Advance your Accounting Career. SAP Certification. KPMG Led Summer Schools., International Accounting and Analytics (MSc)

Course Overview

Advance your accounting career with the MSc in International Accounting and Analytics. Develop insights, and technical knowledge of tools and techniques for driving organisational performance, and understanding of corporate finance theory and practice. Participate in a SAP certified module through our strategic alliance with SAP. Gain an understanding of and expertise in accounting and business analytics through taught modules and our practitioner led Summer School.

For General Business Graduates who now wish to specialise in Accounting & Analytics

Pathway A Full-Time: September 2019 Intake

This is an intensive 10 - 11 month degree programme for high calibre business related/commerce graduates who have not specialised in accounting and who now wish to pursue a professional career in Accounting.

Our team of academics and practitioners provide in-depth practical, technical and research grounded knowledge of key business areas required for success in today’s business environment. This post-graduate programme is taught over two semesters and is followed by two summer schools in May/June. This final element of the programme provides an important capstone to the technical skills you will have developed over the course of the first two semesters.

Students taking the year-long programme starting in September secure substantial exemption from the examinations of the ACCA. As a graduate of this MSc in International Accounting and Analytics you will be exempt from papers F1, F2, F3, F5, F7, F8 and F9 of the ACCA. Click here for CPA Exemptions*.

*Please note: exemptions from the examinations of the professional accounting bodies are subject to change of syllabus/content.

Module Details for Pathway A>

For Early - Mid Career Accountants

Pathway B Full-Time

Pathway B Part-Time

Reflecting the increased importance of analytics for many different accounting careers, this programme is designed to provide early and mid-career accountants with the skills and knowledge needed to engage with big data in a variety of roles in practice and industry.

This is an ideal master’s programme if you are already a qualified associate member with an IFAC member professional accountancy body (e.g. ICAI, ACCA, CPA Ireland, CIMA, Institute of Chartered Accountants India (ICA India, CPA Australia (Certified Practising Accountants Australia, the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMA Pakistan, CIPFA or other body deemed equivalent by the Programme Director and looking to build your professional qualifications. This unique programme offers, through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL, exemption from 50% (45 credits of the 90 credits for this taught master's course to fully exam-qualified accountants who have been admitted to full associate membership of the recognised professional accountancy bodies above.

Module Details for Pathway B >

Pathway A: For General Business Graduates who now wish to specialise in Accounting & Analytics

A first class or second class honours grade 1 in a commerce/business degree or a GPA of 3.5 (out of 4) will be required, which must have included the study of Financial Accounting and Management Accounting and Business Finance to intermediate level.

Pathway A Brochure

Pathway B: For Early-Mid Career Accountants

Full professional exam qualification and associate membership of a recognised professional accountancy body: ACCA, ICAI, CPA, ICAS, ICAEW, CIPFA and CIMA or other IFAC member body assessed as equivalent by the Programme Director. A notarised copy of the certificate of membership must be submitted with an application.

All applicants, whose first language is not English, must present one of the following qualifications in the English language: IELTS (6.5 overall), TOEFL (88), or PTE (61).

Pathway B Brochure

Academic entry requirements standardised per country here.

English language requirements here.

Recognising the importance of analytics skills for accountants, the recent ICAS and FRC report on Auditor skills in a changing business world (2016) called for educators to include practical courses on data interrogation and analytics. Our new MSc is the first programme of its kind in UK and Irish Universities to offer practical hands-on modules in SAP and audit analytics tools for accountants.

Our professional development programme which runs throughout the programme is designed to provide support for career development and offers a suite of career events, one-to-one career support and guest lectures from practice

As a graduate of the MSc. in International Accounting and Analytics, you will have access to a wide range of employment opportunities in Accounting, Industry, Management Consultancy and Financial Services.

You will have developed an understanding of cutting edge design and use of systems and processes to leverage best use of organisational data to facilitate performance management of business organisations. Coupled with your technical accounting skills you will be well positioned to work within the accounting function and management team to lead and manage organisations to achieve their strategic objectives.

Key Feature of the Programme

The design and structure of this programme was motivated following consultation and advice from industry, professional bodies, accounting practitioners and regulators. In addition to the core academic modules, students are exposed to a variety of learning technologies to develop their skills for practice and the global business environment.

These include: SAP training and certification, exposure to practitioner partners in the form of recent adjunct professorial appointments, practitioner-led Analytics Summer School using cutting-edge tools, international academic-led Summer School addressing all aspects of organizational performance, and a suite of guest lectures. In addition, this programme relies on close relationships with the international professional accountancy bodies which ensures that students have access to e-platforms providing career advice and practitioner networks.

Professional Development Programme:

This programme runs throughout students studies and offers a suite of events and is designed to provide support for career development :

• Advisory panel of qualified accountants to discuss careers in accounting
• One-to-one career support
• Guest lectures from practice and industry
• Visits to global leaders in high tech industries such as medical technologies and IT - (e.g. 2018 - Boston Scientific, Galway and Qualtrics, Dublin)
• EY Workshops: Presenting with Impact, Communication and Branding; Strength-based Interviewing
• Plagiarism Workshop
• Academic Writing Skills Workshops
• Our team of academics and practitioners provide in-depth practical and research grounded knowledge of key areas in today’s business environment. This final element of the programme provides an important capstone to the technical skills you will have developed.

J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics MSc International Accounting and Analytics Merit Scholarship

University of Galway is offering two merit Scholarships for the MSc in International Accounting and Analytics is an eligible programme for this scholarship. One scholarship up to the value of 50% of the EU tuition fees and one scholarship up to the value of 50% of the non EU tuition fees.

For more information on the scholarship application process, please contact business@universityofgalway.ie. Please note that to be considered for this merit based scholarship, applicants must be accepted to their chosen programmeand have achieved a H1 in their primary degree and must complete an online Scholarship Form.

The MSc (International Accounting & Analytics) class are pictured with Laurence May (KPMG Director), Darina Barrett (KPMG Financial Services Partner) and Professor Breeda Sweeney at a 30% Club event that took place on campus which was sponsored by KPMG.

Mr. Damien Flanagan, Director R&D Incentives and Capital Allowances Practice KPMG delivering seminar to Masters of Accounting students “Research in Practice: The KPMG Innovation Monitor”