Degree account

In response to recent letters (THES, September 10 and 17) and a Whistleblowers column (THES, September 3) on links between the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and Oxford Brookes University, I would like to clarify a number of points.

Proposals to award a Brookes degree in applied accounting to students completing certain parts of ACCA's new professional exam are still under discussion. No final decisions have yet been reached regarding details of the degree programme.

Oxford Brookes will follow its normal validation procedures to ensure the content and quality of the course meet the university's own requirements as well as those of the QAA.

This is not the first link between a professional body and a UK university, but it is probably the largest and as such has the potential to make a major contribution to widening participation.

Simon Williams Head, School of Business Oxford Brookes University