My course offers multiple accounting exemptions and fits the exact needs of the accounting and finance industry

Reputation and resources

I heard about Sheffield University Management School through the main University of Sheffield webpage. I was drawn to the University of Sheffield as a whole because of its outstanding rankings: 78th QS World ranking and 14th in the UK by the 2019 Times Higher Education World University Rankings. I also did further research about the Management School and found out about its ‘Triple Crown Accreditation’ which makes it stand out amongst business schools. The School’s reputation was a huge factor in helping me decide to study at Sheffield.

I was impressed by the range of resources on offer. For example, the Management School has its own dedicated careers service called Futures First and a suite of Bloomberg terminals which lets me analyse financial market data. These ‘extras’ help the Management School provide a high standard of teaching and practical experience. Employers look favourably on those with experience of Bloomberg software which is important for those, like me, who want to work in financial services.

Accounting exemptions

I knew that I wanted to work in financial services so I was looking for a course that would help me get started in the industry as quickly as possible after graduation. My Accounting and Financial Management (AFM) course offers multiple accounting exemptions with accounting bodies including ACCA, ICAEW, CPA Australia and CIMA.

This means that you may be exempt from certain exams when studying for your professional qualifications after your degree. This can speed up the time it takes you to qualify which is a huge selling point of this degree. The fact that the AFM course at Sheffield offers a large number of exemptions shows that the course is of top quality and fits the exact needs of the accounting/finance industry.

Getting career ready

I feel the Management School will help improve my career prospects as I can use the Futures First Employability Hub to get practical advice. They provide a range of help from CV workshops to one to one meetings. I have personally attended a workshop on assessment centres. The help provided by the Employability Hub was great because they gave a range of advice and exercises which makes me much more confident about future assessment centres.

Investing real money

I am a member of the investment society and part of the Twikker Fund which actively invests real money into the market with the goal of making a profit. The investment society at the University of Sheffield has approx. £260,000 in our fund (provided by a generous alumnus) which can be actively invested by those in society. This makes it one of Europe's largest student run investment funds.

Quality teaching and support

What I enjoyed most about my course is the passion of the lecturers who teach the course which makes the subject much more enjoyable.

The course supports students in a number of ways. Firstly, all learning materials are posted prior to the lecture taking place. Most lectures if not all are recorded so you can listen back online and catch up. Additionally, all lecturers make their office hours very clear and always welcome students who have questions.

I would like to use this opportunity to highlight the range of scholarships that the University offers. These vary from paid summer schools to financial packages. I believe these have the opportunity to transform your entire experience at Sheffield.