BA (Honours) ACCOUNTING

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1 BA (Honours) ACCOUNTING

2 BA (Honours) ACCOUNTING What is Accounting? Accounting is a process of communicating information in order to inform decisions. Financial accountants produce accounting statements that are intended to inform shareholders and other external stakeholders about an entity s performance and financial position. Management accountants prepare budgets and performance statements in order to coordinate and control activities within entities. Accounting is often misunderstood as a mechanical process involving the collation of numbers. In fact accountants generally devote far more time and energy to interacting with people, both managers at all levels within the entity and interested parties from outside. This aspect of realworld accounting is closely related to the research interests of teaching staff at Strathclyde. Why study Accounting at Strathclyde? The Accounting programme at Strathclyde engages with the social and ethical aspects of the discipline, as well as covering the techniques used by accountants. This provides an interesting foundation for those who choose to go on to become qualified accountants by subsequently studying for professional exams. The programme requires that you study accounting in conjunction with a second subject. Taking a second subject offers the opportunity to build on your strengths and pursue an additional subject in which you are interested. The second subject may be another Business School subject or Mathematics & Statistics. A further feature of the programme is that all students undertake the Business School s Management Development Programme (MDP, see separate leaflet) which is designed to develop skills such as project planning and making presentations which are of direct relevance to employers. Major accountancy firms take a direct and active interest in the programme, with Deloitte being involved in the evaluation of Year 1 and Ernst & Young Year 3.

3 You will receive advice at both degree level and subject level on which classes you should choose, based on your individual interests and strengths. At the start of Year 2, you select two of your first-year subjects to study in more depth during Years 2 and 3, alongside a third minor subject. Years 2 and 3 will also include further classes in the Management Development programme. For admission to the final year of the Honours course, a student must have qualified for the BA degree and achieved an approved standard of performance. The combination of the second subject and the MDP means that you will be exposed to a variety of perspectives and ideas which will ultimately enable you to present yourself to prospective employers as a rounded individual. Degree Structure The duration of the BA single or joint Honours degree is four years. All students are admitted as potential Honours students. Students may exit with a BA degree at the end of Year 3 if they have achieved the required standard. Year 1 is a broad-based foundation course in which you choose a number of basic classes in business and other disciplines alongside the Management Development Programme. Year 1 The first-year class introduces accounting, both external reporting and internal management accounting. No prior knowledge is assumed, although those with prior knowledge of accounting will soon realise that we take a slightly different perspective from most courses. This means that the introductory class is accessible to all students and should offer something new to those who have already studied accounting. First year also includes an introduction to finance as well as the opportunity to study a range of supporting classes in subjects such as law and economics. Those who choose to take the fully accredited degree have the opportunity to take one further introductory class from a wide range of options, some of which have the potential to lead on to further study in later years.

4 All students are allocated a member of staff who acts as a point of contact for academic or other concerns. There is an initial meeting with that member of staff as part of the matriculation process in order to discuss subject choice. Year 2 Accounting classes build on the introduction from first year to explore financial and management accounting in more depth. This greater depth involves looking at more advanced techniques and also at the sources of the rules and methods. This broader perspective is important because the pressures that shape accounting regulations and management accounting techniques are far more permanent than the rules and techniques themselves, as well as being interesting in themselves. Your second principal subject, minor subject and the MDP will make up the remainder of your curriculum. Year 3 There are classes in management accounting, auditing and financial reporting and governance. These are advanced level classes. Other classes cover topics that are related to those that have been studied to date. By far the most popular choices are tax and finance. Classes also continue in your second principal subject, your minor subject and the MDP concludes. Year 4 (Honours) Classes at Honours level are designed to provide deeper understanding of accounting s wider role in society from broadly-based philosophical and theoretical frameworks. There is little or no discussion of techniques, although you will develop transferable skills that are of considerable interest to potential employers. Most students choose to take a joint Honours degree in their two principal subjects, although it is possible to take single Honours in either accounting or your second principal subject. Honours classes include Management Accounting Theory and Practice Accounting Information Systems Sustainability Accounting, Theory and Practice Strategic Accounting and Financial Management In Entrepreneurial Firms Public Sector Accounting Accounting Theorie Accounting and Risk Corporate Governance Contemporary Issues in International Financial Reporting Understanding 21st-century Accounting Technologies & Institutiional Structures Integrative Studies in Management and Accounting Accounting Ethics Auditing Theory and Practice and Taxation

5 Teaching and Assessment In Years 1 to 3 classes, class contact consists of a combination of hours of lectures and small-group tutorials. The tutorials are the more important element. They expand on concepts presented in lectures and develop interaction and discussion around work which you prepare in advance. In workshops you may undertake computerbased or problem-solving exercises. In Year 4 most teaching takes place in seminars, with students leading discussions and making presentations. I chose to study at Strathclyde because the Accounting degree is one of the top ranked in the UK. My course has equipped me well for my future career. A summer internship allowed me to put my teamworking skills into practice and as President of the Acounting & Finance Society I was able to network with major employers and the professional bodies ICAS and CIMA. Assessment is by a combination of exams and coursework. Coursework includes quizzes, projects and poster presentations either individual or in a group. Accounting in Other Degrees Accounting can also be taken as a business subject in the following degree courses, offered by the Strathclyde Business School and the Department of Mathematics respectively. For details about these courses, please refer to separate leaflets and the current Prospectus. BA (Honours) in International Business BSc (Honours) in Mathematics, Statistics and Accouting Cara McAlindin BA (Honours) Accounting

6 Careers In the majority of study combinations the course leads to a fully-accredited degree for entry to training for membership of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. It also provides exemptions from some exams of the other major professional accounting bodies. Many Accounting graduates proceed to qualify as Chartered Accountants, and Strathclyde graduates hold positions of responsibility in industry, commerce and the accountancy profession. Some enter industry directly after graduating, while others enter branches of commerce such as banking, insurance and fund management. Contact For advice on admissions and subject choices please contact: SBS Undergraduate Office t: e: sbs-adviser@strath.ac.uk Specific enquiries regarding courses in Accounting should be directed to the Department of Accounting & Finance: t: e: accfin@strath.ac.uk Find out more... visit the University website at Employers include Deloitte, Ernst & Young, HBOS, KPMG, Morgan Stanley and PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Recent graduates have found employment in professional services firms, banking, insurance, industry and the public sector. The course is also useful for those considering a more general business career as financial literacy is a prerequisite of most successful careers in business. the place of useful learning University of Strathclyde Glasgow G1 1XQ Information current at August Please consult the University website for the most up-to-date information. The University of Strathclyde is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC