Accounting (MACC)

This one-year full-time course offers a postgraduate route to a career in professional accounting. It offers you the chance to complete much of the study and examination requirements involved in qualifying as an accountant. Upon successful completion of all requirements of the course, you will gain full exemption from all but the Final Admitting Examination (FAE) of Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI).

The course offers more than exemptions. As well as intensive tuition in the core technical materials assessed in the professional examinations, you will gain exposure to the emerging contemporary issues in accounting and finance that will shape your working environment and the future economy. Personal competencies and skills in commercial judgment are also developed to give you a competitive edge as you embark on your career in accounting. In addition, MAcc graduates qualify for exemption from all papers in part 1 of the AITI Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) qualification.

Students take 90 credits as follows – 60 credits of taught modules (Part I) and 30 credits of research modules (Part II).  Part II consists of 30 credits devoted to the development of independent research skills relevant to the work of a modern professional accountant in practice, industry and financial services.  

Modules ~ Part I 

Students take 60 credits as follows - all listed core modules (50 credits) and 10 credits of elective modules:

Core Modules

AC6200 Financial Reporting for Groups (5 credits)
AC6210 Management Accounting 1 (5 credits)
AC6211 Management Accounting 2 (5 credits)
AC6212 Corporate Finance 1 (5 credits)
AC6213 Corporate Finance 2 (5 credits)
AC6214 Auditing, Assurance, and Professional Ethics (5 credits)
AC6215 Advanced Auditing and Assurance (5 credits)
AC6218 International Financial Reporting 1 (5 credits)
AC6219 International Financial Reporting 2 (5 credits)
IS6210 Analytics for Accountants (5 credits)

Elective Modules - Students take modules to the value of 10 credits from the following: ¹
AC6216 Advanced Taxation 1 (5 credits)
& AC6217  Advanced Taxation 2 (5 credits)

AC6230 Introduction to Taxation
& AC6231 and Taxation: Income Tax and VAT

¹Students take either AC6216 & AC6217, or AC6230 & AC6231, depending on whether they have completed the required module prerequisites for the advanced taxation modules (AC6216 and AC6217).

Modules ~ Part II - Students take 30 credits as follows:

AC6220 Accounting Research Report (30 credits)

Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Accounting - NFQ Level 9, Major Award
Students who successfully achieve the pass standard in Part I may opt not to proceed to Part II and may opt instead to be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Accounting.

The course prepares you for employment as a trainee accountant and it has been designed with significant contributions from partners, directors, and training managers in major accounting firms.

Each of the 'Big 4' firms (Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and PwC) has indicated a willingness to support students who wish to complete the MAcc at UCC prior to undertaking professional training.

• The accounting profession is the largest single employer of graduates in Ireland
• An accounting qualification is a primary entry route to senior roles in general management
• Opportunities in the financial services sector internationally have provided a demand for accountants qualifying in Ireland far in excess of the requirements of professional practice alone
• Irish-qualified accountants are in demand to fill varied roles worldwide

For Master of Accounting (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 organizational settings;
• Conduct Research relevant to professional and academic audiences;
• Demonstrate an appreciation of managerial accounting and finance as a basis for developing the tools and knowledge required to meet management information needs;
• Demonstrate an appreciation of the professional context of Financial Reporting and Auditing in the governance and regulation of business.

 

On successfully completing all requirements of the programme, graduates of the MAcc will gain full exemption from all but the Final Admitting Examination (FAE) of Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI).

 

 

 

 

Lectures take place Monday-Thursday in Room 3.14, O’Rahilly Building, UCC.  This dedicated room in the department is available to MAcc students for individual and group work on Fridays and at weekends.  Occasional seminars, site visits and other professional training activities also take place on some Fridays.

There is also a significant commitment in terms of assignments, case study preparation and individual study. The workload reflects the demands expected in the early stages of a professional career and students should plan their year on the basis that this is a full-time course.

There may be opportunities for students to act as undergraduate tutors.

The academics who teach this course are all experienced professionals who have worked in a variety of major accounting firms, financial institutions, and leading industrial companies both nationally and internationally.  All hold accounting qualifications and/or have significant industry experience.  Our academic staff are also actively engaged in professionally relevant research and publication.

Examinations

Assessment for the taught modules is by a combination of end-of-year written exams and continuous assessment in the form of interim exams and projects. For a fuller description of these, please see the Book of Modules.

Full module information is detailed in the section below.

Applicants must have at least a Second Class Honours Grade 1 in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) with a significant accounting specialisation, and expect to qualify for exemption from the CA Proficiency 1 (CAP 1) examination of Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI).

Applicants who meet the CAP 1 requirement, with the exception of CAP 1 Taxation, may also apply but if they are selected for admission, they must take the AC6230 and AC6231 taxation modules while registered on the programme.

International applicants with significant ACCA exemptions (see equivalency table to CAP 1 exemptions below) are also eligible to apply but must supply written evidence of the ACCA exemptions expected.  For example, input their degree qualification into the ACCA exemptions calculator:  (https://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/help/exemptions-calculator.html), save/print the results page, and submit this along with their application. 

CAP 1 subjects	ACCA
Finance	F9 Financial Management (FM)
Management Accounting	F2 Management Accounting (MA)  F5 Performance Management (PM)
Financial Accounting	F3 Financial Accounting (FA)
Taxation	F6 Taxation UK/IRL (TX)
Law for Accountants	F4 Corporate and Business Law UK/IRL (CL)

Source:  https://www.charteredaccountants.ie/Prospective-Students/Apply-and-Join/Exemptions/acca

 

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 online application portal. Applicants will need to apply before the course closing date. There is a €50 application fee for all courses apart from the Education - Professional Master of Education - (Secondary School/Post-Primary Teacher Training) which has a €100 application fee.

3. Gather Supporting Documents

Scanned copies of the following documents will need to be uploaded to the online application portal 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 items requested for your course.

Please log into the online application portal for more details.

4. Application processing timeline

Our online application portal opens for applications for most courses in early November of each year. Check specific course details. 

Questions on how to apply?

Please use our web enquiry form to contact us.

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)

Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following question:

• Please upload evidence of CAP1 exemptions already achieved and/or supporting documentation for any subject exemptions that are outstanding.  See MAACC CAP 1 form.

 

The closing date for non-EU applications is Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

Non-EU Applications

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

Not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above.

For more information please contact the International Office.