Train at the highest professional level in accounting and finance. Acquire the knowledge and managerial skills to lead these areas in all types of companies and organizations. You can specialize in Corporate Finance, Controlling or International Finance and Accounting. All this with the advantages of online training from a program designed for an international audience.
The main objective of the Online Official Master's Degree in Accounting and Financial Management at UPF Barcelona School of Management is to train leaders in financial management at the highest level. You will become an expert professional, with the managerial skills to lead or advise the financial and accounting department of companies or institutions.
You will acquire the skills needed to align the evolution of the economic and financial environment with the financial strategy of your company. In addition, you will master current specialties that are in great demand, so that you can focus your career in the field that interests you the most: Controlling, Corporate Finance, or International Finance and Accounting.
During the course you will gain a strategic vision of the latest customer management, treasury, and financial management techniques. You will be trained to make decisions on the design and implementation of capitalization, indebtedness, and dividend policies. And you will learn to choose financing instruments according to the different needs of the company.
In addition, in the Corporate Finance specialization, you will have the opportunity to obtain a double degree with Montpellier University - MOMA (France).
The Online Official Master's Degree in Accounting and Financial Management is endorsed by Pompeu Fabra University, the 1st Spanish university and the 15th best university in the world (of those with less than 50 years), according to the Times Higher Education ranking. In addition, UPF Barcelona School of Management has EQUIS accreditation, the most prestigious institutional recognition for business schools globally.
Collaborators:
Why choose this program
Study at an accredited school
Study at a school accredited by EQUIS, an international distinction that guarantees the quality of our institution and makes us the 1st school of management linked to a public university with this accreditation in our country.
All the advantages of UPF-BSM online training
The Online Official Master's Degree in Accounting and Financial Management offers you a double experience: on the one hand, the maximum academic and professional rigour in managerial and financial management skills. And, on the other, the advantages of online training: flexibility, dynamism, interconnection, and personalization.
Good teachers make better training
You will train with renowned professors from the UPF, whose Department of Economics and Business is no. 1 in Spain, 3rd in Europe and 46th in the world, according to Times Higher Education. You will also learn and practice with renowned active professionals who will provide you with their knowledge and experience.
Access to CIMA and ACCA accreditations
Our master’s degree guarantees fast access to the CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) and ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) accreditations, widely recognized institutions for the international accreditation of professionals in management & accounting, financial accounting, and management accounting.
CFA accreditation
At the end of the master’s degree you will be able to take the exam to obtain the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) accreditation, a prestigious international recognition, for which we offer two scholarships in each course.
In addition, you can participate in the CFA Research Challenge, a university competition between more than 1,000 teams from around the world.
Specializations
The master’s degree is made up of four modules. The first three modules are common in all three specializations. The fourth and last module of the master’s degree is the specialization, which you can choose depending on the field in which you want to develop your professional activity.
Corporate finance
Master and lead the design and implementation of financial policies, strategic planning, and optimal decision-making for treasury, financing, and investment.
Controlling
Specialize as controller. You will define and operationalize the company's strategy in the coordination of business operations: analytical accounting, advanced financial planning, and sector analysis.
International Finance and Accounting
Focus on international companies. You will deal in depth with basic aspects such as international accounting regulations, the financial management of multinationals, and international taxation. The last module of this specialty is taught in English.
Who is it for?
The master’s degree is aimed at:
- Young graduates in the field of Business Administration, Economics, Accounting and Finance, and Management.
- Graduate professionals who currently work in departments related to accounting and financial management, and want to expand their managerial and leadership skills for their careers.
Accreditations
UPF Barcelona School of Management is the management school of Pompeu Fabra University, the 1st Ibero-American university and the 16th placed university in the world, among those under 50 years of age, according to the Times Higher Education ranking.
UPF Barcelona School of Management has EQUIS accreditation, the most prestigious institutional recognition for business schools globally, and places itself among the top business schools in the world.
The Online Master in Accounting and Financial Management is an official master's degree and has the academic recognition of the Ministry of Education of the Government of Spain. The Quality Agency of the University System of Catalonia (AQU Catalunya) has institutionally accredited the UPF-BSM. This accreditation certifies all the official university master's degrees that we teach and recognizes the quality of our educational model in accordance with the criteria of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).
The master provides access to the CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants), ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) accreditations.
The Master in its online modality has also obtained the EFMD's EOCCS certification in five of its subjects, a quality-driven international certification system that endorses the excellence of the online education.
Curriculum
The Online Master in Accounting and Financial Management is structured in 3 differentiated modules, the first two modules are common and the third module is the specialization to choose between Controlling, Corporate Finance, or International Finance and Accounting.
In addition, two subjects from the elective offerings must be chosen or the professional internship subject.
The master's program is completed with the elaboration of the Master's Final Project, which is developed throughout the course, parallel to the teaching activity.
- Critical vision with a comparative approach at the international level of accounting regulations (General Accounting Plan and International Financial Information Standards, General Accounting Plan for SMEs and Microenterprise Regime).
- Comparison with US GAAP regulations.
- Review of the latest research on accounting regulations and international accounting. Analysis of the latest trends and repercussions for the company.
- ICAC sanctioning procedures.
- Relevance of the consolidation of balance sheets in the cases of groups of companies
- Rules for preparing the consolidated annual accounts
- Formulation of consolidated accounts of corporations and groups of companies
- Comparison with international regulations. Review of the latest research on balance sheet consolidation.
- Analysis of recent changes in the legislation on auditing of accounts
- Critical vision with an international comparative approach of auditing regulations
- Auditing principles and standards
- Audit procedures. Audit reports. ICAC sanctioning procedures
- Internal audit and internal control
- Comparison with international regulations
- Review of the latest audit research
- Analysis of the latest trends and repercussions for companies and for audit firms. Special reference to the responsibility of the auditors.
- Current status of academic research and business practice in financial statement analysis
- Equity and financial analysis. Discriminant analysis. One-dimensional and multidimensional models
- Analysis of working capital. The relationship between working capital needs and actual working capital. Latest trends in working capital management
- Comprehensive analysis
- Analysis of the ability to generate profits, value and growth
- Comprehensive diagnosis of the company. Sensitivity analysis
- Relationships between cost accounting and financial accounting
- Current state of academic research and business practice on costs, with special emphasis on the different cost systems used by companies in the current context
- Activity-based cost management
- Relations with integrated information systems and other functional areas of the company
- Strategic cost management
- New trends in cost accounting
- Latest academic research on the subject
- Cost models of high growth companies
- New approaches to cost reduction. The low-cost model, quality and non-quality costs. Environmental costs. Consequences of cost reduction approaches in the company
- Relations with integrated information systems and other functional areas of the company
- Standard costs and variance analysis models
- Practical implementation of budget control models
- Review of the literature on new trends in budget control and management beyond budgets
- Budget management models of high-growth companies by sectors
- Link between strategy and control system
- Choice of monetary and non-monetary indicators
- Design of scorecards (balanced scorecard)
- Human aspects of management control
- Review of the literature on new trends in management control and foreseeable evolution of control in organizations
- Management control models in high growth companies
- Design of control systems that minimize the perverse effects of management control
- Case studies of successful companies and of failed companies
- Relationships between financing policy and financial instruments
- Analysis of the impact of the macroeconomic environment and the behaviour of the intervening agents in the economic-financial situation of the company
- Review of the literature and the latest professional trends in the financial system
- Analysis of real operations traded in financial markets through the application of fundamental and technical analysis
- Review of the literature on analysis models of financial markets and stock investments
- Relations between investment policy and company financing
- Alternatives to fill the deficiencies of the different methods
- Choosing the most appropriate investment evaluation methods taking into account qualitative, fiscal, and organizational aspects and optimizing investment financing decisions
- Good investment evaluation practices in high-growth companies and special sectors
- Project finance.
- Latest trends in qualitative analysis of the company
- Current status of academic research and business practice in the field of business analysis and analysis of consolidated accounts
- Formulation of predictive models based on ratios (insolvency prediction techniques)
- Design of credit scoring and rating models
- Analysis of specific sectors
- Analysis of high growth companies, long-lived companies, failed companies and other types of relevant companies.
- Corporate finance: latest trends
- Current status of academic research and business practice in financial management
- Application of business valuation methods to real cases. Advantages and disadvantages depending on the sector and the company analysed
- Latest trends in business valuation and policies for value creation
- The perverse effects of value creation policies
You can undertake curricular internships in companies, which are recognized as 2 elective subjects (6 ECTS credits).
In the Master's Final Project you must apply the knowledge acquired in the various subjects of the program to the business world.
Complementary activities
The Master's degree gives accelerated access to the CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) and ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) credentials, two of the most internationally recognized institutions for accrediting professionals in management & accounting, financial accounting and management accounting
Its contents mean that once you finish the master, you are prepared to take the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam. There will be 2 scholarships available to access the CFA exam.
The Online Master in Accounting and Financial Management also includes the possibility of participating in practical activities and activities for personal and professional growth such as:
- Training Supplement: Initial preparation course for participants who may need to take it depending on their previous education: Introduction to Accounting.
- International mobility: The UPF Barcelona School of Management offers you the possibility of expanding your training and international vision through the International Mobility Programme. Extend your studies extracurricularly, during the academic year following the completion of your Master's, at a top-level institution. Limited places.
- UPF-BSM Inside: is a group of interdisciplinary subjects (applied data, communication, creativity, innovation and project management, sustainability and leadership among others) that, if you take this program, you can access at no additional cost. They are 100% online and you can take them throughout the academic year at your own pace, as they have been designed as self-study subjects.
Qualification obtained
After completing the program, and depending on their specialization, students will be awarded with the following degrees:
- Màster Universitari en Direcció Financera i Comptable de l’Empresa / Master in Accounting and Financial Management en l'especialitat en Finances Corporatives. Specialization in Corporate Finance - Máster Universitario en Dirección Financiera y Contable de la Empresa / Master in Accounting and Financial Management en la especialidad en Finanzas Corporativas. Specialization in Corporate Finance issued by Pompeu Fabra University.
- Màster Universitari en Direcció Financera i Comptable de l’Empresa / Master in Accounting and Financial Management en l’especialitat en Controlling. Specialization in Controlling - Máster Universitario en Dirección Financiera y Contable de la Empresa / Master in Accounting and Financial Management en la especialidad en Controlling. Specialization in Controlling issued by Pompeu Fabra University.
- Màster Universitari en Direcció Financera i Comptable de l’Empresa / Master in Accounting and Financial Management en l‘especialitat en Finances i Comptabilitat Internacional. Specialization in International Finance and Accounting - Máster Universitario en Dirección Financiera y Contable de la Empresa / Master in Accounting and Financial Management en la especialidad en Finanzas y Contabilidad Internacional. Specialization in International Finance and Accounting issued by Pompeu Fabra University.
Issuance of official Master's Degrees: The amount stipulated in the DOGC (Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia) must be paid for the rights to issue the title. This rate varies annually and the rate in force at the time of application for the degree will be applied.
Faculty
The teaching team of the Online Official Master's Degree in Accounting and Financial Management brings two complementary visions to the program:
- On the one hand, professors from the prestigious Department of Economics and Business at UPF offer their knowledge in Auditing, Accounting, Management Control, and Finance.
- On the other, recognized active professionals and managers of leading companies contribute their experience on how to apply knowledge to the daily reality of companies.
Academic directors
Faculty
Collaborating faculty
- Julio Capilla Vidal
Partner of RSM Spain Auditores since 2013. President of the Agrupación de Auditores de Baleares and member of the Board of Directors of the ICJCE. Associate lecturer in the Accounting and Auditing Department of the University of the Balearic Islands. Postgraduate course in Financial Management from Pompeu Fabra University Postgraduate course in Administration and Tax Management from the University of Barcelona. Degree in Economic and Business Sciences from the University of Barcelona. - Xavier Olsina Pau
Degree in Economics and Businesses Sciences from the University of Barcelona. He was Treasury Manager at ENDESA, SEAT Volkswagen and AGBAR Group. Founding member of ASSET (the Spanish Association of Corporate Finance Officers and Treasurers). - Víctor Vera Vinardell
Financial Director at Orange Catalunya. Economist and Chartered Accountant. International Business Development at Essec.
Methodology
At the UPF Barcelona School of Management we are committed to a flexible and dynamic online model, whose objective is to place you as a participant at the centre of the process and to be the owner of the development of your learning.
To facilitate your day-to-day management and to achieve the academic objectives, you will have 24/7 access to the virtual environment so that you can organize your study without schedules and at your own pace.
In this way, you will acquire knowledge, and instrumental and aptitude competencies combining training with your work and personal life, making the most of the time you have for it.
Didactic and interactive teaching materials
We rely on materials in various formats to make your experience more motivating and challenging: videos, case studies, content maps, and downloadable resources. These materials are designed and updated periodically by professionals and experts in the field, so that you have the latest knowledge, skills, and tools at your fingertips to take your career to the next level.
Active and collaborative learning
Participation and discussion with your classmates and teachers are essential and enriching for the collaborative learning process. For this reason, we will provide you with different tools and ways to connect, such as the Discussion Forum, where you can propose new discussion topics, comment on, and respond to proposals provided by the teacher or answer interesting comments.
Streaming sessions with experts
Through videoconference sessions with the expert teacher or special guests, you will be able to ask questions, discuss your learning, and connect in real time as if you were all in the same place. To ensure the flexibility of the training, we record the sessions so that you can refer to them if you have not been able to connect.
Personalized support
You will have the support of the expert tutor, who will guide you through each didactic unit; the help of the coordinator and the program manager in the delivery of activities, qualifications, management of procedures or access to services, and the guidance of the career advisor in the improvement of your personal brand and the search for professional opportunities.
Mentor
Throughout the program, you will develop your final project and, for this, you will be assigned an expert mentor on the subject, who will be in charge of advising you and supervising its development until the presentation and final defence.
Tools
The learning process is characterized by its flexibility, since, in the virtual learning environment, the structure of the school calendar and the diversity of multimedia resources which are made available to the student allows them to acquire knowledge in a self-regulated manner.
The support of the teaching staff and interaction with classmates is carried out by making use of a wide variety of communication channels that facilitate proximity and didactic dialogue.
Professional Future
This online master’s degree is aimed at all those professionals who want to grow and develop in accounting or financial departments. From young graduates to qualified professionals who want to take on new challenges and responsibilities in economic-financial management.
Student profile
You will share a virtual classroom and network with active professionals who have a background similar to yours (Accounting and Finance, Economics, and Business Administration).
Students of national and international origin who are looking, like you, for flexible quality training that allows them to combine their work and personal life with obtaining an academic degree. Some interesting facts about the average participant's profile:
Average age
Number of years of average professional experience
Employability rate of the last 4 courses
Recommendations concerning the last 3 courses
International students
Career opportunities
This master’s degree enables you to consolidate your professional career in accounting and finance departments, the consulting sector, and corporate finance. You will also be able to further your professional career in financial departments, by acquiring new managerial skills.
The master's degree includes curricular internships that will boost your prospects of a professional start. Internships can be validated if the participant has 2 years of experience in the field.
- Director of accounting/financial department
- Business advisor on accounting, financial, and management issues
- Business consultant
- Risk analyst in financial department
- Internal Auditor
- Middle management in financial department of multinational
- Controller