Course at a glance
Introduction
This Level 3 Diploma in Accounting will provide students with an in depth knowledge of the topic area.
It is an ideal starting point for anybody wanting to become an accountant. It is also useful for a general manager wanting more information about the finances he or she has to manage. People considering starting their own business will also find the course useful as a means to learn what records are important and how to keep their accounts.
Accountancy is the art of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management and how those resources have been used to enhance value. Ten carefully created modules will take students from the basic fundamentals underlying the subject of accounting to the various concepts that are used by accountants to keep records of capital expenditure for an organisation.
The modules have been organised to provide students with an appropriate sequence to develop a sound knowledge in accounting. At the end of each module there is exam preparation to complete. This will help to prepare the student for the final examination.
The modules are of different length and difficulty. Some of them have references to carefully selected websites to provide the student with further practice, summaries and examples of topics covered in the lesson. Students will learn the concepts of financial record-keeping techniques, consequences of effective financial accounting, businesses profitability, performance, costing and budgeting. Such financial information is primarily used by managers, lenders, investors, tax authorities, regulators, and other decision makers to make resource allocation decisions between and within companies, organizations, and public agencies. It involves the process of recording, verifying, and reporting of the value of assets, liabilities, income, and expenses in the books of account.
Accounting helps businesses in the measuring, monitoring and planning of their operations. People skilled in accounting are able to tell whether or not the business is performing well financially, the strengths and weaknesses of the business and to communicate their results to the owners of the business. Accounting is about recording, classifying and summarising data. A certain grade of judgment and good analysis together with accounting techniques are required.
Level 3 Accounting Diploma Entry Requirements
All students must be 16 years of age and above to enrol into our Level 3 Diploma courses.
Level 3 Diploma courses require a minimum prior learning to GCSE standard in order that students can manage their studies and the assumed knowledge within course content.
Course Hours
Approximately 20 hours per unit.
Assessment
Optional coursework and final examination.
Enrolment
Please note that you can enrol on this course at anytime.
Course Length
1 Year.
Endorsed By
Students at the college have the option to choose the awarding body of their course.
This course has been endorsed by :
Quality Licence Scheme: https://qualitylicencescheme.co.uk/
Or
Accord : https://accord.ac/
This courses’ awarding bodies are recognised for their high-quality, non-regulated provision and training programmes. This course is not regulated by Ofqual and is not an accredited qualification. Your training provider will be able to advise you on any further recognition, for example progression routes into further and/or higher education. For further information please visit Quality Licence Scheme website or Accord website
Level 3 Accounting Diploma Course Content
Level 3 Accounting Diploma Module One – Purposes of Accounting and Records
This module introduces the subject and explains why we do what we do! Why it is necessary to have accurate financial records and how the most basic transactions are recorded.
Level 3 Accounting Diploma Module Two – Verification of Records – Accounts and Balance Sheets
We now go beyond the ledger and start to think about compiling the most basic forms of financial statements. Why does the balance sheet balance? What is gross profit and what relationship does it have to net profit?
Level 3 Accounting Diploma Module Three – Types of Business Organisations, Accounting Concepts and Further Aspects
Not all businesses are set up in the same way. What are the differences and what do they mean? Why are they important? Accounting concepts are the rules and the assumptions made in order to create accounts. You will be taught these vital principles.
Level 3 Accounting Diploma Module Four – Internal Final Accounts of Limited Companies, Ratio Analysis and the Assessment of Business Performance
The accounts of limited companies are different from those of a sole trader or a partnership. You need to know how they are different and why they are different. So a huge chain of supermarkets makes a bigger profit than a local family owned store. No surprises there! But which is making a higher % net profit? Which is showing a higher % return on the capital tied up in the business? That is where ratios come in. You will be shown all the important ones.
Level 3 Accounting Diploma Module Five – Introduction to Budgeting and Budget Control
If you are in any senior position in any business you are going to be controlling a budget. It goes with the territory. But what is a budget and why does it matter?
Level 3 Accounting Diploma Module Six – Stock Valuation, Incomplete Records and Sources of Finance
Before a profit figure can be calculated we have to ascertain the value of the inventory at the end of the year. But what figure is the correct figure? What rules should we apply? Not all businesses maintain a full set of accounts. So how do we produce financial statements for a business without full double entry accounts? Or if the records have been destroyed by a fire, or inventory has been stolen, how do we arrive at accurate figures? That is the science of incomplete records!
Level 3 Accounting Diploma Module Seven – Accounting Standards, Published Accounts and Partnership Accounts
This deals with the correct format for producing accounts. How much detail has to be provided and in what format?
Level 3 Accounting Diploma Module Eight – Manufacturing Accounts
Factories need a special type of account. They have inventory of raw materials, partly finished goods and completely finished goods. Each one of these items must be accounted for and the correct profit calculated. To do this we have to create a “Manufacturing Account”. You will learn how.
Level 3 Accounting Diploma Module Nine – Costing
Costing is the science (some would say art) of deciding which cost goes where and why. It is not as simple or straightforward as you might think. There are various methods and rarely one correct answer for any question.
Level 3 Accounting Diploma Module Ten – Capital Investment Appraisal, Budgeting, Further Considerations and Social Accounting
Is an investment sound? Should we buy machine A or machine B? Which one we buy might depend on a lot of factors such as our cost of capital. Perhaps we shouldn’t buy either and just contract out that part of our manufacturing. The techniques you learn in this section will help you to make the correct decisions based on the information you have. You can also contact your tutor if you feel you need more practice in any of the topics covered in this course. Textbooks
This course is self-contained so you will not need to use any extra textbooks. However, you may find useful to read other books on this subject. The following books have been recommended:
- Business Accounting 1 – Frank Wood & Alan Sangster, FT Prentice Hall. ISBN 0273655523
- Business Accounting 2 – Frank Wood & Alan Sangster, FT Prentice Hall. ISBN 0273655574
- Business Accounts – David Cox, Osborne books
Progression
This Level 3 Accounting Diploma course can be used to gain entry to a Level 4 Diploma or higher.
Further information on our Level 4 Diplomas can be found here: https://www.oxfordcollege.ac/courses/accredited-level-4-diplomas/
