Master of Science in International Accounting and Finance

at Heriot-Watt University - Edinburgh Campus United Kingdom

Challenging global market conditions continue to dominate the building and construction industry. Key to success are skilled employees, who can manage complex construction project issues, a rare resource nowadays.

This GA programme develops high-quality employees capable of playing key- and leadership roles in leading organisations across the construction industry, general contracting and consultancy.

The Construction and the Built Environment GA is aimed at employment in the areas of Architectural Technology, Building Surveying, Construction Buying and Procurement, Construction Management, Estimating and Tendering, Facilities Management, Planning and Development, Programming, Project Management, Property Surveying, Rural Surveying, Valuation and Quantity Surveying.

This GA programme is also fully accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) meaning that apprentices are on a pathway to becoming Chartered construction professionals.  Depending on the individual’s career development, this is most likely to be through the Quantity Surveying and Construction pathway or the Project Management pathway.

This programme combines the core principles and techniques of international finance. It develops student knowledge and understanding of academic finance and of the financial sector, including theory, empirical research and practical issues. It is designed for those who wish to pursue a professional career which calls for familiarity with the financial world.

The programme is also designed to provide the knowledge base and the analytical and research skills necessary for doctoral study in finance. Many graduates pursue careers in the financial sector, some within Edinburgh, a major centre for fund management, and home to two of the world’s largest banks.

The programme enables students to understand core theories and concepts in finance; understand and use a range analytical techniques, for example the analysis of a company's financial statements or the application of models to value financial assets; evaluate methods of empirical research and empirical findings; develop practical knowledge of financial markets and institutions and financial decisions within companies; carry out original research via a dissertation; and develop transferable skills, particularly in analytical techniques, communication and teamwork, relevant to employment in the financial sector or in academic research.

In the Business Management GA programme our objective is to develop the general management and business knowledge and skills of participants in the context of contemporary private and public sector organisations, large and small.

Employees examine organisations, understand workings and relate theories to actual business practices. Throughout the programme we develop the management and business skills necessary for a professional organisation.

Robotic and autonomous systems are now used in areas such as autonomous vehicle guidance, healthcare, remote surgery, industrial manufacturing and domestic assistance. This multi-disciplined BEng Robotics degree brings together electronics, computer software, and mechanics. In the first three years, you’ll be given a background in all three disciplines, along with the opportunity to build integrated systems. In the final two years, you can either continue with a broad-based curriculum, or specialise in particular aspects of contemporary robotics.

The MEng Robotics degree includes a six-month industry placement, during years 4 and 5. Advanced courses can also be chosen from the three departments: Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, and Mechanical Engineering.

Edinburgh Business School’s MA (Hons) Accountancy and Finance degree is accredited by all major professional bodies in the UK.

This 3-year accelerated degree is suited to those who have completed A-Levels. It prepares students to enter accounting or finance professions and features the use of professional-standard Bloomberg Trading Terminals throughout. As your studies progress through Years 1, 2 and 3 of this accelerated MA (Hons) programme you will study an increasing number of specialist accountancy and finance courses.

An industry-focused degree:
MA (Hons) Accountancy and Finance is an industry-focused degree with extensive professional accreditations that offers the strongest possible foundation from which to launch your career. By studying accredited courses on this degree, students can gain the maximum number of exemptions from professional accountancy exams upon graduation. The course content is designed and delivered by professionals with industry experience and respected academics with expert knowledge across the full range of disciplines related to accounting and finance. Students at the Edinburgh Business School can enhance employability in the area of finance 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. Use of Bloomberg Terminals is integrated into our courses to develop professionally relevant skills in data analysis, financial reporting, financial risk management and financial modelling.

Chemistry is a dynamic and exciting subject which makes many important contributions to the world. It is a major contributor to the Scottish and UK economies and as such is a secure career pathway. Chemistry plays a crucial role in developing new medicines, materials and energy sources using greener methods for a better future.

At Heriot-Watt University, we make sure the theory we teach is linked to these practical applications so that when our students graduate, they are ready to address the biggest of global challenges. Heriot-Watt University is ranked first in Scotland for chemistry in the Guardian University Guide 2020.

The courses within our five-year MChem Chemistry include extensive laboratory work throughout. They provide students with hands-on experience and opportunities to link theoretical knowledge from lectures to the real world. As a result, our students develop practical lab experience as well as much needed teamwork, problem solving and communication skills.

Our Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying course is designed to meet the needs of the financial management and quantity surveying sectors. The degree offers a solid theoretical base, combined with a strong focus on industrial relevance. This means that you’ll quickly be able to make a positive contribution to the success of your working environment, and the development of your own professional careers. Our students are often recruited by international construction and quantity surveying practices. Graduates also develop careers across different sectors of industry and commerce.

This course is delivered by the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Design, a leading body recognised by the Royal Academy of Engineering. This is one of four such centres established at UK universities that jointly form a national network to demonstrate and exchange best practice in teaching and research for the sustainable built environment.

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.

The MSc in Reservoir Evaluation and Management (REM) teaches students how to be successful subsurface geoscientists and engineers, able to build models that can provide good predictions of hydrocarbon reservoir behaviour. The success of these models requires a good understanding of both the geology and engineering of the reservoir. The REM programme, with its combination of geoscience and engineering, provides students with the ability to identify those aspects of the reservoir which have the greatest impact on hydrocarbon recovery. Our graduates typically go on to careers in petroleum geology, geomodelling or reservoir engineering.

Most development decisions in oil companies are based on the predictions of computer models of the subsurface. We teach our students the most effective ways to combine the geology, geophysics and reservoir engineering disciplines in order to develop and run computer models which provide the most robust predictions. The programme has been designed so that graduates are technically well prepared for, and have a sound knowledge of, the reservoir geoscience and engineering aspects of the upstream petroleum industry. The unique combination of geoscience and engineering in the REM programme means that our team projects contain the complete workflow of a field development, from geology to engineering and economics.

Graduates of the REM MSc will be in a unique position of having a thorough understanding of the both the geosciences and engineering issues relevant to hydrocarbon reservoir behaviour. The programme is deliberately intensive, typically consisting of working a full 5 days per week of lectures and practical work, including labs or tutorial exercises designed to teach practical skills in addition to learning theory. The programme includes two field trips to observe geology in the field, both for those with and without prior geological experience.

The most challenging and fulfilling aspect of our programme is the project work, particularly the team project, where students are tasked to propose a development plan for real field. The project integrates all the learning in reservoir geosciences and engineering disciplines and reinforces learning through team work.

The programme shares 6 taught courses with MSc Petroleum Engineering and MSc Applied Petroleum Geoscience as illustrated in this diagram.

If you want to start your career with a year's work experience in hand, then you should consider this course. It combines the rigorous studies of the BSc (Hons) Computer Science with a year of work placement in level 4. Good performance means 12 months experience of working in an organisation in the computing sector. The Diploma in Industrial Training is gained through successful completion of the work placement. The work placement helps you to develop specific work-related skills, giving you the opportunity to apply and build upon the theory you’ve learned. This course aims to give a well-integrated balance of theoretical underpinnings and practical experience, strongly informed by the research expertise of our academic staff.