The Bachelor of Accounting is not the main undergraduate accounting course at UTS. There are at least two options for those wanting to study accounting at the undergraduate level at UTS, and by far the most popular is the Bachelor of Business course with a major in Accounting.

The Bachelor of Business (BBus) course is by far the largest undergraduate course in Business at UTS. Students can choose to study a range of different majors, including one in Accounting.

If you are interested in a business career, or accounting specifically, you should investigate both the BAcc and BBus courses. Below is a more detailed explanation of the differences between the subjects studied in the 2 courses.

The Bachelor of Accounting course does have real advantages over any other business course you might be considering (see Australia's Premier Business Degree), but at the same time the Bachelor of Business course has its own advantages which make it the more appropriate course for some applicants, particularly non-recent school leavers. You should consider for example:

(a) The Bachelor of Business can be studied part-time, at either City or Kuring-Gai campus. The Bachelor of Accounting is full-time only and offered only in the City.

(b) There are hundreds of places offered each year in the Bachelor of Business course, but only 30 in the Bachelor of Accounting.

(c) Applicants with previous study or experience in accounting can apply for subject exemptions based on this prior learning. In the Bachelor of Accounting course fewer subject exemptions are possible on the basis of previous study.

Read more about the Bachelor of Business degree.

Remember, both the Bachelor of Accounting and the Bachelor of Business (with a major in accounting) are fully accredited accounting degrees and can lead equally to professional qualification as a CPA or Chartered Accountant.

Comparing The Two Courses in Detail

All Business courses at UTS offer the following features:

1. A group of compulsory foundation core subjects - the basic building blocks of your business education;

2. A major in one of the many disciplines within the Faculty of Business;

3. The opportunity to complete a second major, or one or two sub-majors, in another area.

A comparison of the academic components of the Bachelor of Accounting and Bachelor of Business degrees shows:

• A slightly different mix of foundation core subjects - the BAcc degree has 9, the BBus 8, of which 7 are common between the two degrees;
• Exactly the same choice of majors in each degree, except that in the BAcc the first major is a compulsory accounting major;
• Exactly the same choice of sub-majors in each degree;
• BAcc students take some subjects in "fast-track" or intensive mode, and others in practical project mode, as well as taking on a somewhat greater workload each semester than their BBus counterparts, in order to complete the degree in 3 years including the year of work experience.

So a Bachelor of Business student majoring in Accounting will do almost exactly the same subjects as a Bachelor of Accounting student. And both degrees are fully acredited for professional advancement, in that they satisfy all of the academic requirements for associate membership of both CPA Australia and the ICAA.

The real difference between the two courses lies in the special features of the Bachelor of Accounting, which is a co-operative education scholarship program. For more detail on what this means, see the Brief Outline of the course or the section on Co-operative Education.

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