Accountancy

Our undergraduate MA Accountancy degree is based within Heriot-Watt University’s prestigious Edinburgh Business School and has been expertly designed by respected academics and industry-experienced professionals to offer you the strongest possible foundation from which to launch your career.

An industry-focused approach
The MA Accountancy ensures students develop a broad understanding of the contexts of modern accounting. It examines legal and ethical contexts and provides insight into accountancy as a profession, and builds understanding around business entities and the capital markets in which they operate. Throughout this four-year degree, you will develop key accountancy expertise in across multiple areas, including:
• Recording and summarising business transactions
• Preparing and analysing financial statements
• Analysing and making decisions on business operations
• Conducting financial analysis
• Producing and reporting projections
• Conducting audit
• Analysing governance issues
• Gaining awareness of the importance of business ethics.

When you study on the MA Accountancy, you will benefit from the expert knowledge across the full range of disciplines related to accounting and finance. Students at the Edinburgh Business School enhance their academic understanding and gain invaluable experience through use of our state-of-the-art Bloomberg Trading Room - a professional-standard facility that provides access to live financial data from global markets and organisations.

Rankings and employability
Edinburgh is the UK’s second biggest financial centre, making it an ideal place to study accountancy and finance. In the Guardian University League Tables 2019, Heriot-Watt’s Edinburgh Business School was ranked as the second-best place in Scotland to study undergraduate accounting and finance degrees. Heriot-Watt enjoys a well-established reputation with leading organisations in the world of accountancy and financial services, and our graduates are often sought-after by recruiters.

An employable skillset
Whether you are considering a career as a chartered accountant in professional practice, industry or the public sector, or you are looking to work in other professional, commercial and industrial areas, our MA Accountancy ensures that you have the knowledge and skills that employers most value.

In addition to academic understanding and key accounting skills, our programme allows students to expand their overall skillset through a combination of individual and group work, written reports, presentations and examinations. Throughout this programme we will develop skills such as:

• Analysis
• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Negotiation
• Conflict resolution
• Presentation delivery

Accreditation
Heriot-Watt University is accredited as a Bloomberg Experiential Learning Partner, recognising us as a leader in experiential learning in the area of finance. Heriot-Watt University degree programmes are accredited with the professional bodies AIA; ACCA; CIMA; ICAEW and ICAS. There are potentially nine exemptions depending on the options taken and the professional qualification sought.

Please visit our website for further information on our 3 year honours degrees

Heriot-Watt is 2nd in the UK for positive graduate outcomes (Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2025). As Scotland’s top producer of CEOs (Novuna, 2025), their programmes focus on giving you real-world experience and strong industry links to help you kick-start your career success story. You'll have lifelong access to their award-winning Careers Service with guidance on CV tailoring, careers fairs and job applications.

They guarantee accommodation for students on their safe, green parkland campus, with all energy and Wi-Fi bills included. For students coming from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Heriot-Watt provides a free semester of accommodation to help you with the costs of starting university.

You’ll also be living and studying in a top 2 UK student-friendly city (QS Best Cities, 2026) – Edinburgh. With a vibrant nightlife, eclectic food scene and plenty of shops and green spaces, it's a great city to be a student.

At Heriot-Watt University, you can choose to study flexibly with a 3-year honours degree, allowing you to complete the typical four-year Scottish Bachelor Honours degree in just three years while still enjoying the full student experience, including Welcome Week, Freshers’ events, and support from your Personal Tutor. This can save you both time and tuition fees while allowing you to graduate at the same time as students across the rest of the UK.

Register for your Heriot-Watt Priority Pass to make sure you are first in line when Clearing opens, or to chat with their friendly team