Honours course

Honours in Finance

As one of the flagship programs at the Business School, Honours in Finance is popular among high-achieving students who view the honours year as an essential prerequisite to obtaining a position with an investment bank or management consulting firm. However, this honours specialisation is designed explicitly to introduce students to research in finance. It teaches them theoretical concepts and empirical applications while developing their research and analytical skills. Students are required to complete four coursework units and a dissertation. The finance dissertation is a high point of the program where students demonstrate their newly acquired research skills and knowledge. Classes are small and students have the opportunity to work with up to two research supervisors who are experts in the field. Honours in Finance graduates embark on careers not only in the finance industry but also in academia.

This course has a quota based on academic merit.

Outcomes: Students are able to (1) demonstrate coherent and advanced knowledge of the underlying
principles and concepts in finance; (2) demonstrate knowledge of research principles and methods; (3) apply advanced finance knowledge to solve complex problems; and (4) engage in critical debate on contentious issues in finance such as the validity of the efficient markets hypothesis and the role of corporate governance.

Entry requirements: the equivalent of a UWA weighted average mark of at least 75 per cent in the Level 3 units of the Finance major.

Intake periods: Beginning of year only

Honours sequence

Key to availability of units:
S1 = Semester 1; S2 = Semester 2; N/A = not available in 2020

Note: Units that are indicated as N/A may be available in 2021 or 2022.

Take all units (30 points):

Availability	Unit code	Unit name	Unit rules
S1, S2	FINA4486	Dissertation (Finance) Part 1	Prerequisites: enrolment in the Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) or completion of 144 points in the Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)
S1, S2	FINA4487	Dissertation (Finance) Part 2	Prerequisites: enrolment in the Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) or completion of 144 points in the Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)
S1, S2	FINA4488	Dissertation (Finance) Part 3	Prerequisites: enrolment in the Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) or completion of 144 points in the Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)
S1, S2	FINA4489	Dissertation (Finance) Part 4	Prerequisites: enrolment in the Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) or completion of 144 points in the Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)
S1	FINA4590	Research Methods in Accounting and Finance	Prerequisites: enrolment in the Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) or completion of 144 points in the Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)

Take unit(s) to the value of 18 points:

Availability	Unit code	Unit name	Unit rules
N/A	FINA4401	Microstructure of Financial Markets	Prerequisites: FINA3307 Trading in Securities Markets ( or equivalent); for Master of Applied Finance students: FINA5524 Trading and Markets ( or equivalent), FINA5521 Quantitative Methods in Finance and permission from the course coordinators
S1	FINA4481	Advanced Investments	Prerequisites: FINA3324 Investment Analysis ( or equivalent); and if a Master of Applied Finance student FINA5521 Quantitative Methods in Finance and permission from the course coordinator
S2	FINA4482	Advanced Corporate Finance	Prerequisites: FINA3324 Investment Analysis or equivalent
S1	FINA4491	Capital Markets Research