Accounting

The programme is designed for top graduates who have majored in business, accounting and finance and who wish to pursue a career in accounting, corporate finance, management consulting, and taxation either within the profession or with local or multinational companies. Our focus is not just on the development of technical skills but also on the development of complex problem-solving, critical thinking and softer people skills in our graduates. Attracting ambitious business graduates, the curriculum is calibrated to nurture problem-solvers required in today’s fluid global economy.

The Master of Accounting is the leading, longest-established accounting-specialist Master’s degree in Ireland. It has been widely recognised for the quality of its graduates and the accelerated career trajectory that they take, both within Ireland and internationally. Our alumni have gone on to become partners in the Big Four accounting firms or CEOs/CFOs in publicly-listed companies. Consequently, its outstanding reputation is widely recognised within business circles.

How will I benefit?
Successful completion of this programme provides graduates with a significant head-start in the accounting profession, due to the high level of academic rigour within the curriculum and the excellent reputation of the course in the eyes of recruiters.

A significant IT dimension to the curriculum encourages a full command of the tools required for the profession and nurtures a hands-on approach to learning within the classroom. It exposes students to the risks facing businesses today of cyber security and the necessary steps required to alleviate such risks.

The acquisition of knowledge and skills that meet the requirements of professional accounting bodies for entry into their final examinations. (Graduates are exempt from all but the final examinations of Chartered Accountants Ireland and all nine fundamental modules with the ACCA)

Our Master of Accounting graduates perform consistently better in the Chartered Accountants Ireland final admitting examinations.

Curriculum
This rigorous course explores a wide range of theories and concepts and develops an array of technical skills in the areas fundamental to the accounting profession, as well as providing a vital stepping stone to graduates preparing for professional examinations. Knowledge acquisition is tested not only through examinations but also via case studies, whilst IT is used extensively throughout.

Students take six core modules in both the Autumn and Spring trimesters. In the Summer trimester, students take two core modules and select three option modules. Registration for summer option modules takes place in March.

Autumn Trimester
Core modules
Financial Reporting
Management Accounting
Auditing & Assurance 1
Accounting Analytics
Capital and Indirect Taxes

Spring Trimester
Core modules
Advanced Financial Accounting
Business Valuation & Analysis
Auditing & Assurance 2
Tax Case Study Workshops
Corporate and Personal Taxation

Summer Trimester
Core modules
Integrative Analysis in Accounting
Professional Development

Plus 3 option modules
Taxation Summer School
Project Management
FinTech and the Financial Manager
Accounting Technology
Strategic Management Accounting Practice

A first class or second class honours grade 1 Business degree. An overall final degree average grade of minimum 63% or minimum UCD GPA of 3.30/4.2 will be required (or equivalent), students please contact the UCD Smurfit Admissions Team for grade equivalencies.
or

An honours primary degree with a minimum of three years relevant work experience.

To have achieved full exemptions from Chartered Accountants Ireland's (ICAI) CAP 1 Examinations. If you do not have full CAP 1 exemptions from your undergraduate degree you can complete your outstanding CAP 1 subjects as an external student with ICAI. All CAP 1 exemptions must be obtained before the start of term in a given academic year.

The CAP 1 entry requirement may be waived for high performing undergraduate Business students subject to appropriate CAP 1 remediation being agreed prior to admittance to the programme. High performing undergraduate Business students are Level 8 Irish honours degree level Business students (or international equivalent) with an Hons 1.1 degree result (or equivalent) with a level 8 (or international equivalent) knowledge of financial accounting and reporting, finance and managerial accounting. Non-native English speaking students must have a minimum overall IELTS score of 7.5 or the TOEFL equivalent.

For more information on CAP 1s see: https://www.charteredaccountants.ie

The first step is to collate the required documentation needed to assess your application. Please ensure that you have clearly scanned, titled and collated your documents in numerical order.

These can include but are not limited to:

TRANSCRIPTS AND ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS
CV
ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEST
REFERENCES
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION

Step 2: The Application Process
Once you have collated the required documentation and reviewed the entry requirements for your programme of interest, you can now apply online.

You must apply online using our dedicated student information portal. You will be required to enter contact details, upload your documents and answer two essay questions (each approximately 300 words). We would ask that you seriously consider both essays and answer these in the context of the programme you are applying to. Try to not replicate your CV and demonstrate what makes you different from other applicants. There are no right or wrong ways to complete these essays.

Application Deadlines:
Applications are assessed on a rolling basis and courses will close once they are filled. We advise you to apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Please note certain scholarships may require you to apply before a certain date – please refer to our scholarship page here. If you have any questions in relation to deadlines or availability please email smurfit.admissions@ucd.ie.

12 months full-time.

Fees Full-Time EU:
€14,460 (academic year 2020/2021)

Full-Time Non-EU:
€19,900 (academic year 2020/2021)

Important Note: Tuition fees and other charges are subject to change each year.

September 2024

Career Opportunities
The Master of Accounting qualification from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School gives you the broad-based knowledge and in-depth accounting skills you need for the long-term development of your career. You gain access to a wide range of employment opportunities, namely within Accounting, Financial Services, Industry and Commerce, and Management Consultancy, and with employers such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young. UCD Master of Accounting graduates such as Siobhán Talbot, Chief Executive of Glanbia, and Shaun Murphy, Chief Operating Officer of the Ardagh Group, occupy some of the top positions in the business and accounting professions.

100% of our graduates from this programme were employed after 6 months across a range of industry sectors. Source: Latest Graduate Outcomes Survey, published in December 2022.

Potential Careers for our Graduates
Potential careers for our graduates include:
Accountant
Auditor
Tax Consultant
Management consulting
Banking and investment management