Commerce with Accounting

Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting)

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Course Overview
Key Facts
Course Outline
Further Education
Why Choose This Course?
Course Fees
Find Out More

B.Comm (Accounting) Study Abroad Experience Virtual Open Day B.Comm Accounting

Entry Points (2024)

509

Course Overview

**New Exemptions Available**: Our BComm (Accounting) now offers one of the most competitive exemption packages available at undergraduate level in Ireland. Students who meet the required academic criteria are eligible for full exemption from all five Chartered Accountants Ireland CAP1* exams and two CAP2* exams. These exemptions give our students a real head start in their professional accounting careers, reducing the time and cost associated with completing further qualifications.

*Subject to minimum grade requirements

As a student, you’ll have the option to follow one of two pathways in the course. Whether you’re aiming to gain international experience, complete your degree in three years, or take on a professional placement, you can tailor the programme to fit your goals.

1. Accelerated Three-Year Degree with Internship Pathway Option
The BCA offers a three-year degree option that secures two CAP 2 exemptions. This streamlined pathway also allows students to graduate sooner while gaining valuable experience through an optional summer professional internship.

2. Four Years with Global and Professional Opportunities
Students of the programme also benefit from two CAP 2 exemptions. This pathway offers include international study opportunities and a professional work placement, offering a well-rounded academic and career-focused experience.

About the Course

The BComm (Accounting) degree at University of Galway combines a broad-based business education with the advantage of a specialized programme for those interested in a career in accounting or a related discipline. Students on the programme particularly like the small class size, which really helps them to settle in. This programme offers significant exemptions from professional accounting examinations.

The Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) is a three-year undergraduate course* designed for students who have decided that they want a career in accountancy, taxation or corporate finance. This programme offers excellent levels of exemptions from the examinations of all of the major professional accountancy and taxation practitioner bodies. Our internship and placement partners include PWC, KPMG, Deloitte, EY, Grant Thornton, DHKN, Crowe Howarth, Supermacs and Mazars.

*4 years of optional Global Experience & Work Placement year:

The BComm (Accounting) can be extended from three to four years. We offer students an opportunity to enhance their studies, spending one year studying abroad or one semester studying abroad along with a one semester work placement. With this option in third year, students will study a range of business/accounting courses through English at an international partner university in Europe, North America, Asia, or Australia, providing students with an invaluable experience and graduating with a BComm (Accounting - International Experience) degree. Students return to NUI Galway to complete their final year.

We are recognised by:

‌Deloitte Partnership

University of Galway is pleased to be partnering with Deloitte on the BComm (Global Experience) course.

Click here for more information on Deloitte awards and scholarships.

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 level in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, another language, Mathematics, and any two other subjects recognised for entry purposes. Additional requirements: Minimum H4 in Accounting.

Academic entry requirements standardised per country here.

English language requirements here.

Additional Requirements

For Leaving Certificate - H4 in Accounting is also a requirement
For A-Levels - Grade C in A-Level Accounting

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Duration

3 years (4 years with 'Global Experience Year' option)

Next start date

September 2025

A Level Grades (2024)

universityofgalway.ie/alevels

Average intake

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

Closing Date

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY207

Course code

Course Outline

YEAR ONE

• Introduction to Management Accounting
• Introduction to Financial Reporting
• Principles of Microeconomics/Macroeconomics
• Information Management for Business
• Mathematics and Statistics for Business
• Business Law I
• Skills for Success
• Management and Enterprise
• Foundations of Marketing Thought

YEAR TWO
• International Financial Reporting II and III
• Management Accounting I

• Taxation I
• Auditing, Assurance and Governance
• Inferential Statistical Methods for Business
• Applied Microeconomics for Business
• Macroeconomics and the Business Environment
• Business Finance I
• Information and Operations Management
• Business Law II
• Skills for Business
• Plus two optional subjects from the following areas:
· Economics and Finance
· Management and Human Relations
· Marketing
· Statistics for Business
· Doing Business in China

OPTIONAL GLOBAL EXPERIENCE YEAR
• One semester studying abroad in the USA or Europe
• One semester on professional work placement

FINAL YEAR
• Advanced Financial Accounting
• Management Accounting II and III
• Taxation II
• Business Finance II
• Advanced Business Law
• Innovation: Creativity and Enterprise
• Plus four optional modules from the following areas:
· Economics and Finance
· Management and Human Relations
· Marketing
· Doing Business in China
· Operations/Logistics
· Information Systems
· Law
· Accounting Internship

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits: You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module: An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject: Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional: A module you may choose to study.
Required: A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject: A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester: Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 1 (60 Credits)

Year 2 (60 Credits)

Year 3 (60 Credits)

Further Education

Many graduates of the BComm (Accounting) go on to study on Master of Accounting programmes at University of Galway and, depending on their choice of optional subjects during their degree, may also choose to study a Master of Economic Science, Master of Finance, Postgraduate Diploma in Education, an LLB or other postgraduate programmes across business disciplines.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Our graduates have had excellent success in securing employment as trainee accountants in all types of accountancy practices. Graduates may also find employment in financial services, taxation, banking, manufacturing and other industries. Find out more about these Accounting Exemptions at the links below.

ACCA: Information about current ACCA exemptions can be found on this website.

CIMA: Here is the link to the CIMA exemptions calculator.

Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI) CAP1: information about current exemptions can be found on this website.

Click here to see where your Commerce degree can take you in the world!

This programme offers substantial exemptions from professional examinations for students who meet the required criteria. These include full exemption from the Chartered Accountants Ireland CAP1 examinations, along with exemption from two CAP2 examinations - placing us among the top undergraduate programmes in Ireland for professional recognition.

The programme also supports students in preparing for the global business environment through an optional Global Year. This includes a professional placement with an accountancy firm and a semester studying abroad. For those not opting for the Global Year, a structured Accounting Summer Internship offers valuable work experience in the field.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

The Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) at University of Galway incorporates work placements in two ways. Firstly, students can participate in summer internships at the end of 2nd year and this counts for one of their subjects in final year. Secondly, students have the option to apply for International Experience and extend their degree by one year to facilitate international study and work placement.

“The placement programme in University of Galway has terrific benefits to both employers and students. From an employer’s perspective, we have an opportunity to measure the student’s suitability for future graduate positions, as well as benefiting from their contribution during the placement. The students have a unique opportunity to add valuable practical work experience to their resume. They also hone key competencies in areas such as team work, relationship, communication, problem solving and leadership skills and these attributes are highly sought after by employers. These students, with relevant work experience, have a higher propensity to be successful when interviewing for graduate positions.”

Paul Vance, Head of Resourcing, KPMG

Deloitte Partnership

University of Galway is pleased to be partnering with Deloitte on the BComm (Accounting) course which will create opportunities for students to benefit from the company’s professional expertise, leadership and future career opportunities.

The partnership builds on the longstanding ties between Deloitte and J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics at the University. It also cements Deloitte’s commitment to supporting education and academic excellence.

Commenting on the partnership, Harry Goddard, CEO, Deloitte Ireland, said: "Investing in tomorrow’s leaders is critical for us at Deloitte. This partnership will develop the talent required to address the complex challenges faced by industries and institutions across the world. It will help to empower and prepare our future leaders for the future world of work.”

Click here for more information on Deloitte awards and scholarships.

Study Abroad

Students on this programme have the opportunity to add an international experience dimension to their degree at the end of second year, when they may apply on a competitive basis to transfer from the three-year BComm (Accounting) degree to a four-year BComm (Accounting) with international experience. Successful applicants will spend one semester of their third year at an international university studying business through English, either in Europe, North America or further afield and a second semester in a work placement. The students will then return to NUI Galway for fourth year to complete their degree.

International Study Abroad Partner Universities

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Course Fees

Fees: EU

€5,598 p.a. (€5,738 p.a. including levy) 2025/26

Fees: Tuition

€2,598 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Non EU

€19,000 p.a. (€19,140 p.a. including levy) 2025/26

EU Fees are comprised of Tuition + Student Contribution Charge + Student Levy* €140. *Payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI. Further detail here.

For 25/26 entrants, where the course duration is greater than 1 year, there is an inflationary increase approved of 3.4% per annum for continuing years fees**.
**Excludes Full-Time EU Undergraduate fees. These are fixed and do not change.

Find out More

J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, University of Galway
T + 353 (0)91 492 612
E business@universityofgalway.ie

What Our Students Say

Ruth Cummins | Audit associate at PWC

One of the best aspects of Commerce with Accounting at NUI Galway for me was the opportunity to do an international year. I was lucky enough to study abroad in America and then do a paid work placement and I can honestly say it was one of the best and one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life.

Damien Kiniry | Tax Associate at Deloitte

I chose the B-Comm Accounting course in NUIG because I had a keen interest in accounting and the course invariably stood out from the others. The level of professional exemptions, small class environment and reputation of the college was enough to convince me to pursue my career in accounting through NUIG. My study abroad experience in Dijon, France was the most enjoyable aspect for me to date. It was an invaluable lifelong experience which allowed me to experience a new culture. After completing the B Comm Accounting course I feel fully prepared for the working world. NUIG has been a great campus for my university experience. The facilities and help available, the infrastructure and learning experience is first class. This together with the range of societies and sport teams makes it a college among the best in the country.

Ruth Moran | Class of 2016

I loved accountancy in my fifth and leaving certificate year and decided to pursue it as a career. As this course focused more on accounting I could obtain my CAP 1 exemptions from CAI Ireland. Commerce Accounting also allows you to study in other areas of commerce such as economics, marketing, management and business information systems. I loved how our class was a small size. This meant it was easier to get to know everyone. After my second year, I studied for one semester in Canisius College in Buffalo New York. For my second semester, I worked in DHKN Accountancy firm in Galway. I really enjoyed both of these experiences. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my time I spent at NUI Galway, it provided me with a great education and also allowed me to develop friendships that will last a lifetime.

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Finalist of Irish Accountancy Awards 2019