MMU is launching the honours degree - a BA with honours in Sustainable Performance Management - in June 2011. A Master's degree programme - an MSc in Strategic Business Management - is scheduled to follow in September 2011. In order to be easily accessible to CIMA's global network of members and students, both degrees are to be delivered entirely online - with the help of CLS. CIMA is the world's largest and leading professional body of management accountants dating from 1919, currently has some 183,000 members and students in 168 countries.

Paul Summers, Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance at Manchester Metropolitan University Business School (MMUBS), estimates that some 300 to 400 students a year will join the BA degree programme.

In August 2010, CIMA approached MMUBS to see if it would provide an undergraduate degree for management accountancy students. Establishing such a degree would mean that, in addition to receiving a qualification from the professional institute, CIMA students could also achieve an academic qualification - which might well stand them in good stead in terms of employability.


"Our response was to allow CIMA students who've completed the managerial aspect of their studies to do an additional two units of learning - covering sustainability and ethics - which are delivered online", explains Summers. "Awareness of sustainability and ethical issues are becoming increasingly important for professionals, including management accountants."

CIMA students who have achieved the Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting are eligible to undertake the one-year (BA) programme, while the MSc Strategic Business Management is open to CIMA members who have completed the full CIMA professional qualification. Having briefed Core Learning Services (CLS) at the end of November, the eLearning units - which are accessed online, from the CLS server - were ready for use by the summer of 2011.


Students are assessed on their responses to a case-study-based report, together with a presentation they make to their tutors. However, there are formative assessments - in the form of short, multi-choice and other, more discursive questions - which are included in the eLearning content. Students are asked to complete these and also take part in the discussion forum, which is part of the web portal provided by CLS.

"The BA (Hons) Sustainable Performance Management and MSc Strategic Business Management allow accounting and business professionals to formally display their expertise academically and professionally - and reinforces MMUBS's reputation as the choice of world class professionals", concludes Summers.