Newcastle University

PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS has announced it is backing a groundbreaking vocational degree programme at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

The professional services firm has joined forces with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) to support a BA (Honours) degree in Business Accounting and Finance.

The new degree programme will involve integral paid work experience, and will lead to students being considerably further down the route towards a chartered accountancy qualification than other accounting and finance graduates. The first applicants will be applying later this year, and will start the course in autumn 2002.

The University of Newcastle upon Tyne will be the first to offer the degree, which is a four-year sandwich programme, and students will be affiliated a UK-based PricewaterhouseCoopers office throughout their work placements, giving them the opportunity to work alongside leading financial business advisers.

Bill Teasdale, senior partner PricewaterhouseCoopers Newcastle, said:

"By enabling students to complete some of their professional qualification prior to graduation, this degree programme allows students to sample the industry and gain constructive work experience. The new programme minimises any doubling up created by some academic studies and professional training."

Brian Chiplin, Executive Director of Education and Training at the ICAEW added:

"This new entry route gives students the flexibility which they increasingly require, while helping them to gain a leading business qualification. The scheme is a natural and valuable extension of the philosophy of the new ACA, as it integrates learning with work experience.

" It preserves the unitary nature of the qualification as the learning outcomes are the same across all students and the assessment is controlled by the Institute to ensure consistency, integrity and rigour."

During the work placements students will work on audit and business advisory projects, which will include clients from financial services, retail, media, technology, telecomms and public sector domains, increasing their commercial awareness and interpersonal skills.

Madeleine Atkins, Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, said:

"The degree gives students a fantastic opportunity to supplement their academic studies with practical experience."

On completion of the degree, graduates will need to complete an element of further training in order to qualify as a chartered accountant, but the time scale will be considerably shorter than for other graduates.

** ENDS **

Further notes:

1. The Course

* Demand for the new degree programme is expected to be high, and early application through UCAS is encouraged.

* Entry requirements are as follows: GCSE grade A in mathematics (unless offered at A2 or AS level) or Standard Grade 1 in Scotland. A levels: normally require any three A2 levels excluding General Studies, with a typical offer being ABB. Scottish candidates: Typically AAABB in Highers.

* Teaching will be by a combination of lectures, workshops and seminars reinforced by student learning, and PricewaterhouseCoopers staff will be involved in delivering some parts of the taught programme

* Assessment is by a combination of examination, projects, essays, presentations and assessed work placements. Years 2,3 and 4 count for honours classification purposes.

2. Work placements

* Each work placement counts for one third of a year’s study and contributes to the assessment of honours.

* The Institute requirement is for 90 weeks of approved work experience within the training contract. The work placements will cover approximately three of the four years of the contract and approximately half of the approved technical work experience.

3. Qualification

* Successful students on the programme will complete the Professional Stage of the ICAEW’s examinations.

* Students will become provisional members of the ICAEW with a training contract. Their training contract will commence at year two of the course and run for four years, and they would be able to complete it within about a year of graduating.

* A chartered accountancy qualification can be used as a platform for any business career, including working in industry or the public sector, management consulting and education. Some individuals move into more general management, and others specialise in tax or corporate finance.

4. Further press enquiries

* University of Newcastle upon Tyne: Simon Pallett, Degree Programme Director for Undergraduate Programmes, Department of Accounting and Finance (0191 222 8657) S.D.Pallett@newcastle.ac.uk. * Press office: Claire Jordan (0191 222 6067 or 7850).

* Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales: Brian Chiplin, Executive Director of Education and Training, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (01908 248 194), or Melissa Compton-Edwards, Head of Media Relations, ICAEW (020 7920 8515)

* PWC: Eileen McCabe, McCabe Associates (0191 529579). Email: eileen@emccabe.freeserve.co.uk

5. Course enquiries

* The Admissions Office University of Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU United Kingdom Telephone: (UK) 0191 222 6138/8672 (International) + 44 191 222 6138/8672 Fax: (UK) 0191 222 6139 (International) + 44 191 222 6139 E-mail: admissions-enquiries@ncl.ac.uk

* Further information is also available at the following websites:

University of Newcastle upon Tyne www.ncl.ac.uk/ Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales: www.icaew.co.uk PricewaterhouseCoopers: www.pwcglobal.com/uk/flying_start