Professional Accountancy MA: A world of opportunity

A world of opportunity

ICAS’ mission to widen access to the profession continues with an exciting partnership with Heriot-Watt University to deliver a new MA, available in Edinburgh and Dubai. It will put students on a fast track to chartered accountancy, says Director of Business Development, Poppy Collinson

In September 2026, ICAS will launch Professional Accountancy, a new four-year MA, in partnership with Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University.

We were very keen to work with Heriot-Watt because of the reputation of its accountancy programme, but also because it has a global outlook, as evidenced by its campuses overseas in the UAE and Malaysia. (I can vouch from first-hand experience that the UAE campus is phenomenal and I look forward to visiting Malaysia.)

Surveys show that large numbers of Gen Z or millennials are seeking careers which give the opportunity to experience life overseas, whether short or long term. According to the British Council’s Next Generation UK report, published in December 2024, nearly three-quarters (72%) of UK based 18–30-year-olds would consider living and working in another country.

Students who join us after this new programme will be exempt from all of the Knowledge and Skills levels of the CA qualification (Advanced Assurance will be sat by students as part of the programme), meaning they will only have to sit the remaining two Integration level assessments. This is the first time ICAS has given exemptions from the Skills level and it presents a streamlined route into the profession.

For students this will represent a more applied way of studying than the typical university degree. Being exempt from Skills and Knowledge upon graduation, their three-year training contract with an employer will entail more time for real-world experience, allowing them time to see how an end-to-end audit works, meeting clients or collaborating on projects.

For employers this means that not only will the cost of training be significantly reduced, but so will the time spent out of the business studying during their three-year training contract. We hope this means that training a CA becomes more accessible for smaller employers and for those training CAs in business settings.

This new master’s degree also means students in Edinburgh can do a semester in Dubai, and vice versa. While we at ICAS are proud of our Scottish roots, we also firmly believe that a global outlook is imperative in this day and age.

Whether you do this new MA in Scotland, Dubai or other future venues yet to be confirmed, it will be exactly the same programme, taught in exactly the same way. We have ensured that everything is where it must be for a high-quality experience for students. As we often say, we will never compromise on our standards.

All roads

Most of us will know someone who was given advice about career routes that turned out to be misguided or even incorrect. We are here to say that there is no wrong path, but there is a path that could be better for you.

Students could come to CA training directly from school or college, or via the graduate apprenticeship that we offer with Robert Gordon University. Some will want to go to university, get an accountancy degree and have that full student experience before starting CA training with exemptions from the Knowledge level. For others they may choose a degree in, say, English literature, before going on to take the full CA qualification.

What matters is that for everyone who wants to enter the profession there is a pathway that fits their preferences. As such, we are delighted to be able to add this exciting new route that allows a student to undertake the Professional Accountancy MA that is specifically tailored to meet the evolving demands of the global financial industry, ensuring they will benefit from the sectoral relevance of the programme.

“While we at ICAS are proud of our Scottish roots, we also firmly believe that a global outlook is imperative in this day and age”

We want to make sure all avenues are open and for the students to be able to think, “That’s what I want to do”, rather than, “I would have done this, if only that option had been on the table.”

And we will continue to explore other routes. The new syllabus, and the structured flexibility that comes with it, means we’re now in a position to be as flexible as we need to be to meet the needs of students, employers and the profession as a whole. At ICAS, our aim is that there will be a route to the CA qualification for everyone who wants one.

Find more information about Professional Accountancy MA at Heriot-Watt