Master of Arts (Hons) in Accountancy and Finance (Accelerated)

at Heriot-Watt University - Edinburgh Campus United Kingdom

Our Masters in Actuarial Science has been accredited by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFOA).

This MSc has been designed as the perfect starting point to a career as an actuary, preparing you for a leading role managing risk in financial institutions worldwide. Many of our staff are qualified actuaries that have worked for some of the biggest names in the Acturial world; You will be able to benefit from their extensive business knowledge, many years of experience working in industry and their research expertise.

The course offers hands-on experience solving real-life financial problems through interactive lectures, tutorials and practical coursework. What’s more, our close links to industry means you’ll have the chance of a summer placement within Edinburgh's financial sector.

Our BSc Computer Science degree focuses on constructing robust and usable systems. As well as looking at cutting edge tools and techniques, it’s designed to help you build the next generation of software tools that other system constructors will use. The course aims to give a well integrated balance of theoretical underpinnings and practical experience, strongly informed by the research expertise of our academic staff.

All Year 3 students take part in a year-long group project, where they co-operate in tackling a large, realistic problem. Year 4 students conduct a major, year-long, individual dissertation project.

You can take advantage of our international campuses by taking part in an Inter-Campus Transfer. This gives you the opportunity to study Computer Science at our Dubai campus for a semester or a year.

The Applied Petroleum Geoscience (APG) MSc at Heriot-Watt University is one of the top training programmes for geoscientists working in the oil and gas industry. With strong links to our Reservoir Evaluation and Management, Petroleum Engineering, Mature Field Management and Subsurface Energy Systems programmes, this programme is unique, offering a fully integrated understanding of the oil and gas industry, from exploration to production.

Programme content:
The Applied Petroleum Geoscience programme has been redesigned in 2019, with a number of exciting new courses and field trips, including an integrated exploration and development field trip to the Spanish Pyrenees. The programme is focused on geoscience (including petrophysics, geophysics and geochemistry), but we also equip students with a working knowledge of other disciplines, including reservoir engineering and petroleum economics. Students will benefit from engagement with our industry partners and access to high-performance computers, as well as extensive in-house geoscience and engineering expertise, with many of our staff having worked previously in the oil and gas industry.

The programme is deliberately intensive, typically consisting of working a full five days a week of lectures and practical work, including labs or tutorial exercises designed to teach practical skills in addition to learning theory. We have a strong emphasis on group work, whether in the field, the classroom, or in our computer labs. This culminates in an extended (seven-week) group project, where we simulate a real exploration assessment of the Wessex Basin, incorporating field observations, seismic interpretation, well integration and non-technical issues, such as land rights and stakeholder engagement.

This exciting 2-year MSc programme is designed to kick-start your career as an actuary, preparing you to take a leading role in managing risk in financial institutions worldwide.

Entry to the actuarial profession is by a demanding series of examinations, but the rewards after qualifying are great. Students that enrol onto this programme will follow the syllabus of MSc Actuarial Science in their first year and the MSc Actuarial Management programme in their second.

Taking our MSc in Actuarial Science and Management is a great way to speed your progress to this most prestigious of careers - it's designed to take you almost all of the way to qualification.

Our BSc Biological Sciences degree is a broad-based course with a diverse range of topics. In Levels three and four you’ll be able to select from courses ranging from molecular biology and genomics, to marine and environmental topics. Which means you can choose your courses based on your particular interests. Overall, this biology degree aims to provide a flexible package of knowledge and practical skills in the biological sciences. Giving you the chance to maximise your potential and enjoy a successful career – whether it’s in academia, industry or commerce.

The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree aims to develop students’ understanding of the area of Business Administration and Management and develop practical skills appropriate for careers in this area. Theory and practice are given equal emphasis to give a holistic understanding of the role of Business Administration as well as knowledge of and skills associated with business start-up, growth and innovation.

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 programme has been designed to ensure you have the knowledges and skills that employers most value.

Over the course of studying our MA Accountancy programme, students can expect to develop a broad understanding of the context in which modern accounting operates, as well as developing accounting expertise in several areas including, but not limited to:

• 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.

In addition to these key accounting skills, our MA Accountancy 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.

On the whole, our MA Accountancy programme provides students with a solid foundation for their future career in accountancy, business or beyond.

Edinburgh has a long and well-established reputation in banking and finance. Heriot- Watt University has particularly close links with the financial community, this programme having been established when the Deputy Managing Director of the Royal Bank of Scotland left his post to become Professor of International Banking at Heriot-Watt.

The programme covers the core theories and concepts in international banking and finance, such as the operations of the forex market, the international money market and the international credit market. An awareness is also developed of ethical and professional issues relevant to the banking and financial industries.

The programme is designed for those seeking careers in the banking or finance divisions of national and international corporations. Previous graduates from the programme have gone on to become bankers, stockbrokers, tax consultants and financial advisors with corporations across the globe.

The programme combines core elements of Mathematics, Chemical and Mechanical Engineering, Control Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Safety and Management. Successful completion of this programme will allow the graduate to become a productive graduate instrumentation and control engineer in their company.

Graduates' skillset:
The Instrumentation Measurement and Control Graduate Apprenticeship Programme aims to produce BEng (Hons) graduates who:

• Meet the educational base required by the Institute of Instrumentation, Measurement and Control for registration as an Incorporated Engineer;
• Have a good technical understanding of the essential facts across the discipline, but also an awareness of specialist application of technology;
• Are equipped with a sound basis in theoretical engineering principles and methods and their application;
• Are able to operate in team and multidisciplinary contexts;
• Have an appreciation of the wider societal and commercial influences on, and impact of, the discipline;
• Have problem-solving skills and the ability to apply such skills in developing innovative solutions to society's practical needs;
• Have developed the personal qualities and professional competencies of instrumentation and control engineers;
• Have been able to pursue their personal interests in depth in the context of the sponsoring company;
• Have the practical skills required specifically by instrumentation and control engineers and more widely by any numerate professional position.

Our BSc Computer Systems degree is designed for students looking for a sound foundation and applied skills in computing in addition to other professional skills which will enable them to communicate clearly, work independently and co-operate effectively.