Qualifying as a Professional Accountant

In the UK, the process of qualifying as a professional accountant involves gaining work experience with an accounting firm and passing a series of tough examinations set by one the four professional accountancy bodies. This basic route applies to all graduates regardless of specific degree subject studied.

At this very general level, therefore, it makes little difference whether you have a degree in archaeology, anthropology, astrophysics or accounting: qualifying as a professional accountant will involve several years post-university training comprising a mixture of on-the-job experience and formal examinations. Consequently, the accounting profession boasts members drawn from a wide variety of disciplinary backgrounds.

The four professional accountancy bodies

Graduate Profiles

LUMS stood out among my long list of the UK’s business schools because of its high reputation for the quality of research and teaching.

Lina Wu
BA Accounting & Finance, 2010
A triple-accredited business school Association of MBAs | AACSB | EQUIS