Learning Outcomes

Educational aims

The educational aims of this certificate are to:

understand the role of accounting
learn how to prepare and use accounting information
prepare students for professional training.

The certificate provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:

Knowledge and understanding

awareness and understanding of the role of accounting in business and other organisations and of its theory, principles, practices, techniques and limitations
awareness of the social and organisational dimensions of accounting information.

Cognitive skills

review and illustrate the differences between financial and management accounting in terms of purpose and users of information, process, form of information (reporting), legal and regulatory environment
appraise and explain the role and form of financial reports for external users and accounting reports for planning, decision making and control; apply established techniques for critical evaluation and interpretation
understand and evaluate the need for ethics in the behaviour of accountants and the need for auditing in the reporting process of larger enterprises
understand and explain the relation between corporate governance and auditing.

Practical and/or professional skills

bookkeeping: recording and maintaining accounting records
accounting: competency in basic financial, cost and management accounting
accounting: the ability to prepare periodic financial statements and accounting statements for planning, decision making and control purposes
recognition of how the skills and knowledge acquired can further personal and career goals.

Key skills

numerical and IT skills related to bookkeeping, financial and management accounting, and business and financial calculations.
processing, analysing and presenting data in the form of information that is useful to managers and outside users.