BSc in Accounting
Queen's University Belfast - Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Key Information
Campus location
Belfast, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 18,800 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Request info
* England, Scotland or Wales: £9,250 | Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland: £4,710 | EU Other and International: £18,800
Introduction
Accounting is concerned with the provision of decision-useful economic information for both internal and external organisational stakeholders through financial statements and budgeting. This degree is designed for students who intend to enter the accounting profession and, as such, contains considerable practical content, as well as essential theory and critical thinking skills, in the various specialisations of Financial Accounting, Management Accounting, Auditing, Taxation and Finance. During your studies, you will also have the opportunity to develop interpersonal skills, including communication, leadership and team working, in order to lead people and manage change in organisations.
Professional Accreditations
Subject to satisfactory academic performance, you will gain automatic exemptions from some professional chartered examinations on completion of the course. The Accounting degree is accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI), Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), The Association of International Accountants (AIA) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales (ICAEW).
Industry Links
There is an emphasis on helping students improve their skills for employment. Accounting students take part in tailored employability and skills workshops and business simulation games, where representatives from accountancy firms and professional bodies provide students with information on internships and graduate opportunities.
Internationally Renowned Experts
You will be taught by leading academics who are well connected with the industry and the Accountancy profession and able to combine cutting-edge theory with real-world practice. They bring the lessons learned from their most recent research into the classroom, giving you access to critical business thinking and contemporary real-world examples and scenarios.
Student Experience
Accounting and Finance at Queen’s is ranked 6th in the UK in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.
The majority of the Accounting modules have prizes which are sponsored by employers or professional bodies. Students can also apply to take part in the Business and Finance Study Tour, which allows participants to meet senior employees from leading financial institutions.
Students on the course will be given the opportunity to develop their financial modelling and data analytical skills.
Gallery
Admissions
Curriculum
Course Content
The Single Honours Accounting degree comprises compulsory modules together with optional modules available in the School.
Year 1
In the first year, you will gain a firm understanding of the key fundamentals of financial and management accounting. You’ll discover how these core business concepts intersect with economics, quantitative methods, law and accounting information systems.
- Introductory Financial Accounting*
In this core module, you will have an appreciation of how financial information is recorded and reported to the various user groups, who in turn use this information to assess business performance and determine resource allocation. It then covers double-entry bookkeeping and the preparation of basic financial statements, after which the basic accounting adjustments are considered. By the end of the module, you will have a detailed understanding of double entry accounting and will be able to prepare the financial statements of a sole trader.
- Introductory Management Accounting*
This particular core module aims at developing your ability to understand and evaluate the role of management accounting and their technical and analytical skills in relation to cost accumulation and cost determination for short-term and strategic decision-making. By the end of the module, you will be able to evaluate the role of management accounting in the provision of information for organisational planning, control and decision-making.
- Accounting Information Systems*
- Introduction to Legal Study and Basic Contract Law*
- Economy, Society and Public Policy 1*
- Quantitative Methods
Year 2
In your second year, you will combine theory and practice as you begin to build on your understanding of the basic principles of accounting and finance.
- Financial Accounting*
This module aims to develop core knowledge and skills to enable you to prepare and analyse the financial statements of incorporated entities and discuss their usefulness. In particular, the module examines the accounting requirements for revenue recognition; property, plant and equipment; leases; borrowing costs; impairment of assets; investment properties, government grants, and provisions. The analysis and interpretation of financial information, together with earnings per share, are also considered in detail.
- Management Accounting*
This course aims to provide you with technical proficiency and a conceptual understanding of the major areas of management accounting, building on the foundations laid in the management accounting module in Year 1. You will apply advanced management accounting techniques to the production and presentation of information for planning, controlling and decision-making in a variety of business and not-for-profit organisations. A unique feature of this module is the use of ‘Business Games’ /case study sessions/company presentations run by accounting companies and professional bodies. They will enable you to apply your accounting knowledge to the real world.
- Financial Decision-making*
- Financial Market Theory
- Managerial Behaviour
Year 2 optional modules
- Accounting Practice
- Data Analysis and Optimisation
- Financial Modelling
Year 3
In your third year, you will further develop your problem solving, critical thinking and data analytical skills and gain a thorough understanding of how accounting has an impact on people, organisations and society.
- Advanced Financial Accounting*
This module builds upon the year 2 Financial Accounting module and focuses on the preparation and presentation of consolidated financial statements, in particular, consolidated statements of financial position, profit or loss and other comprehensive income and cash flows, together with issues associated with foreign entities. You will also engage with contemporary accounting issues such as sustainability accounting and reporting and accounting ethics.
- Advanced Management Accounting*
The module focuses on information for planning, control and performance measurement. Key issues faced by many organisations that will be examined in this module relate to the extent (if any) of decentralisation, the measurement of divisional performance, and transfer pricing (including the performance measurement and behavioural aspects). Moreover, in the light of changes within the business environment, including deregulation, globalisation, reducing product life cycles, continuous improvement objectives, sustainability, increasing customer sophistication, digitalization and internationalisation, the module also looks at management accounting from a changed perspective and a strategic perspective.
- Auditing and Accountability
- Law of Business Organisations*
- Taxation*
Year 3 optional modules
- Issues in Not-for-Profit and Public Sector Accounting
- Supply Chain Management
- Business Ethics
Note: students completing Accounting in either French or Spanish complete four Accounting-based modules each year (indicated with an *) and complete one year-long language module.
Rankings
Accounting and Finance at Queen's is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the UK by the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Students wanting to study Accounting should enjoy working with people and be comfortable working with numbers. The majority of our students are in employment and/or further study within six months of graduating.
Accounting graduates from Queen’s are highly regarded and are employed in accounting practice, industry and the public and not-for-profit sectors.
Employment after the Course
Typical career destinations of graduates include:
- Financial accountant
- Management accountant
- Analyst
- Auditor
- Advisor
- Forensic accountant
- Researcher
- Financial controller
- Partner
- Banker
Students will have opportunities to gain internships with local and international companies during their studies.
Employment Links
Graduate employers include PwC; EY; KPMG; Deloitte; Grant Thornton; BDO; Moore Stephens; Baker Tilly Mooney Moore; Ulster Bank; Bank of Ireland.