University of the Witwatersrand - WITS
speciality: Accounting & Finance
What is an Accounting & Finance degree?
An Accounting & Finance degree focuses on the management of monetary resources available to an organization. Such a degree is aimed at students who want to pursue careers in investment analysis, management, banking, auditing, consulting and financial management. It teaches students how to assess the assets and liabilities of an organization financially and manage the financial risk of their activity.
Accounting & Finance covers the core areas of financial accounting, management accounting and finance but also includes other aspects of the business activity, such as financial management and control, corporate finance, company accounts, investment and business law. Optional module options provided by different universities around the world often allow students to specialize in a particular area such as auditing, taxation, etc.
Benefits of an Accounting & Finance degree
The completion of an Accounting & Finance degree comes along with numerous benefits. Students develop strong analytical, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, which are highly demanded by employers in both the private and the public sector and result in graduates often finding employment in large multinational organizations that offer professional services such as PwC, KPMG and Deloitte. On top of that, established companies around the world offer excellent and well-structured graduate schemes, which help Accounting & Finance graduates to kick-start their careers.
Accounting & Finance degrees are mostly practically oriented. They allow students to put the knowledge and skills they acquire on a daily basis to practice through simulated and real-life business accounts management and work placement opportunities.
Most Accounting & Finance degrees are professionally accredited by professional bodies, such as ACCA, AIA, CIMA, ICAEW and CIPFA, which provides students with the opportunity to become chartered accountants. Students gain professional qualifications in accountancy, which eliminates the need for additional certifications after graduation.
Due to the nature of the Accounting & Finance Degree, which complements business-related subjects, students often have the opportunity to complete a joint honours degree.
Accounting & Finance Degree Structure
An Accounting & Finance degree’s duration varies depending on the country and degree level. In some countries, such as the United Kingdom, Bachelor’s degrees in Accounting & Finance can be completed in three years. However, universities also offer students the option to take a sandwich course, which allows them to undertake a year-long placement between their second and third year, which extends the course to four years. Four years is the regular time of completion of this degree in other countries, such as the United States.
The first year of a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting & Finance introduces the core principles of accounting and finance, including financial accounting, management accounting and finance as well as economics and business law. The second year’s focus is usually on managerial and business economics, financial control, corporate finance and company accounts, but optional modules might enable students to pursue their interests in other aspects of Accounting & Finance such as auditing or strategic business analysis. At this point, students studying at Higher Education Institutions in the UK could choose to take an industry placement in order to apply the theoretical concepts and the acquired knowledge to practice in the professional environment. The next stage of this degree is dedicated to further-developing students’ knowledge of financial and management accounting. Optional modules might enable students to specialize in a particular area of their choice such as auditing or taxation in some countries like the UK.
Masters’ degrees in Accounting & Finance usually take between 12 and 18 months to complete depending on the country that students choose for their studies.
Research-based degrees, such as MPhil and PhD, can take anywhere between 1 and 7 years depending on the country and type of degree. MPhil degrees in Accounting & Finance in the UK usually take 12 months if it is studied full-time and 24 months for part-time studies. PhD degrees in the UK, on the other hand, take about 36 months to complete if studying full-time and 72 months for a part-time program. In the US, students may be required to dedicate between 4 and 7 years on their degree.
4 Student Reviews
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Accounting Sciences11 months ago
MnqobiNGMy experience as a Wits stuWitwatersrand university is one of the greatest universities in the globe. It offers excellent services ranging from accommodation, dinning hall meals, lecture facilities and varsity vibes programs to help high school students to transition and settle in varsity.
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Witwatersrand offers highly competitive degrees and the requires commitment, dedication and hard work in order to survive and graduate in record time. The course structures are intensive in most cases as students are required to learn and grasp lot of knowledge in a very short period of time. I will recommend Wits for any students who want to pursue his/her career on one of the prestigious university.Programme: Accounting SciencesDegree: Bachelor'sGraduation: 2023Delivery Type: On CampusCampus: Johannesburg -
Accounting Sciences29 Apr, 2023
StudentOut of my comfort zoneWits has taught me to look beyond the classroom and I really appreciate that. Their challenging course work has caused me to develop new skills which I couldn’t have had their content been average. I now understand the importance of networking and seeking help when I need it, which isn’t something I’d do had the work been average. As someone who has always wanted to exit her comfort zone,I’m very happy to have had the Wits experience.
View moreProgramme: Accounting SciencesDegree: Bachelor'sGraduation: 2026Delivery Type: BlendedCampus: Johannesburg -
Accounting Sciences18 Jan, 2023 TiraZAOne of the best
University of the Witwatersrand is the best university in South Africa, they offer the best and quality education. The fees are a bit pricey but very much worth it. Wits takes care of its students, from offering best education to making sure that the student accommodation is clean and neat
View moreProgramme: Accounting SciencesDegree: Bachelor'sGraduation: 2023Delivery Type: BlendedCampus: Johannesburg -
Accounting Sciences17 Dec, 2022 StudentZAWits. For Good?
I am a first year studying Accounting Science at Wits University. Being listed as one of the best universities in South Africa, I was very keen to be a part of this institution. However, I have found that the social life in the university is not very good as there is not a lot of opportunities to meet people and you are forced to be proactive in making friends. Due to not being used to lectures, I find that this shift has been difficult for me but it was nice having online classes to do at your own pace. The campus is very nice.
View moreProgramme: Accounting SciencesDegree: Bachelor'sGraduation: 2024Delivery Type: On CampusCampus: Johannesburg
