Master's Programme in Accounting

Objectives of studies

Accounting plays a key role in any company’s strategic and operative decision-making. That role is to produce and use financial and non-financial information for making the right choices and strategic shifts in a turbulent global business environment. Upon graduation from the Accounting programme, graduates will have:

• In-depth financial knowledge. Graduates are able to generate, analyse, interpret and communicate financial information for the benefit of organisations, stakeholders, and the broader society.
• Problem-solving skills. Graduates view managerial challenges through numbers and find solutions to answer them.
• Management capabilities. Graduates can effectively contribute to the development of management information systems.
• Decisive roles in organizations. Graduates impact and guide the strategic and operative decision making of organizations.
• Universal competence. Graduates possess accounting and financial skills are universal and can be applied in all kinds of organizations, across industries and continents.

Upon graduation from the Accounting programme, graduates have not only financial substance in the field of accounting but also leading-edge skills to apply it to solve business problems, lead operative and strategic decision-making and develop better ways for companies to operate.

Scholarships and Tuition fees

The tuition fee is €15 000 per academic year for non-EU/EEA citizens. Prospective students subject to tuition fees are eligible to apply for Aalto University Scholarship.

Study language

The language of instruction is English.

Structure of studies

The Master’s Programme in Accounting is organized by the School of Business and comprises a total of 120 ECTS credits. The two-year programme consists of:

• Programme studies (84 ECTS), including Master’s Thesis (30 ECTS)
• Minor studies (24 ECTS)
• Elective studies (12 ECTS)

Students have the opportunity to complete the minor studies (24 ECTS) in an official exchange programme partner of the School of Business.

At the beginning of their studies, students define their Personal Study Plans (PSP) together with an academic advisor. The primary purpose of PSP is to ensure that the studies support the student’s interests and are completed in a logical order.

Personal Study Plan (PSP)

Personal Study Plan (PSP) is a practical tool to define a student’s own study path, i.e. compiling an optimal selection of courses, aligned with the student's interests and programme requirements. PSP is also a useful tool for keeping up with studies. At best, it shows the stage at which students are with their studies and sets concrete milestones for them to follow.

Post-graduate study options

The degree grants eligibility for doctoral studies.

International opportunities

Accounting is universal, making it an ideal field for international careers. The skills that students learn in the programme are universal and can be applied industry-wide. To further encourage internationalisation, Accounting professors have diverse backgrounds and most of the courses handle global topics.

Aalto University is international by nature, welcoming thousands of degree and exchange students from abroad each year. These students join the diverse Aalto community not only through studies, but also multiple free time events, activities and celebrations around the campus. Programme administrators, active student tutors and student support services work rigorously to help international students integrate into Nordic culture and welcome them at home in Finland.

Multidisciplinary opportunities

Accounting is flexible when it comes to choosing the minor and elective courses from other majors, schools and universities. As accounting is needed in companies across all industries, applying it is not only limited to the field of business.

Aalto University is well-known for bridging disciplines of business, arts, technology and science. The lively campus and freedom to choose elective courses across the university bring students from different fields under one roof. This spontaneous multidisciplinary environment sparks new ideas, gathers enthusiasts around them and gives birth to friendships, networks, and every so often, startups.

Career opportunities

As a graduate of Accounting, you will have broad career prospects. Typical job titles include, for example, Chief Financial Officer, Business Controller, Financial Analyst, Auditor and Business Consultant. The typical route from university to these positions happens through corporate collaboration. The students can network with companies especially during courses (e.g. Capstone course), student activities organised by KY Accounting (student association of accounting students) or thesis assignments. Most of the Accounting students have a guaranteed job already before graduating from the programme.

Aalto University has well-established career services that help you get employed in Finland and abroad. Aalto students tend to find good positions with ease upon their graduation. An active entrepreneurship community is also present at Aalto, which can help as a springboard for founding your company. Finally, if an academic career is of interest, the Master’s programme in Accounting is a great foundation for doctoral studies and post-doc positions.

Admission dates

The admissions to Master's programmes at Aalto University in the field of Business and Economics are organised once a year. The application period for studies starting in autumn 2020 is from 2 December 2019 to 3 January 2020.

Here are the most important dates to remember:

• 2 December 2019 – Application period begins and online application system opens
• 3 January 2020 – Application period ends and the online application system closes
• 30 March 2020 – Admission results are published
• 28 April 2020 – Deadline for accepting the offered study place

Programme-specific Admission Requirements

In addition to these programme-specific admission requirements, applicants must also fulfill the general admission requirements.

Required previous studies

To be considered for admission the applicant must have completed at least 30 ECTS credits of studies in Accounting and/or closely related subjects. The studies must include:

• a minimum of two courses (at least 12 ECTS credits in total) in financial accounting; and
• a minimum of two courses (at least 12 ECTS credits in total) in management accounting; and
• a minimum of one course (6 ECTS credits in total) in financial accounting, management accounting, corporate finance, or business law.

The applicants that fulfill the above requirement of previous studies are ranked according to the criteria below.

Contact information

In case of programme-specific questions and inquiries, please contact the Planning Officer of the programme Anna Kuparinen at [email protected].

If there are open questions about the admissions and applying instructions, you can reach out to [email protected].