Accounting

Overview
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. Over the past five years, alumni of the Master of Accounting programme have consistently performed significantly better than the average in the Final Admitting Examination of Chartered Accountants Ireland.

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.

What will I learn?
The overall aim of the programme is to instill a systematic and rigorous knowledge of accounting and its related disciplines. Strong emphasis is placed on developing critical thinking, communication and team building skills that successful graduates will require to progress through professional training and gain rapid access to senior management positions in their future career.

The programme provides:
1. A functional and technical level of competence above that demanded by professional accounting bodies' professional syllabus, in the areas of financial accounting, management accounting, finance, auditing and taxation.

2. Development of analytical and synthesis skills enabling graduates to apply the necessary accounting knowledge to comprehend and solve accounting problems.

3. The ability to use the required IT tools, decision-making and evaluation processes and professional development skills to report financial information effectively to businesses.

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. For example, 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 study and a dissertation option, whilst IT is used extensively throughout.

Autumn Trimester
Financial Reporting
Taxation 1
Management Accounting
Auditing & Assurance 1
Accounting Analytics 1

Spring Trimester
Advanced Financial Accounting
Taxation 2
Business Valuation & Analysis
Auditing & Assurance 2
Accounting Analytics 2

Summer Trimester
Integrative Analysis in Accounting
Professional Development
+ 3 option modules

Taxation Summer School
Project Management
FinTech and the Financial Manager
Business Combinations
Accounting Technology

Please be advised that option modules listed are indicative of what has been delivered in previous years. What is offered each academic year is subject to change.

Note that on-campus teaching is delivered under prevailing public health guidelines. In the event of a required change to planned delivery, further information about alternative delivery methods (including online delivery) will be confirmed with prospective and incoming students.

Please review the entry requirements below. The UCD Smurfit Admissions Office staff have expertise in reviewing international qualifications from around the world and will be able to assess your application's comparability to the Irish entry requirement.

And
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

If English is not your first language, an English language qualification is required for admission to all of our programmes. The exception to this rule is if you have completed your primary degree or an entire third level qualification through English, in an English speaking country.

Some students might have to get a student visa in order to come and study in Ireland. Please check the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Services website to see if you require a visa.

The Smurfit Admissions Department comprises a dedicated team who are available to answer any questions you might have in relation to the wide range of Business Masters programmes. If you would like to find out more about our programmes or the application process, then please don't hesitate to contact us.

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.

1 year 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.

Start date: September 2020

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, Managing Partner KPMG, 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).

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