Course Structure

Course Content

The Single Honours Accounting degree comprises compulsory modules together with optional modules available in the School.

Year 1

In the first year you will gain a firm understanding of the key fundamentals of financial and management accounting. You’ll discover how these core business concepts intersect with economics, quantitative methods, law and accounting information systems.

• Introductory Financial Accounting
• Introductory Management Accounting
• Accounting Information Systems
• Introduction to Legal Study and Basic Contract Law
• Economy, Society and Public Policy 1
• Quantitative Methods

Year 2

In your second year, you will combine theory and practice as you begin to build on your understanding of the basic principles of accounting and finance.

• Financial Accounting
• Management Accounting
• Financial Decision-making
• Financial Market Theory
• Managerial Behaviour

Year 2 optional modules

• Accounting Practice
• Data Analysis and Optimisation
• Financial Modelling

Year 3

In your third year, you will further develop your problem solving, critical thinking and data analytical skills and gain a thorough understanding of how accounting has an impact on people, organisations and society.

• Advanced Financial Accounting
• Advanced Management Accounting
• Auditing and Accountability
• Law of Business Organisations
• Taxation

Year 3 optional modules

• Issues in Not-for-Profit and Public Sector Accounting
• Supply Chain Management
• Business Ethics

Note: students completing Accounting with either French or Spanish, complete four Accounting-based modules each year (indicated with an ) and complete one year-long language module.

Learning and Teaching

Queen’s Management School is one of the largest Schools in the University with more than 1800 full-time undergraduate students and 300 plus postgraduate students. The School has been delivering high quality programmes for more than 40 years and was one of the first schools in the UK to introduce undergraduate management education. Since then, QMS has been developing and enhancing its teaching portfolio for both local and international students and boasts students from more than 20 different nationalities.

In recent years, the School has benefited from significant investment resulting in many new academic appointments and state-of-the-art facilities including computer teaching labs with specialised software and a Trading Room in Riddel Hall. In addition, the new McClay Library houses an excellent selection of Management and related texts and there are extensive IT facilities throughout the campus.

At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practices in learning, teaching, and student support to enable students to achieve their full academic potential. In line with this, one of QMS’ primary objectives is to deliver innovative learning and teaching programs that provide students with the competencies and skills to make a positive contribution to business, economic and civic life.

On the BSc Accounting programme we achieve these goals by providing a range of learning environments which enable our students to engage with subject experts both academic staff and industry guest speakers, develop skills and attributes and perspectives that will equip them for life and work in a global society and make use of innovative technologies and a world-class library that enhances their development as independent, lifelong learners. Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this degree programme are:

• Adviser of Studies
  To assist with the choice of modules at the beginning of each academic year.
• Computer-Based Practicals
  These provide students with the opportunity to develop technical skills and apply theoretical principles to real-life or practical contexts. For example, one of the compulsory Level 1 modules, ACC 1004 Accounting Information Systems, incorporates a weekly Sage software practical.
• E-Learning technologies
  Information associated with lectures and assignments is often communicated via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Queen’s Online. A range of e-learning experiences are also embedded in the degree programme through the use of, for example, interactive support materials, podcasts and web-based learning activities.
• Induction
  Formalised induction for all undergraduate students. For Stage 1 students, this includes several half-day sessions the week before the programme begins to allow students to familiarise themselves with the campus and the degree programme. During Level 1 there are a number of follow-up sessions throughout the year. Topics such as academic writing, referencing, plagiarism, communication skills, examination preparation and managing time effectively are all covered in these practical sessions.
• Lectures
  These introduce foundation information about new topics as a starting point for further self-directed private study/reading. As the module progresses this information becomes more complex. Lectures, which are normally delivered in large groups to all year-group peers, also provide opportunities to ask questions and seek clarification on key issues as well as gain feedback and advice on assessments. Additional lectures are also delivered by employer representatives and staff from a number of accounting firms and are involved in the delivery of accounting workshops. In addition to the academic content of the lectures and workshops, this enables employers to impart their valuable experience to QMS Accounting students, introduces important local employers to our Accounting students and allows our Accounting students to meet and engage with potential future employers.
• Peer Mentoring Scheme
  Whereby students in second and third year of their degree programme volunteer to mentor Stage 1 students. Developing the program themselves, with support from academic staff in QMS, the mentors organize informal meetings, regular contact, and a series of events ranging from ice-breaker-type events to employer-led sessions with the Stage 1 students.
• Personal Development Planning
  To encourage students to engage in independent learning.
• Self-directed study
  This is an essential part of life as a Queen’s student when important private reading, engagement with e-learning resources, reflection on feedback to date, and assignment research and preparation work is carried out.
• Seminars/tutorials
  A significant amount of teaching is carried out in small groups (typically 15-20 students). These sessions are designed to explore, in more depth, the information that has been presented in the lectures. This provides students with the opportunity to engage closely with academic staff who have specialist knowledge of the topic, to ask questions of them, and to assess their own progress and understanding with the support of their peers. During these classes, students will be expected to present their work to academic staff and their peers.
• Student Support Systems
  QMS has an active and coordinated student support system to assist students in making the transition from school to university.
• Work placements
  The BSc Accounting programme does not have a compulsory placement year. However, the School actively supports any student who wishes to avail of an optional placement year, normally between the second and final year of the degree program. The School has a dedicated Placement Office which facilitates students in sourcing and securing appropriate internships / placements which will augment their classroom-based learning experience. In addition, the School encourages students to seek other work-based and/or educational related experiences, whether that is through the summer placement programme (a 3-4 month internship in a local organisation working on a very specific project), Erasmus programmes with other European Universities, or studying abroad in universities with which the School and/or University has an existing relationship.

Assessment

The way in which students are assessed will vary according to the learning objectives of each module. Details of how each module is assessed are shown in the Module Outlines which are provided to all students during their first year induction. Accounting modules are typically assessed by a combination of continuous assessment and a final written unseen examination. Continuous assessment consists of:

• Student Tutorial Portfolio
  This involves the completion and submission of workshop exercises on a weekly and individual student basis. These are collected in the workshops from students each week and assessed, with the mark awarded contributing to the continuous assessment element of the module mark. The mark awarded reflects timeliness, presentation, accuracy and completeness of the required work. Consistent with employer feedback, students are also required to prepare and make a small group presentation on a pre-assigned case study type or discussion-based topic. In addition students are required to submit a 100 word summary on the accounting significance of each of the presentation tutorial topics. The group tutorial presentation and summaries are assessed, with the mark awarded contributing to the continuous assessment element of the module mark.
• Small Group Project/Presentations
  This involves the completion of a small group project/Presentation (three/four students per group) which is assessed and contributes to the continuous assessment element of the module mark.

Feedback

As students progress through their course at Queen’s, they will receive general and specific feedback about their work from a variety of sources including lecturers, module coordinators, placement supervisors, personal tutors, advisers of study, and peers. University students are expected to engage with reflective practice and to use this approach to improve the quality of their work. Feedback may be provided in a variety of forms including:

• Feedback provided via formal written comments and marks relating to work that you, as an individual or as part of a group, have submitted.
• Face to face comment. This may include occasions when you make use of the lecturers’ advertised “office hours” to help you to address a specific query.
• Placement employer comments or references.
• Online or emailed comments.
• General comments or question and answer opportunities at the end of a lecture, seminar or tutorial.
• Pre-submission advice regarding the standards you should aim for and common pitfalls to avoid. In some instances, this may be provided in the form of model answers or exemplars which you can review in your own time.
• Feedback and outcomes from practical classes.
• Comment and guidance provided by staff from specialist support services such as, Careers, Employability and Skills or the Learning Development Service.
• Once you have reviewed your feedback, you will be encouraged to identify and implement further improvements to the quality of your work.

Students wanting to study Accounting should enjoy working with people and be comfortable working with numbers. The majority of our students are in employment and/or further study within six months of graduating.

Accounting graduates from Queen’s are highly regarded and are employed in accounting practice, industry and the public and not-for-profit sectors.

Employment after the Course

Typical career destinations of graduates include:

• Financial accountant
• Management accountant
• Analyst
• Auditor
• Advisor
• Forensic accountant
• Researcher
• Financial controller
• Partner
• Banker

Students will have opportunities to gain internships with local and international companies during their studies.

Employment Links

Graduate employers include: PwC; EY; KPMG; Deloitte; Grant Thornton; BDO; Moore Stephens; Baker Tilly Mooney Moore; Ulster Bank; Bank of Ireland.