BA (Hons) Accounting at Edinburgh Napier University is a 4-year full-time undergraduate programme structured across 8 trimesters. The programme delivers 6 modules per academic year - 3 per trimester - with 12 scheduled contact hours per week on average. Most modules provide 2 hours of lectures and 2 hours of tutorials weekly.
The course is structured to give you a steady load each trimester. Teaching combines lectures, seminars, workshops, and applied project work across each trimester, maintaining a consistent balance between technical accounting theory and applied financial practice throughout all 4 years.
The programme progresses from foundational accounting principles in Year 1 to advanced strategic finance and complex reporting in Year 4. Successful completion of Year 3 awards an unclassified degree and successful completion of Year 4 awards an Honours degree.
Core subject areas covered across the programme include tax, ethics, data analysis, and business/corporate law.
Edinburgh Napier partners with industry organisations to offer Year 3 students access to structured summer internship opportunities. The careers service supports all students in identifying and securing additional self-sourced internship placements relevant to their accounting specialism.
How will my degree reflect sustainability and sustainable development?
The Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) – established under the UN Global Compact – places a clear onus on Higher Education to ‘transform management education and develop the responsible decision-makers of tomorrow to advance sustainable development’. The Business School is a PRME signatory, and we seek to influence professional practice and policy nationally and internationally, helping to drive key societal, economic and environmental impacts.
Our mission is ‘to empower communities to apply business knowledge for positive societal impact’ and we work constantly to embed practical actions into our curriculum, to promote sustainability and relate these to the key ideas of sustainability, as reflected in the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes now reflect one or more of the SDG, and our research is targeted to solve real world problems, mapped against the criteria used in the Times Higher Education’s Impact Ranking.
The most recent annual league table for Sustainability - compiled by People & Planet, the UK’s largest student campaigning network - again places Edinburgh Napier in a top 3 position among Scotland’s 19 universities. This reflects their assessment of our performance across a range of environmental and ethical considerations, which include carbon reduction and management, and education.
What is distinct about equality, diversity and inclusion?
Edinburgh Napier University is enriched by the diversity of perspectives, cultures and backgrounds brought by all within our global community. We are committed to a positive environment where diversity and inclusiveness is celebrated and everyone is treated fairly regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, disability, age, ethnic origin, religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status or whether pregnant or on maternity leave. We commit ourselves to providing a learning, working and social environment that is free from discrimination, prejudice, intimidation, stigmatisation and all forms of harassment and bullying.
The Business School's vision: 'To be the Business School for empowerment, enterprise and employability for all'.
Our mission statement: 'Empowering our communities to apply business knowledge for positive societal impact'.
Year by year breakdown
Year 1:
In Year 1, you will develop core competencies in financial accounting, management accounting, the financial services sector, and accounting information systems. You will record transactions using double-entry bookkeeping, prepare financial statements for sole traders and partnerships, and apply cost classification and cost behaviour analysis to support planning and decision-making. You will analyse financial intermediaries, markets, risk-return relationships, and calculate yields on shares and bonds. You will also process transactions using accounting software, prepare working papers, and evaluate information systems risk, security, AI in accounting, and ethical considerations in digital accounting environments.
Year 2:
In Year 2, you will strengthen your expertise in corporate reporting, business law, performance evaluation, and data analysis. You will apply financial reporting standards to prepare and interpret limited company financial statements, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. You will analyse and apply company, contract, and employment law within business contexts while evaluating governance and ethical frameworks. You will also prepare and assess internal and external performance reports, and use statistical methods and SPSS to conduct data analysis, hypothesis testing, and evidence-based decision-making.
Year 3:
In Year 3, you will develop advanced expertise in corporate reporting, strategic management accounting, financial management, taxation, and auditing. You will apply conceptual frameworks and accounting standards to complex transactions, business combinations, group accounts, and corporate insolvency. You will use advanced costing, budgeting, forecasting, and performance measurement techniques to support strategic decision-making under risk. You will evaluate investment, financing, cost of capital, valuation, treasury, and foreign exchange risk decisions within corporate financial management. You will also calculate UK tax liabilities and conduct audits by assessing audit risk, internal controls, substantive testing, and professional ethics.
Year 4:
You undertake advanced strategic finance, complex reporting topics, and potentially a dissertation or applied honours project. You apply accumulated knowledge to real-world case scenarios and professional contexts.
Assessment method
Assessment methods include examinations, coursework assignments, presentations, financial reports, case study analysis, and group projects. Weightings vary by module but typically combine written exams with applied coursework.
The course emphasises formative feedback. Academic staff provide structured guidance on draft submissions, analytical technique, and professional presentation standards.