Course summary

Overview The MSc International Accountancy and Finance degree will equip you with highly employable expertise, and a thorough understanding of global financial issues. You’ll learn the academic theory and professional application necessary to set you up for life after graduation. By gaining widespread knowledge across the discipline, the programme will allow you to pursue professional and managerial careers in international accounting and finance, both in the private and public sectors. You’ll develop a systematic understanding of international accounting and finance and acquire a critical awareness of contemporary issues in professional practice, and the academic discipline. You’ll understand the way the environment affects accounting and causes international differences, and how financial decisions or questions are analysed or modelled in theory. You’ll analyse and understand a wide range of real-life contexts, including the way financial markets and institutions operate, how much a company decides to borrow, and how investors select portfolios of assets. You’ll learn about, and evaluate, a comprehensive range of research techniques used in international accounting and finance and understand how such techniques create and interpret knowledge. This will allow you to critically evaluate academic research, professional research and pronouncements, and financial media articles. These research and critical analysis skills will enable you to carry out an original research project on your chosen topic. The career-focused master’s programme will develop your transferrable skills, including teamwork, communication, and presentation to make you highly sought after upon graduation. You’ll gain the skills and knowledge to help you thrive in the accountancy and financial services sector, in academic research, or in your chosen employment sector. The strong international relevance of this programme will make your skillset highly transferable across the globe. The MSc is accredited and approved by several accountancy bodies, providing you with the necessary accreditation for those looking to gain professional qualifications from the key accounting associations. Your learning environment Taught through a combination of lectures and tutorials, you’ll get to know and build relationships with the teaching staff and academics. You'll be assessed by coursework, exams, and your dissertation, and will receive support and feedback throughout the programme. During your studies, you’ll benefit from and have access to our state-of-the-art facilities, including our professional-standard Bloomberg Trading Room with 12 Bloomberg Terminals to enhance your employability with data skills. These Terminals are equipped with industry-standard software that provides live financial data and trading tools to the world’s leading banks and corporations. Outside of the classroom, you can join Heriot-Watt’s Business Society which holds regular social events and provides networking opportunities and insights into career prospects in accountancy, finance, and other relevant industries. Customise your learning You’ll have the opportunity to focus on the areas of international accountancy and finance that interest you the most. You can customise your degree to match your specific interests or career pathway by selecting two specialist course options. In semester three, you’ll explore in-depth your chosen area of international accounting and finance through your dissertation. You will be required to demonstrate your mastery of the subject area by developing new insight from the analysis of valuable primary research. You may have the opportunity to Go Global on our Inter-Campus Transfer. Opportunities for postgraduate study abroad are assessed on a case-by-case basis and if you are interested in studying at our Dubai campus or Malaysia campus for a semester or longer, you should contact the Go Global Team.