We’ve been chatting to Alison Siggins, Academic Team Lead for our undergraduate Accounting and Finance degrees after RGU celebrated 25 years of running the BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance course! Alison talks to us about the kind of careers you may choose to explore after completing an undergraduate accounting degree at RGU, as well as some famous faces that started their own careers in accounting and finance!
Why would someone choose to study an Accounting and Finance degree?
There are many answers to this question. A degree in Accounting and Finance will not only give you an in-depth understanding of the subject and set you up for a career in this area, it will also teach you many practical and transferable skills that can be called upon throughout your time working in business.
In fact, many famous faces and business people started their careers in accounting and finance. Mick Jagger studied accounting and finance at university, and best-selling author John Grisham earned a degree in accounting. Legendary JP Morgan started his career in accounting, and entrepreneur JD Rockerfellar – considered one of the richest people in history – started as a bookkeeper before becoming an accountant. Our very own Donald Anderson, who graduated from RGU’s BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance degree in 2022, has even made it to the semi-finals of University Challenge!
A degree in this field can open many doors to a long and successful career across a range of areas and sectors.
Do you offer more specialist accounting degrees?
In addition to our popular BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance degree – we are celebrating 25 years of this degree at RGU – last year, we introduced a very exciting new specialist degree, BA (Hons) Accounting with Data Science. This new course includes an introduction to data science along with core accounting knowledge. It ensures that our graduates have valuable and relevant skills to meet the changing demands of the accounting profession.
What do you think is the highlight of RGU’s Accounting and Finance courses?
It is hard to pick just one thing, so I am going to quickly run you through three key areas I think make this a very rewarding degree choice:
- Paid placement. Unique among accounting courses in Scotland, our BA (Hons) Accounting & Finance and BA (Hons) Accounting with Data Science degrees include a year-long paid placement in third year. This gives you a competitive edge when seeking graduate positions and gives you the opportunity to put your learning into practice.
- Study Abroad. When you choose our BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance course, and as an alternative to the paid-placement route, you will have the chance to study abroad at one of our partner institutions in Europe.
- Professional accounting exemptions. Once you graduate and begin your accounting career, you may choose to continue your professional study to become a Chartered Accountant. You will have access to the following exemptions*:
- BA (Hons) Accounting with Data Science – exemptions from CIMA.
- BA (Hons) Accounting & Finance – exemptions from CIMA, ACCA and AIA.
Do you have any top tips for students thinking about studying accounting and finance?
The most important thing is that you need to be interested in numbers and feel comfortable working with numbers. Along with the numbers, there are a host of acronyms, terms and formulae that need to be learnt and memorised!
You also need to be organised and methodical in your approach. When you start university, get a study buddy, someone who you can bounce ideas off and work through questions together.
To find out more about studying an undergraduate Accounting and Finance degree at RGU, visit www.rgu.ac.uk/ug-accfin.
*You need to achieve a specified minimum grade for some exemptions. If you enter the degree in Years 2 or 3, exemptions will be considered on an individual basis by the professional bodies.
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