PD ACCA Applied Skills
Course Overview
The University of Bolton is proud to be a Gold-status ACCA Approved Learning Partner. This ACCA Applied Skills programme provides up to three hours of specialist tuition per week per module to help support your ambition to become an ACCA member. You can study up to two modules per semester towards the external ACCA exams held in December and June each year.Each paper is only taught by a subject specialist who holds or is working towards a PhD in that area or is already a fully qualified CCAB accountant. You’ll have the opportunity to learn from up to 45 hours of tuition per paper, with timetabled blocks set aside for tuition, revision, question practice and exam technique.
A personal tutor will be available to guide and advise you throughout the programme, with the focus on helping you acquire the essential techniques needed to pass each exam.
ACCA is one of the world’s pre-eminent accountancy bodies, with members and students in more than 170 countries. If you’ve already successfully completed (or been granted exemptions from) the ACCA Applied Knowledge exams (BT, MA and FA), this course will allow you to complete your ACCA Applied Skills element in just 18 months (part-time). Alternatively, you may go at a slower pace and take one paper at each of the December and June external examination sittings. If you've already completed some of the ACCA Applied Knowledge exams, we can offer you tuition for your remaining papers.
Highlights
- Regular examination practice sessions give you the chance to get detailed feedback about your knowledge and future objectives.
- You’ll be taught by a subject specialist with either a relevant PhD or full CCAB qualifications.
- You’ll be allocated a personal tutor who will guide and advise you throughout the programme.
- The University of Bolton is a gold status ACCA Approved Learning Partner.
Key Features
- This Advanced Diploma of CPD covers all or part of the ACCA Applied Skills qualification pathway, continuing your ongoing professional development and expertise.
- For each module, you’ll receive up to 45 hours of tuition over 15 weeks, giving you the chance to develop your knowledge and understanding at an advanced level.
- Weekly sessions cover tuition, revision, question practice and examination technique, and are taught by friendly and dedicated tutors focused on helping you become a qualified accountant.
- You’ll have the chance to support your learning with the University of Bolton’s extensive library, 24/7 IT facilities, and free Wi-Fi access.
Entry Requirements
- You must have successfully completed the ACCA Applied Knowledge stage of the ACCA Qualification (papers BT, MA and FA of the ACCA Qualification, previously known as papers F1-F3).
- Alternatively, you must possess a qualification that gains you exemptions from the ACCA Applied Knowledge stage (such as the ACCA Diploma in Accounting and Business (RQF Level 4), a Level 4 Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualification or a recognised honours degree in accounting or business that attracts F1-F3 exemptions).
- You may be required to attend a telephone interview.
- If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
Successful completion of the ACCA Applied Skills exams is an essential step on the way to achieving the ACCA Qualification and becoming a Chartered Certified Accountant. Chartered Certified accountants can work across many different organisations that range from large, multinational companies to small, local businesses.
What can I do with this qualification?
Alternative career options
You can also use this qualification to enter a range of other careers. For some of these roles, relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. Some of these careers include:
- Auditing
- Risk management
- Insolvency
- Forensic accountancy
- Purchasing
- Tax and pensions advice
- Law
- Teaching, education and training
- Transport and logistics
- Stocks and shares
- Charity work
- Loss adjusting
- Credit and investment analysis
- Claims inspection
- Advertising, marketing and PR
- Investment banking
- Insurance
- Statistics and market research
Professional Recognition
The University of Bolton has Gold partner status as an ACCA Approved Learning Partner.
Fees & Funding
Home/EU Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
International Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
Bursaries
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2025-26 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:
You should have to hand:
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Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
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Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
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Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
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Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
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Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
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Apply online: University of Bolton Advanced Diploma (CPD) ACCA Applied Skills-27 January 2025 (Course Full)
International Applicants
International applications are not possible for this course
As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.
We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.
Teaching & Assessment
To achieve the ACCA Applied Skills element, you’ll need to complete six external examinations. You’ll study one module at the University of Bolton in preparation for each of the six ACCA Applied Skills exams. For each paper you’re studying, you’ll be expected to attend a three-hour learning session (6 pm to 9 pm) once a week for 15 weeks.
The first 60 to 90 minutes of each session will be a formal lecture introducing a key topic on the syllabus. The remaining time will be conducted in a seminar format, looking at past exam questions on the subject area covered in that week’s formal lecture.
You’ll have the chance to benefit from an exam practice session for each paper, with tutors providing prompt feedback on your performance. Your grade for each module will be based entirely on the results of a professional written examination set and marked by the ACCA.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- Corporate and Business Law
- Performance Management
- Taxation
- Financial Reporting
- Audit and Assurance
- Financial Management
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Written exams 100% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 66% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 34% |
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
