Finance major
The Finance major builds on the foundations of finance from the perspective of a functioning organisation. The major includes corporate finance issues such as the appropriate mix of equity and debt to finance projects, identifying the optimal dividend policy, and the resourceful selection of business projects. You can also learn aspects of investment finance including risk and return trade-offs, workings of the capital markets, investment products and investment portfolios, and appropriate risk management techniques. The Finance major can be combined with a major in Economics if you are interested in pursuing a career as a financial economist.
Outcomes
Students are able to (1) understand and explain the basis for optimal portfolio construction; (2) apply modern investment theory to the evaluation of projects; (3) appreciate the value and limitations of financial instruments such as options and futures; (4) identify and use appropriate risk management techniques; and (5) engage in critical debate on contentious issues in finance such as the validity of the efficient markets hypothesis and the role of corporate governance.
Degree-specific major
Finance can be taken as a degree-specific major in the following degree courses:
BP002 Bachelor of Commerce
BH005 Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)
Overview of unit sequence
Finance is a degree-specific single major comprising:
- two Level 1 units
- three Level 2 units
- three Level 3 units
- four Level 1 complementary units
| Key to availability of units: |
|---|
| S1 = Semester 1; S2 = Semester 2; SS = summer teaching period; N/A = not available in 2020 |
Note: Units that are indicated as N/A may be available in 2021 or 2022.
Bachelor of Commerce students completing a second major in Engineering Science are not required to complete STAT1520 (as MATH1011 and MATH1022 meet this requirement). In addition, students should substitute CITS2401 Computer Analysis and Visualisation as the Level 2 option to meet the requirements of the commerce major.
Level 1
Take all units (12 points):
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1, S2, SS | ACCT1101 | Financial Accounting |
|
| S1, S2, SS | FINA1221 | Introduction to Finance |
|
Take all complementary units (24 points):
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1, S2 | ECON1101 | Microeconomics: Prices and Markets | |
| S1, S2 | MGMT1135 | Organisational Behaviour |
|
| S1, S2, SS | MKTG1203 | Introduction to Marketing |
|
| S1, S2 | STAT1520 | Economic and Business Statistics |
Level 2
Take the following unit:
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1, S2 | FINA2222 | Corporate Financial Policy |
|
Take unit(s) to the value of 12 points:
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | FINA2204 | Derivative Products and Markets |
|
| S1 | FINA2205 | Quantitative Methods for Finance | |
| S1 | FINA2207 | Business Analysis and Valuation | |
| S1 | FINA2209 | Financial Planning |
|
Level 3
Take the following unit:
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | FINA3324 | Investment Analysis |
|
Take unit(s) to the value of 12 points:
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | ECON3236 | International Finance |
|
| S1 | FINA3304 | Banking: Theory and Practice | |
| N/A | FINA3306 | Derivative Strategies and Pricing | |
| S2 | FINA3307 | Trading in Securities Markets |
|
| S2 | FINA3326 | Applied Financial Management |
|
Choosing your degree-specific major
You must satisfy the requirements of a degree-specific major before you complete your course. The flexible structure of an undergraduate course allows you to try out a number of different subjects to see what interests you before nominating your degree-specific major. You have the choice to either nominate your degree-specific major when you first enrol in the course or delay nominating it until your second year.
To plan the first year of your study without nominating a degree-specific major, you are advised to choose units that will pave the way to two or more degree-specific majors that are of interest to you. For examples of the choice of units available in first year, search the first-year study plans .
To fully understand the structure of an undergraduate course, read the course structure information and the Undergraduate Degree Course Rules.
The following example illustrates how the Finance degree-specific major can be included in the Bachelor of Commerce course.
There are more choices open to you. For more examples, search the study plans .
Choosing a second major
You also have the option to choose a second major from those available in the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Biomedical Science, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Design Only available to re-enrolling students. or Bachelor of Science course, giving you the opportunity to pursue your interests no matter how different they are.
The following example illustrates how the Finance degree-specific major can be combined with a second major in the Bachelor of Commerce course.
For more examples of combinations of majors, search the study plans .
Finance can also be taken as a second major.
Second major
Finance can be taken as a second major in the following degree courses:
- BP001 Bachelor of Arts
- BP006 Bachelor of Biomedical Science
- BP002 Bachelor of Commerce
- BP003 Bachelor of Design Only available to re-enrolling students.
- BP004 Bachelor of Science
- BH005 Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)
Overview of unit sequence
The Finance second major is a single major comprising:
- two Level 1 units
- three Level 2 units
- three Level 3 units
| Key to availability of units: |
|---|
| S1 = Semester 1; S2 = Semester 2; SS = summer teaching period; N/A = not available in 2020 |
Note: Units that are indicated as N/A may be available in 2021 or 2022.
Bachelor of Commerce students completing a second major in Engineering Science are not required to complete STAT1520 (as MATH1011 and MATH1022 meet this requirement). In addition, students should substitute CITS2401 Computer Analysis and Visualisation as the Level 2 option to meet the requirements of the commerce major.
Level 1
Take all units (12 points):
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1, S2, SS | ACCT1101 | Financial Accounting |
|
| S1, S2, SS | FINA1221 | Introduction to Finance |
|
Level 2
Take the following unit:
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1, S2 | FINA2222 | Corporate Financial Policy |
|
Take unit(s) to the value of 12 points:
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | FINA2204 | Derivative Products and Markets |
|
| S1 | FINA2205 | Quantitative Methods for Finance | |
| S1 | FINA2207 | Business Analysis and Valuation | |
| S1 | FINA2209 | Financial Planning |
|
Level 3
Take the following unit:
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | FINA3324 | Investment Analysis |
|
Take unit(s) to the value of 12 points:
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | ECON3236 | International Finance |
|
| S1 | FINA3304 | Banking: Theory and Practice | |
| N/A | FINA3306 | Derivative Strategies and Pricing | |
| S2 | FINA3307 | Trading in Securities Markets |
|
| S2 | FINA3326 | Applied Financial Management |
|
Choosing a second major
The flexible structure of an undergraduate course allows you the option of including a second major. You have the choice to either nominate your second major when you first enrol in the course or delay it until your second year. For a major to be recorded on your academic record it must be nominated before the requirements of the course are completed.
To fully understand the structure of an undergraduate course, read the course structure information and the Undergraduate Degree Course Rules.
The following example illustrates how Finance can be included as a second major in an undergraduate degree course.
For more examples of combinations of majors, search the study plans .
Finance can also be taken as a degree-specific major.