learner driven and active participation approach. The programme considers how people, financial management processes and structures interrelate. It is concerned with data, metrics and standards on financial management practice. The learner will seek new knowledge in emerging areas in accounting and use the knowledge to build on related theories. The programme focuses on societal needs and targets excellence in its delivery and output, provides equity in opportunities within its pursuit and placement and is expected to foster integrity and coexistence among people.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ACCOUNTING

This programme is founded on the philosophy that people represent the most valuable resources in an organization and are to be regarded as the most intelligent creation that is capable of making decisions, unlike other resources. From the cradle of mankind with the nascent practices in the record over five thousand years ago Mesopotamia and Summeria, accounting is arguably the oldest discipline.  Today, accounting is termed "the language of business" because it is the vehicle for reporting financial information regarding business organizations to many different stakeholders.  Nonetheless, accounting has recently come under global severe criticism regarding its role in corporate governance due to a series of financial information frauds involving erstwhile leading corporations. With business accounting managers are continuing to be a key member of the management team for all private, public, non-profit, and governmental organizations and more chief executive officers (CEOs) having undergraduate or graduate degrees in accounting than any other area of study, the challenge remains for academia to lead the way in cutting-edge research to bridge the expectation gap. The specific skill set that enables understanding of the language of business and the general direction of the practice of accounting is provided by the programme.

The Doctor of Philosophy in Accounting programme that we offer provides a platform for interrogation of accounting theories and practice while recognizing its interplay with other disciplines such as finance, economics, econometrics, statistics, and research methodology. The programme grounds application of scientific approaches to test accounting phenomena. It encourages a learner-driven and active participation approach. The programme considers how people, accounting processes, and structures interrelate. It is concerned with data, metrics, and standards on accounting practice. The learner will seek new knowledge in emerging areas in accounting and use the knowledge to build on related theories. The programme focuses on societal needs and targets excellence in its delivery and output, provides equity in opportunities within its pursuit and placement, and is expected to foster integrity and coexistence among people.