BA (Hons) in Accounting with Finance and with Placement

Why take this course?

The BA in Accounting recently won the award for Excellence in Education in Training at the Irish Accountancy Awards on the 1st of September 2022. This award confirms that the programme is among the best in the country and that graduates of this programme will be even more in demand.

The newly revamped BA in Accounting maintains the emphasis on accounting exemptions, while introducing two new themes, Professional Skills and Digital Skills. Preparing graduates for employment, the Professional Skills theme that runs throughout the programme encompasses a range of skills, practices and activities to build the professional competencies demanded of the modern workplace. To further enhance employability, the Digital Skills theme within the programme encompasses a range of software skills widely used in the accounting profession.

At the Department of Accounting and Business Computing our lecturing staff have extensive industry experience as well as high academic standards. With a strong legacy of accounting within the department, the lecturing team will ensure that graduates are knowledgeable, skilled and well prepared wherever their career takes them.

What’s the difference between this programme and the Accounting with placement?

Other than the year-long placement, all other modules and exemptions are identical.

Why should I do the four-year programme with placement?

There are three key reasons why you should do the placement:

- After graduation, you will have to undertake a three year training contract to become a qualified accountant. By taking this year-long placement, it can be counted towards your training contract, reducing it to two years

- it will make you more employable. Most employers give preference to graduates that have completed a placement.

- you will develop as a person and as a professional

Do I need to have studied accounting for the Leaving Certificate?

No! All our year 1 courses assume no prior knowledge of accounting.

How do I become an accountant after graduation?

After graduation, you will undertake an additional three-year training contract to become a fully qualified accountant.

What will I experience?

The TUS Athlone BA in Accounting has been totally revamped, with three key areas as follows -

Accounting:

• This programme is a 4-year, Level 8 honours degree
• Maximum exemptions from the professional bodies
• A number of new and contemporary modules that ensure graduates are up to date on current trends in the accounting profession

Professional Skills:

• The introduction of a professional skills theme will develop the student’s
• soft-skills, with a focus on employability. These skills include how to search for a job, how to develop a professional portfolio and how to find internships and placements
• This theme also formalises student contact with industry, with guest lectures, industry events and opportunities to build a professional network prior to graduation
• The Department of Accounting and Business Computing prides itself on the large number of links and contacts it has within the accounting profession, both locally and nationally
• This four-year programme has a year-long placement in the third year

Digital Skills:

• Key emphasis put on developing students’ digital skills.
• These skills range from using office applications to embedded certificates from companies such as Sage, which are awarded in addition to the degree, thereby increasing graduate employability
• The programme also introduces Data Analytics and Visualisation – an area of increasing importance to the accounting profession