MSc Corporate Governance

Core units:

Year 1

• Corporate Reporting & Financial Management: Learn the main principles involved in the production of financial statements and the techniques for the analysis and critical appraisal of corporate financial reporting; and understand the importance of the corporate finance function and frameworks in an internationally diverse corporation within a complex, dynamic and inherently uncertain external environment. 
• Company Law & Compliance: Learn the theoretical basis of corporate law, gain an understanding of contemporary corporate law, the role of company secretary in the effective administration of organisations, and evaluate key issues from theoretical and practical perspectives.  
• Strategic Management: Apply the concepts of corporate and business strategy by integrating theoretical and practical knowledge, and explore the managerial and organisational competencies required for companies to operate in global markets. 

Year 2 (direct entry for 2023 entry)

• Corporate Governance & Ethics: Understand the objectives, principles and methods of Corporate Governance practice within different economic environments, explore a range of frameworks to analyse complex ethical problems, and appreciate how corporate governance and ethics can aid managerial decision-making. 
• Enterprise Risk Management: Understand the different theoretical and practical aspects of identifying and managing risks, including how risk management links to compliance management and complements effective corporate governance in organisations, dependencies and complexities of several types of risks, and the need to establish a single framework, i.e. an Enterprise Risk Management system, within the organisation. 
• Boardroom Dynamics: Understand the importance of boardroom dynamics for organisations, and the impact on decision-making process, culture, diversity and other factors; and recognise the role of the company secretary/governance professional in supporting and influencing boardroom performance. 
• Research Project: This unit will provide you with an opportunity to undertake a significant piece of self-managed research in an area of particular interest, relevant to the course. You will be supported through an academic supervisor, who will be there to provide guidance and feedback/feedforward. You will also receive support through a series of research methods workshops. 

All units on this course will be delivered through a combination of asynchronous activities that you can study at any time (such as pre-recorded lectures, case studies, and other-directed online activities), supported by regular synchronous tutorials to allow you to work through issues in real-time with your tutors. 

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

For Corporate Governance we are looking for applicants who:

• Have an appreciation of corporate affairs
• Can provide details of relevant work experience
• Aspire to work within company secretarial, finance functions and senior management roles.

This course will suit people looking to move into an administrative, management role or aspiring to run their own business. Students will have a good understanding of all areas of business and will develop their knowledge using excellent research skills.

This course selects candidates by looking at their applications. There are no interviews or additional selection activities and therefore we suggest that you make your application stand out from the crowd.

Only applicable for GTA University Centre students (Channels Islands).

For 2023 direct entry: In order to be eligible for this programme (ie. joining in year 2 of the full programme) you need to already hold full The Chartered Governance Institute CSQS, CCAB, ACA, ACCA or CIMA or equivalent.

For 2024 entry: A Bachelors Honours degree, 2:2 or above, or equivalent

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow - some based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry team for more information.

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

• IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each component, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Some of our Corporate Governance graduates are now undertaking roles such as company secretarial, finance functions and senior management roles. 

• Finance
• Management
• Human Resources.

If you want to continue your studies after achieving your Master’s, you can look into our range of doctoral programmes.

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features.
• Disability and additional learning support
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
• Access to library resources of the Guernsey Institute.

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding BU finanical support funds.
• Text books, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of text books and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses
• Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland (CGIUKI) ICSA Memberships required by CGIUKI in order to be registered as a student, and then a graduate fee once the programme is complete
• Optional Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Membership enabling access to a CMI Level 7 Diploma upon successful completion of the course.

If you need to repeat one or more units during the course of your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full time fee.

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable £3,000 deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

• You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
• You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

Tony is a Senior Lecturer and joined BU in 2017 as a Lecturer in Accounting and Finance. Before that, Tony worked as a Visiting Academic/ Adjunct Lecturer (University of Southampton), an Associate Lecturer (Damascus University), and had 5-year work experience as a Chief Accountant.  

Tony’s current research interests lie around Corporate Governance, Accountability and Corporate Disclosure, Sustainable Development & Corporate Social Responsibility, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Corporate Finance, Insurance, and Risk Management. 

Roger is a Chartered Management Accountant and was elected a Fellow of the institute in 1993. Beginning his career in Management Accounting, Roger “cut his teeth” in the Midlands heavy engineering industry gaining down to earth costing experience before moving to work as a Corporate Analyst in the City of London. 

As a Corporate Analyst with the British American Tobacco Group, he was involved in appraising new business developments within the UK. This was at an exciting time when borrowing rates were high, and Discounted Cash Flow was a comparatively new technique. 

Roger subsequently worked in the oil business ( Gulf Oil ) as a Financial Analyst, where he gained managerial experience in addition to project management and on-site audits 

In more recent years Roger pursued his career in Financial Services, which began with a position with Crown Life of Canada as Management Accountant and ended with American Life, where he was Financial Controller of a company with £1bn of premium income. 

For the last 25 years, Roger had forsaken his corporate managerial role in favour of building his own accounting and training practice. 

Hany has a PhD in accounting (Brunel University), MSc and BSc (Hons) in accounting (Alexandria University). He is a Principal Academic in Accounting and Finance in the Business School within Bournemouth University. In addition to his university work, he acted as a consultant at GHEM consultants, UK (2015-2017). 

His research interests include accounting, accounting information systems, ERP systems, internal and external auditing, internal control, risk management, managerial accounting and Corporate Governance. He has published his research in refereed international journals such as Information Systems Management, Journal of Enterprise Information Management and Journal of applied accounting research. Hany is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Management Science and Business Administration, Journal of Organizational Studies and Innovation and Organisational Studies and Innovation Review. 

Hany teaches in a broad spectrum of both undergraduate and postgraduate levels as well as Executive MBA and PhD supervision. His teaching areas include financial accounting, accounting theory and practice, managerial accounting, auditing, environmental accounting and reporting and accounting information systems (ERP, Sage50). 

Frazer is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Accounting, Finance & Economics, within the Bournemouth University Business School. Having graduated from BU with a BA (Hons) in Accounting, Frazer specialised in IT before becoming an academic member of staff. Having gained an MSc. in Finance & Risk Management, Frazer now specialises in Risk Management/Disaster Planning and is a Technical Specialist member of the Institute of Risk Management. Frazer is currently undertaking a PhD in Finance, focusing on Portfolio Management, with a particular focus on Bloodstock. 

Frazer’s primary research interests lie in the multi-disciplinary aspects of large scale renewable energy projects and has several co-created publications in this area. 

Spencer graduated from Bournemouth University in 2003 with a first-class honours degree in Accounting & Finance and have subsequently qualified as a chartered accountant. 

Before starting at BU in 2000, he was an equity analyst and arbitrageur at a major European investment bank. 

Spencer’s research interests lie within the field of equity arbitrage, particularly surrounding mergers and acquisitions.