MMU

Business School

MSc Strategic Financial Management

with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
(CIMA)
15 months full-time

This programme offers a dual award of

professional CIMA qualification and a Masters
degree, as you will study for CIMA
Professional level papers concurrently with
Masters units.
Successful completion of the CIMA
examinations will provide credit towards
the Masters degree allowing both awards
to be completed within 15 months.
You will sit CIMA examinations and
therefore must be registered as a student
with CIMA by the end of July before
commencing the programme in September
in order to be able to complete the
programme on time. It is your
responsibility to complete the registration
and claim exemptions if necessary, and
we will need evidence that this process
has been successfully completed.

Special Features
n

Use of Web CT via the internet to

provide additional learning materials,
links to library materials or other web
sites of interest, communication and an
aid to discussions.

Visits to local companies and

opportunities to attend guest lectures.

This publication is available in alternative formats.

Please telephone 0161 247 3725.

Programme Content and

Structure
CIMA E3
CIMA P3
CIMA F3
TOPCIMA T4 Part B
Masters Elective
Developing Professional Practice
Strategic Financial Management
Awarded Postgraduate Diploma in
Strategic Financial Management
Consultancy Project / Dissertation
Awarded Masters Degree in
Strategic Financial Management

CIMA Papers
Students need to complete four CIMA
papers, these being the three Strategic
Level papers plus TOPCIMA Part B as
follows:
E3: Enterprise Strategy

Masters Units
Elective
Your elective choice is selected from the
Business School Masters Network and is
subject to timetabling restraints.
Examples include, Enterprise resource
planning, including introduction to the
use of appropriate software, Social &
Organisational Aspects of Projects,
Accounting , Society and Environment,
which looks at the wider societal
implications of accounting practices.
Other units include Innovation and
Globalisation Strategy and Digital and
Media Environment. All of these are
considered complimentary to your CIMA
studies and will help to add additional
perspectives to your business and
accounting knowledge.
Developing Professional Practice
Strategic Financial Management
This unit helps develop your practical skills
by focusing on the development of
professional and business research skills
aimed at improving your employability or
career progression. You will adopt a project
management approach, working
collaboratively to investigate an
organisational or business issue.

P3: Performance Strategy

F3: Financial Strategy
TOPCIMA T4 Part B:
Case Study Examination
Note: T4 part A is the practical work
experience required to become a full
Associate member of CIMA
The content of these papers is controlled
by CIMA as you will sit CIMA
examinations. Further detail on the
syllabus content can be found on the
CIMA website at www.cimaglobal.com

Dissertation / Consultancy project

The dissertation will normally take the
form of an empirical piece of research
conducted with academic guidance and
supervision. You will receive instruction in
research methods as part of the process.

dissertation can be undertaken with

empirically based data, as a consultancy
where appropriate or using secondary data.

Career Development
Opportunities
On successful completion of the course
you will hold a masters degree and be
known as a CIMA student with exams
completed. You may have some relevant
work experience already or be looking for
your first accounting position, either way
you will be well placed to move into
employment in a wide range of relevant
roles within the finance functions of
organisations ranging from large MNEs to
the public sector. Alternatively you may
prefer to seek a career in management
consultancy or the growing accounting
services sector. You will have advantage
over other graduates in that you will have
passed all the examinations necessary to
become a fully qualified Associate of
CIMA.
You will need to record three years
relevant practical work experience, and
have this Career Profile approved by
CIMA in order to gain the TOPCIMA T4
Part A credits, required to become a
Associate Chartered Management
Accountant (ACMA), therefore acquiring
appropriate work experience will be the
next logical step for most graduates.
(Please see the CIMA website for more
details of how to record and maintain your
Career Profile.)

Assessment
Assessment for the CIMA papers is by
CIMA examination only.
For the Masters units, assessment can take
a variety of forms from traditional essay
or report style assignments and end of unit
unseen examinations, to assignments for
live clients and/or case work. Occasionally
you may have open book or pre-seen
examinations and opportunities to
undertake extended project work. The

Entry Requirements
A good British honours degree, 2:1(or
equivalent) preferred, in any subject and
CIMA managerial level completed or
exempted. If you have the required CIMA
examination passes we may be able to
consider alternative academic
qualifications or in some cases take
account of work experience as alternative
routes to entry.

Further information
For further information about study opportunities in the
Business School please visit our website at www.business.mmu.ac.uk
Enquiries about this programme should be made to:
courses@mmu.ac.uk
+44 (0)161 247 6969
This information is correct at the time of going to press. For terms and conditions applicable to the provision of the
University's Educational Services please refer to the prospectus. April 2010.

AE 2856