Course Details
About
Qualified accountants are always in high demand and the profession provides excellent employability and earning prospects. The MSc International Accounting with Analytics offers you the ability to advance your accounting career as well as acquiring practical analytics skills essential to the accounting profession.
This programme is designed for business and accounting graduates to combine study for a Master’s degree, while also gaining exemptions from professional examinations and gaining an understanding of and expertise in accounting and business analytics.
The programme is informed and shaped by the needs of the accounting, finance and taxation professionals of tomorrow. The programme encourages critical and creative thinking, teamwork and communication, and develops a diverse range of professional attributes which equip graduates to excel in the accounting profession and to become the business leaders of the future.
Significant exemptions from the Chartered Accountants Ireland examinations will be available on completion. Graduates of the MSc should be granted full exemption from their CAP2 examinations and therefore have only two final admitting examinations to complete after graduation.
Career Opportunities
Accounting specialists with knowledge of accounting, finance and the business environment are always in great demand. The combination of subjects you will study on this course will provide you with a sound basis to become a future business leader. The knowledge you will acquire will enable you to work in any industry sector and across all areas of business including financial reporting, accounting, finance, taxation or management in public, private or not-for-profit organisations.
The analytics element of the programme is essential to prepare graduates for their professional career by enabling them to ‘add value’ to the business decision making processes within an organisation or for a client business. Graduates will gain practical understanding of and expertise in the use of analytics tools to enable them to help businesses uncover valuable insights within financial information, identify process improvements to help businesses increase efficiency, and to ensure the better management of exposure to risk.
Due to the exemptions available, you will also be a step ahead in your professional accountancy training. On successful completion of this course, you will only be required to undertake a three year training contract and will only have two more examinations to undertake to become a Chartered Accountant.
Course Duration and Delivery Format
The course will start in w/c 22 September 2025. You may need to be available the week before for induction. Dates TBC.
Over the course of one academic year, lectures are delivered in flip classroom format with students required to attend on campus practical workshops two days per week (Monday and Tuesday only).
By applying for a DfE-funded place on the MSc International Accounting with Analytics course, you are committing to full-time study. This means engaging actively with your learning through regular class attendance (at least 80% attendance is expected), preparation for weekly sessions, and timely submission of assessments. The course is structured to support your development, but success will depend on your commitment to the workload and your willingness to participate fully in both in-person and independent learning.
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
This course will be taught face-to-face on Derry~Londonderry campus.
The range of modules offered on this course allows a varied and interesting mix of methods to be used, to enhance knowledge and understanding as well as allowing you to practice and develop your professional and transferable skills.
For each module on this course you will have weekly lectures and seminars. Lectures are used to explain and develop the skills identified as being important to you in developing your professional and personal development within the subject areas. Lectures provide the framework for directing independent student learning activity and skills development. Weekly seminars will provide opportunities for you to engage in an in-depth appreciation of theoretical and practical issues related to the subject area. A number of modules will utilise the simulation suite available on campus to enhance your learning experience. In addition, a number of modules involve small group teaching in a workshop format.
Assessment
Considerable effort has been devoted to ensuring that the assessment requirements built into each module on this course are appropriate to the learning outcomes, qualities and abilities being assessed. Assessment methods range from class tests, essays, business reports, group projects and practical skills audits, a variety of group and individual presentations incorporating self and peer assessment, practical simulations, case study applications, reflective portfolios, on-line assessment, class tests, management reports, projects and work-based assignments and unseen end of semester examinations.
Campus
Derry~Londonderry
Module details
Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.
Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry.
The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand.
Strategic Leadership for International Accounting
The aim of this module is to develop students' appreciation of strategic leadership in accounting, in an international context. The module will emphasise the role of high level financial techniques, technology and analytics in leading strategic change within an organisation.
International Audit and Assurance
This module explores the conceptual and theoretical fundamentals of auditing, combined with the practical application of auditing principles and the issues encountered in the international audit environment. The use of data analytics and emerging technologies are also explored for the conduct of the audit.
International Financial Reporting
This module explores the concepts underlying financial accounting, current regulations and how these concepts inform regulation including the preparation of internal and external financial reports.
Strategic Finance
This module covers key concepts, principles and theories in strategic finance and will be of particular relevance to professionals either employed or seeking employment in medium and large sized entities. Key topics will include financial strategy formulation, investment decision making, financing sources, dividend policy, company valuation, mergers and acquisitions and financial risk management.
Strategic Management Accounting
This module covers key concepts, principles and theories in strategic management accounting and will be of particular relevance to professionals either employed or seeking employment in medium and large sized entities. Key topics will include frameworks /for performance management, performance management decisions, IT and data analytics, behavioural aspects of budgeting, approaches to budgeting, budgetary control, variance analysis, divisional performance measures and ethics, transfer pricing and corporate governance.
Data Analytics for Finance Professionals
This module is designed to introduce the student to the role of data analysis, data visualisation, management and reporting within a business context. The module will provide students with the skills and know to work with data and apply data management and visualisation techniques for business performance monitoring, reporting and decision-making.
International Corporate Reporting and Tax Planning
This module explores the financial accounting legislation and regulations, including IFRS and local GAAP, needed for the practical preparation of financial statements for groups. The module also explores the legislation, procedures and practice governing the most common aspects of UK corporation tax for UK companies and multinational groups operating in the UK.
Research Methods for Finance Professionals
This module provides students with knowledge and understanding of the research process in the broad area of international accounting, finance and analytics. It will equip students with an in depth understanding and ability to develop a research question, undertake a critical literature review, and identify a justifiable research methodology to match the research question.
Advanced UK Taxation
This module is optional
This module explores the legislation and practice governing the income tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax and stamp tax exposure of an individual within the scope of UK taxation. It also explores the taxation implications for a corporate entity from a corporation tax, capital tax and stamp tax perspective. The scope, legislation and practice for VAT is also explored for both business and property transactions.
Dissertation
This module is optional
The master's dissertation enables students to carry out research on a chosen topic within the field of international accounting, finance or analytics. Students will gain an in depth understanding of the academic research process. Completing the dissertation enables the student to build on the knowledge and skills gained throughout their masters programme, to produce a major piece of academic writing.
Applied Research Project
This module is optional
The applied research project module provides students with the skills to apply their technical knowledge and capabilities to research an opportunity, problem or challenge in an organisation in the area of international accounting, finance and/or analytics and come up with an effective solution for the organisation. The module integrates the knowledge gained throughout the programme so that students can critical apply financial, analytical and technical skills to a research project.
Sustainability Reporting and Governance
This module is optional
Sustainability reporting is critical for organisations to measure economic, environmental, and social activities. This module develops the students' appreciation of what must be disclosed in sustainability reports, to comply with local, national, and international sustainability reporting requirements. Students will also gain an understanding of how good corporate governance leads to high quality sustainability reporting and the effective management of the organisation's sustainability-related risks, opportunities, and targets progression.
Course Entry requirements
Applicants must be able to satisfy the University's general admissions requirements in one of the following ways:
Applicants must:
(a) have gained
(i) a second class honours degree in an accounting discipline or better from a university of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, or from a recognised national awarding body, or from an institution of another country which has been recognised as being of an equivalent standard; or
(ii) an equivalent standard (normally 50%) in an accounting discipline in a Graduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate, Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma or an approved alternative qualification;
and
(b) provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English (GCSE grade C or equivalent).
Alternatively, applicants must demonstrate their ability to undertake the course through the accreditation of prior experiential learning.
Fee Funding Eligibility
Places are limited and open to applicants who:
- are over 18 years of age;
- are eligible to work in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland (ROI);
- are ‘settled’ in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland, and has been ordinarily resident in the UK or ROI for at least three years; or
- are a person who has indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK or ROI.
- meet the course specific entry requirements as detailed above.
- meet the Ulster University general entry requirements
- this programme is not available to applicants with the following residency:
- GB and Islands
- EU excluding ROI qualifying residents
- International students
Terms and Conditions
- Fee funding is only available for the September 25/26 intake and cannot be deferred to future intakes.
- Fee funding is paid directly by the Department for the Economy to Ulster University.
- Students cannot redeem the funding for an alternative programme nor redeem the cash value.
- Students cannot redeem this funding in conjunction with any other course fee funding.
- Students can redeem funding for up to three courses, which equate to no more than 60 credit points in total (with the exemption of MSc, which is 180 credit points).
Apply now
There are a limited number of places on the course.
Offers will be made to those applicants who meet the entry requirements, and have provided evidence of such, on a first come , first served basis.
Therefore, when creating your application you will need to have the following documents saved electronically as they need to be uploaded as part of the application process:
- Passport
- Evidence on meeting three year residency in NI/ROI
- Degree Certificate
- English Competency (If you have a degree from UK/ROI, you don't need to provide anything else)
- BRP - If applicable
