International Accounting Practice (MSc)

Want to combine a postgraduate qualification in Accounting with professional exemptions, while preparing for a career in industry, practice, the not-for-profit or public sectors? 

The MSc International Accounting Practice is designed to combine technical skills in accounting and business analysis, with the development of key competencies in teamwork, business acumen, effective communication and critical thinking. 

Building on the excellent reputation of our Department for producing high calibre accounting graduates, recognised by all of the major accounting practices and other industry partners, the MSc International Accounting Practice will provide students with the skills required to gain a significant number of exemptions from the main international accountancy bodies and coupled with invaluable work experience as part of the programme; will create huge opportunities for subsequent employment – either internationally or nationally.

The MSc International Accounting Practice is a 12-month programme designed for those preparing to work as accounting professionals, in Ireland and internationally.  It is a comprehensive programme, requiring significant student participation and engagement. 

Students take 90 credits. Part I consists of 70 credits. Part II consists of 20 credits. 

PART I

• AC6400 Principles of Cost Management (10 credits) 
• AC6401 Advanced Managerial Accounting, Governance and Control in Organisations (10 credits) 
• AC6402 Financial Reporting for Business Entities (10 credits) 
• AC6409 Auditing (5 credits)
• AC6410 Taxation 1 (5 credits)
• AC6411 Taxation 2 (5 credits)
• AC6412 Financial Management and Business Ethics (5 credits)
• AC6413 Corporate Finance (10 credits)
• AC6414 Consolidated Financial Statements (10 credits) 

PART II

• AC6415 Research in Accounting Practices (20 credits) or
• AC6416 Placement (20 credits)

This course is open to applicants of all disciplines.

As well as offering academic qualifications, the course also offers academic credits towards preparing for professional examinations and explicitly developing skills for lifelong learning.

Upon completion of the MSc International Accounting Practice, you can expect to have excellent career prospects in an accounting role, with a wide range of organisations, including accounting practice, industry, financial services, the not-for-profit and the public sectors.

Alignment to professional accounting syllabi provides you with exemptions which are recognised globally.

For MSc International Accounting Practice (NFQ Level 9, Major award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Communicate and work effectively to a high professional standard;
• Demonstrate advanced analytical and problem solving skills associated with effective practice;
• Engage in advanced application of frameworks and techniques in organisational settings;
• Identify, clarify, evaluate and manage business and financial risk in organisations;
• Demonstrate an appreciation of Accounting Practices in the financial management of business entities.

To successfully complete the MSc International Accounting Practice course, you complete an induction week, nine taught modules over two semesters and 20 credits devoted to an accounting placement. 

Lectures are scheduled across two semesters.  You should anticipate spending up to three hours preparing and studying outside of lecture time, for each hour of lectures.  The course is challenging – but rewarding; requiring high levels of student engagement with the materials.

The course employs a variety of assessment mechanisms, blending formal examinations and continuous assessment.  This includes:

• Individual and group presentations
• Case-study analysis
• Formal, end-of-semester examinations
• In class examinations
• In class contribution

Feedback is both formative and summative, enabling you to reflect upon and improve your performance, as you progress through the course.

The MSc International Accounting Practice is delivered by a combination of UCC academic staff and invited guest speakers. 

The academics are experts in their field. Most hold PhDs and/or have significant industry or professional experience.  A number also hold relevant professional accounting qualifications. 

In addition, the academic staff members are research-active, engaged with a variety of research areas and publishing in national and international journals. 

Full module information is detailed in the section below.

To be eligible for consideration, you must have:

• A 2H2 degree [NFQ Level 8] or equivalent  OR
• Expectation of graduating with a 2H2 degree [NFQ Level 8] in the year of entry.

All applicants much submit a personal statement (minimum of 200 words) to the satisfaction of the Programme Director. 

If you are applying with Qualifications obtained outside Ireland and you wish to verify if you meet the minimum academic and English language requirements for this programme please click here to view the grades comparison table by country and for details of recognised English language tests. 

View the grades comparison table

Non-EU Candidates

Non-EU candidates are expected to have educational qualifications of a standard equivalent to Irish university primary degree level. In addition, where such candidates are non-native speakers of the English language they must satisfy the university of their competency in the English language. To verify if you meet the minimum academic requirements for this programme please visit our qualification comparison pages.

For more detailed entry requirement information please refer to the International website .

1. Choose Course

Firstly choose your course. Applicants can apply for up to three courses under one application. Details of taught courses are available on our online prospectus.

2. Apply Online

Once you have chosen your course you can apply online at the Postgraduate Applications Centre (PAC). Applicants will need to apply before the course closing date. There is a €50 application fee.

3. Gather Supporting Documents

Scanned copies of the following documents will need to be uploaded to PAC in support of your application. Applicants may need to produce the original documents if you are accepted onto a course and register at UCC.

• Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC
• Any supplementary forms requested for your course.

Please log into PAC for more details.

4. Application processing timeline

Our online application system PAC opens for applications in early November of each year.

Questions on how to apply?

EU students contact graduatestudies@ucc.ie

International students contact internationaloffice@ucc.ie

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)

Please note you will be required to answer specific additional/supplementary questions as part of the online applications process for this programme. A copy of these additional/supplementary questions are available to view here:  CKL43supplementaryform (173kB) 

The closing date for non-EU applications is 15 June

Non-EU Applications

Applicants who are interested in applying for the programme can also apply online at PAC.

For full details of the non-EU application procedure please visit our how to apply pages for international students.

**All Applicants please note: modules listed in the course outline above are indicative of the current set of modules for this course, but these are subject to change from year to year. Please check the college calendar for the full academic content of any given course for the current year. 

In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools and departments.