Major Overview

Description

Accounting is essential for monitoring and guiding business operations so that managers can gain an accurate and up-to-date picture of the financial health of their organisation. The Accounting major focuses on the preparation, interpretation and communication of accounting information essential for effective decision making within and outside an organisation. You can choose to undertake focused study in either financial or management accounting, pursue professional membership, or complete a more generalised course of study covering a wide range of accounting subjects in greater depth.

This major is designed to meet the accreditation requirements of the main professional accounting bodies, preparing you for entry into the workforce.

Outcomes

Students are able to:

  1. demonstrate an understanding of the principles underlying the preparation of financial accounting reports
  2. analyse accounting information to evaluate business performance
  3. use accounting information for optimal resource allocation within the organisation
  4. communicate effectively and succinctly the results of financial analysis.
Broadening guidelines

All students studying towards a Bachelor's Degree at UWA are required to Broaden their studies by completing a minimum of four units (24 points) of study outside their degree specific major. Broadening is your opportunity to explore other areas of interest, investigate new disciplines and knowledge paradigms and to shape your degree to suit your own aspirations and interests. Many of you will be able to undertake more than this minimum amount of broadening study and we encourage you to do so if this suits your aspirations. Over the next few months you will find here some broadening suggestions related to your degree-specific major. While we know that many students value guidance of this sort, these are only suggestions and students should not lose sight of the opportunity to explore that is afforded by your Broadening Choices. Advice can also be sought from your Allocated Student Advising Office.

Courses

Accounting can be taken as a degree-specific major in the following degree courses:

No study plans found for this major. See study plans for more information.

Units

Key to availability of units:
S1
Semester 1
S2
Semester 2
N/A
not available in 2024 – may be available in 2025 or 2026

Students seeking professional accreditation who commenced the Accounting Major in 2022 or thereafter should complete all of the following units: ACCT1101 Financial Accounting FINA1221 Introduction to Finance ECON1101 Microeconomics: Prices and Markets ECON1102 Macroeconomics: Money and Finance STAT1520 Economics and Business Statistics LAWS1104 Introduction to Law (required as the pre-requisite for LAWS2301) LAWS2301 Company Law ACCT2112 Management Accounting ACCT2201 Corporate Accounting ACCT2331 Taxation ACCT2242 Accounting Information Systems ACCT3322 Auditing ACCT3321 Financial Accounting: Theory and Practice Transition arrangements for students seeking professional accreditation who commenced the Accounting Major in 2021: Students should complete all of the units above with the following two exceptions — students are required to complete ACCT3302 Financial Statement Analysis and students are not required to complete ACCT2242 Accounting Information Systems Transition arrangements for students seeking professional accreditation who commenced the Accounting Major in 2020 or prior: Students should complete all of the units above with the following exceptions — students are required to complete ACCT3302 Financial Statement Analysis, students are not required to complete ACCT2242 Accounting Information Systems and students are not required to complete ECON1102 Macroeconomics: Money and Finance. Bachelor of Commerce students completing a second major in Engineering Science are not required to complete STAT1520 to complete the BCom (as MATH1011 and MATH1022 meet this requirement), however all students who intend to pursue professional accounting accreditation need to take STAT1520. In addition, students should substitute CITS2401 Computer Analysis and Visualisation as the Level 2 option to meet the requirements of the commerce major.

Level 1

Degree-specific major units

Take all units (12 points):

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1, S2 ACCT1101 Financial Accounting
Incompatibility
ACCT5432 Introductory Financial Accounting
S1, S2 FINA1221 Introduction to Finance None

Level 2

Degree-specific major units

Take all units (18 points):

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1, S2 ACCT2112 Management Accounting
Prerequisites
ACCT1101 Financial Accounting
or ACCX1101 Financial Accounting
Incompatibility
ACCT1112 Management Accounting
S1, S2 ACCT2201 Corporate Accounting
Prerequisites
ACCT1101 Financial Accounting
or ACCX1101 Financial Accounting
S1, S2 ACCT2242 Accounting Information Systems
Prerequisites
ACCT1101 Financial Accounting
or ACCX1101 Financial Accounting
Degree-specific major units

Take either unit(s) to the value of 6 points from this group and unit(s) to the value of 18 points at Level 3, or take unit(s) to the value of 24 points at Level 3:

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 ACCT2331 Taxation
Prerequisites
ACCT1101 Financial Accounting
or ACCX1101 Financial Accounting

Level 3

Degree-specific major units

Take unit(s) to the value of 18 points if the Level 2 option is taken, or take unit(s) to the value of 24 points if it was not. Units must include at least one of ACCT3321 or ACCT3323:

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S2 ACCT3203 Contemporary Managerial Accounting
Prerequisites
ACCT1112 Management Accounting
or ACCT2112 Management Accounting
Incompatibility
ACCT2203 Contemporary Managerial Accounting
N/A ACCT3206 Performance Measurement and Evaluation
Prerequisites
ACCT1112 Management Accounting
or ACCT2112 Management Accounting
Incompatibility
ACCT2206 Performance Measurement and Evaluation
S2 ACCT3302 Financial Statement Analysis
Prerequisites
ACCT2201 Corporate Accounting
Incompatibility
FINA2207 Business Analysis and Valuation
S1 ACCT3321 Financial Accounting: Theory and Practice
Prerequisites
ACCT2201 Corporate Accounting
S2 ACCT3322 Auditing
Prerequisites
ACCT2201 Corporate Accounting
S1 ACCT3323 Strategic Management Accounting
Prerequisites
ACCT2112 Management Accounting.
for pre-2012 courses: ACCT2203 Contemporary Managerial Accounting