What is the difference between an MA and and BAcc (Accountancy)?

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Hi, just looking at Universities in Scotland only, and wondering what is the difference for applying for MAs in say Finance, compared to a BAcc in Accountancy and Finance? They don't have quite enough for Unis such as Edinburgh and Glasgow, but they were diagnosed with a chronic health condition at christmas which means taking medication to say alive for the rest of their life, so really proud of their achievements.

I don’t know the difference but I also wouldn’t bother doing either for that degree. It’s not worth the debt. For accountancy and finance there are more relevant qualifications.

I would be looking to complete a school leaver Posting with one of the big 4 personally.

One is a higher level qualification - Masters.
The other is a standard degree.
I agree with the other posters though. Getting an apprenticeship with a good company gets you the same thing plus the relevant experience and no debt

Some older universities award MA for arts degrees, instead of BAs. I think Glasgoe, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and St Andrews.

Thanks everyone. I'll do some more digging, but they are keen to get the uni experience as they will just have turned 18 when go to University, so a lot of maturing to do. As they don't have to pay fees, debt will be minimal (scottish resident and only applying to scottish universities - also because they need to be close to home to attend regular clinic appointments to manage their chronic health condition).

Ultimately, for Accountancy, the professional qualification matters more.

So pick the place / course which they like best and which best suits their health needs.

I hope they enjoy their experience without too many health worries.

Find out which will give the most exemptions from ICAS / ICAEW / CIMA /ACCA if they are really set on going to university

OP have a look at graduate apprenticeships (apprenticeships.scot) as they get the uni ‘experience’ but can also apply their learning in the real world while earning too

Honestly I’d choose something more fun. The big 4 don’t seem to care what degree you do.

Glasgow Caledonian will be worth thinking about for accountancy. Slightly lower entry reqs and good practical content I believe, exempts from some of the professional exams.

True, but it's arguably better to take a degree that gives exemptions towards the professional exams they'll have to take once they've graduated and start working under a training contract. Lots of students struggle to continue studying alongside working for 3+ years after graduation, so anything to reduce the number of exams has to be a good thing to improve their chances of actually qualifying as an accountant. Sadly, I've worked with far too many people who took a "fun/interesting" degree but then couldn't pass the professional exams and ended up in dead end accountancy jobs - the professional exams are a real slog, and harder when they've not even touched on the content in their degree. I suppose it all depends on their long term career aspirations.

Thanks, they're really motivated and studying is something they actually enjoy. We'll go to a few open days and go for the Uni that they have the grades for, and they like the feel of the campus. We have no family members in accountancy or finance so good to get advice.

I’ve done them, whilst working. Honestly, those that I worked with that had exemptions often only found it harder to pass the higher level ones because they hadn’t relearned the foundations. I just wouldnt touch a straight finance degree with a barge pole. A waste of time and money and v v v boring. If they are going to uni, they may as well learn something interesting 🤷‍♀️

By the way, when I say fun, I do still mean academic. I did economics and business.

Getting exemptions can make it harder to pass later exams because you don’t learn how to approach the exams at the easier levels and your exam level doesn’t match your experience. Failed exams can mean training contracts are ended so it’s important to weigh up which will give the best chance of first time passes.

Id agree about not focussing on business or accountancy - find a course that’s interesting and that they feel they can get a good result in

I agree with @Phonicshaskilledmeofftotally. I did an arts degree and then trained at a Big4 firm. Most people I trained with who had done business/accountancy degrees struggled with the exams more than I did. I also think it’s super important not to underestimate the importance of essay/writing skills. I’m no longer an accountant but far more of my work was about translating numbers into words and presenting a compelling narrative than anything else and I found that those who had to write essays as part of their degree were so much better at that.

My degree gave me just one exemption and I didn’t dare take it for fear of not passing the next level up.

Completely agree that in my experience those with lots of exemptions can struggle more.

And a accountancy degree definitely doesn't give you any kind of edge in terms of understanding the job when you start a training contract.

Its always been the way that people with Accountancy degrees often struggle in the professional of exams. I graduated in 1980 and in my entire career nearly all the people at higher levels had non accountancy degrees and my uni flatmates who did accountancy degrees always said it didn't prepare them at all for professional exams and wished they'd studied something that widened their perspectives.