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.
On successful completion of the programme students should be able to:
Programme Outcomes for Academic Year
Programme Goal 1: Technical knowledge of advanced professional accounting
Programme Goal 2: Apply technical knowledge of advanced professional accounting to solve complex business problems
Programme Goal 3: Exercise judgement in complex advanced professional accounting scenarios
Programme Goal 4: Develop softer professional skills such as communication and personal development to complement technical knowledge of advanced professional accounting
Programme Goal 5: Development of ethical awareness
Display advanced technical skills in the areas of financial accounting, management accounting, finance, auditing and taxation (PG1)
Critically appraise the theoretical and conceptual knowledge in the field of accounting (PG1)
Demonstrate an understanding of how information technology can be used to provide better and timely financial information to organisations (PG1)
Display knowledge of the impact of international issues on the accounting profession (PG1)
Apply advanced accounting technical skills and conceptual understanding to problems in accounting (PG2)
Integrate knowledge from different areas of accounting to develop solutions to problems (PG2)
Exercise judgement in making decisions (PG3)
Evaluate the impact of accounting decisions on different groups and on society as a whole (PG3)
Engage in effective communication (oral and written) on accounting and business issues (PG4)
Engage in self-directed learning and reflective learning to enhance their personal and professional development (PG4)
Develop ethical awareness from reflecting on case studies in a small-group teaching environment (PG5)