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.
Broadening guidelines
All students studying towards a Bachelor's Degree at UWA are required to Broaden their studies by completing a minimum of four units (24 points) of study outside their degree specific major. Broadening is your opportunity to explore other areas of interest, investigate new disciplines and knowledge paradigms and to shape your degree to suit your own aspirations and interests. Many of you will be able to undertake more than this minimum amount of broadening study and we encourage you to do so if this suits your aspirations. Over the next few months you will find here some broadening suggestions related to your degree-specific major. While we know that many students value guidance of this sort, these are only suggestions and students should not lose sight of the opportunity to explore that is afforded by your Broadening Choices. Advice can also be sought from your Allocated Student Advising Office.
Finance can be taken as a degree-specific major in the following degree courses:
Overview of unit sequence
Finance is a degree-specific 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; N/A = not available in 2022 |
Note: Units that are indicated as N/A may be available in 2023 or 2024.
Bachelor of Commerce students completing a second major in Engineering Science are not required to complete STAT1520 (as MATH1011 and MATH1012 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 | ACCT1101 | Financial Accounting |
|
| S1, S2 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| S2 | FINA2204 | Derivative Products and Markets |
|
| S1 | FINA2205 | Quantitative Methods for Finance | |
| S1 | FINA2207 | Business Analysis and Valuation | |
| S2 | 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
General degrees
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 .
Specialised degrees – Bachelor of Advanced Computer Science (Honours), Bachelor of Automation and Robotics, Bachelor of Environmental Design, Bachelor of Music
You must satisfy the requirements of the degree-specific major in your degree before you complete your course.
Bachelor of Philosophy, Politics and Economics
This comprehensive degree does not require you to choose a degree-specific major.
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. and Bachelor of Science courses, 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 .