National Institute of Business Management

HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN

PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTING

PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION

CU Group*
CU Coventry (CUC)
CU Scarborough (CUS)
CU London (CUL)

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Introduction

The main aim of the course is to provide a credible accounting qualification that will enable
students to be equipped with the necessary skills and competences and for them to be able to make
a valid contribution to the accounting functions of any organisation such as sole traders, firms of
partnerships, private and public companies and charitable organisations. Students achieving this
qualification will benefit in the workplace by climbing the ladder of opportunity for promotion to
senior positions in an organisation, for example becoming the Assistant Accountant in supporting
the Financial Accountant in the preparation of the financial statements.

Significantly, the Professional Accounting provision is comprised of the Advanced Diploma in

Financial and Management accounting (ADFMA), Higher National Diploma (HND) in
Professional Accounting and the 3rd year BA, leading to a Coventry University Honours degree,
in addition to the potential for a professional qualification, whilst also providing directly
transferable skills to a range of equivalent roles.

As the basis for elements of this course, the curriculum design team has used the Association of
Accounting

Technicians (AAT), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), and
the Institute of Financial Accountants (IFA) standards, all of which are widely recognised
qualifications by employers and respected by the profession.

The degree has been given credits for modules by :

AAT Level 4 Diploma in Accounting

ICAEW (Eight exemptions)

IFA Level 4 Diploma in SME Financial Accountants

IFA Level 5 Diploma in SME Financial Managers

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Award(s) and Modes of Study
Title of Award
HND Professional Accounting
Awarding
Institution/Body
Teaching Institution and
Location of delivery
Internal Approval/Review
Dates
QAA Subject Benchmark
Statement(s) and/or other
external factors
Date of Course
Specification
Course Director
Mode of attendance UCAS Code FHEQ Level
P/T 1 Year 004N Level 5
Coventry University
National Institute of Business Management, Sri
Lanka
Date of approval*/latest review*: 2017/2026
Date for next review: 2025/2026
QAA Accounting Benchmark Statement (2016)
AAT Level 4 Diploma in Accounting
ICAEW (Eight exemptions)
IFA Level 4 Diploma in SME Financial Accountants
IFA Level 5 Diploma in SME Financial Managers
Pearson specification (BTEC Nationals) (2016)
January 2019
Ms. K. Kalaipriya
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Outline and Educational Aims of the Course

HND Professional Accounting

HND (level 5) is concerned with providing the knowledge and skills for students to prepare
essential financial information for the management of a business. Informed managerial decision-
making is an essential factor in business success. Therefore, students will examine the processes
and techniques used to establish the costs associated with the production of products and provision
of services and how this information is used to determine prices.

As preparation for their role in a business setting, they will be able to specify the components of
financial statements and prepare and present non-complex accounts for a range of different
business structures including sole traders, partnerships and limited companies. Students will also
need to prepare consolidated financial statements and the statement of cash flows for large business
entities.

Students will explore a general understanding of the principal areas of English law that may be
encountered in business organisations or professional practice.

Students will learn how to identify the general objectives of businesses and the functions and tasks
that businesses perform in order to meet their objectives and how to specify the nature,
characteristics, benefits and limitations of different forms of business and organisational structure.

Successful completion of these modules will allow students enrolled on the HNC, HND, Degree
Accounting course to obtain exemptions for the relevant modules from The Institute of Chartered
Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW’s) Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business.

These modules will also count toward exemptions of units from the IFA Diploma for SME
Financial Accountants and the IFA Diploma for SME Financial Managers on completion of the 3
years of the BA (Hons) Professional Accounting degree.

Course Structure and Requirements, Levels, Modules, Credits and Awards

Modules within the programme, their status (whether mandatory or options), the levels at which
they are studied, their credit value and pre/co requisites are identified below.

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The course is taught in 10-week blocks. Each one of the learning blocks (modules) is worth 30
credits; these will require the equivalent of 300 study hours.

The modules run over a ten week period and are taught consecutively, with assessments at the end
of each block. Students will receive approximately 18 hours of teaching per week. There will also
be small group two hour tutorials per week. The remaining hours required for the module will be
self-guided.

Level 5, HND modules: Management Information; Financial Reporting; Law for Accounting;
and Business Finance Each module carries 30 credits.

Classification of HND Awards

Module Grading Definition Associated Marks

Satisfactory performance in all major areas of a module as

PASS 40 - 59.5%
defined by the intended learning outcomes or skill areas.

MERIT Performance either significantly better than Pass in all 60 – 69.5%

areas of a module or outstanding in some areas with a Pass
performance in the others.

DISTINCTION Outstanding performance in all major areas of a module. 70 – 100%

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