Program Overview

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Finance

About the course

A major in Finance teaches you the practical aspects of finance, including 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'll also learn aspects of investment and appropriate risk management techniques.

In addition to the fundamental theories that have shaped the current thinking on financial issues, you'll consider the major issues of the day, such as the recent global financial crisis and significant corporate and economy-wide events. Critical analysis, leadership skills, effective communication, ethical thinking and the development of strong research skills are the hallmarks of UWA's major in Finance. If you choose to pursue a career as a financial economist, you have the option to combine your Finance major with a major in Economics. This major is taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, workshops and other in-class activities.

Quick details

• Status: Available
• Locations: Perth (Crawley campus), Albany (Regional campus)
• Attendance: Full-time, Part-time
• Delivery: On-campus
• Starting dates: Semester 1, Semester 2
• Weekly contact time: 12-15 contact hours, plus at least twice as much of your own study time
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Course Code: MJD-FINCE
• CRICOS code: C, E, A
• Full time/part time duration: 3 years (BCom); 4 years (BPhil [Hons])
• Degrees course is available in: Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)

Course Structure

Our undergraduate degrees offer you a broad range of options allowing you to combine subjects in a way that matches your career goals and personal interests.

Popular combinations

• Accounting
• Business Economics
• Marketing

Level 1

• Core: Take all units (12 points)
  • ACCT1101 Financial Accounting (6)
  • FINA1221 Introduction to Finance (6)

Level 2

• Core: Take all units (6 points)
  • FINA2222 Corporate Financial Policy (6)
• Option: Take unit(s) to the value of 12 points
  • FINA2204 Derivative Products and Markets (6)
  • FINA2205 Quantitative Methods for Finance (6)
  • FINA2207 Business Analysis and Valuation (6)
  • FINA2209 Financial Planning (6)

Level 3

• Core: Take all units (6 points)
  • FINA3324 Investment Analysis (6)
• Option: Take unit(s) to the value of 12 points
  • ECON3236 International Finance (6)
  • FINA3304 Banking: Theory and Practice (6)
  • FINA3306 Derivative Strategies and Pricing (6)
  • FINA3307 Trading in Securities Markets (6)
  • FINA3326 Applied Financial Management (6)

Admission requirements

The University of Western Australia welcomes applications from international and domestic school-leavers. If you’re interested in studying one of these majors, find out the admission details below.

Minimum entry requirements

Below you’ll find a list of admission equivalencies for this course's Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR).

• Indonesian Secondary School Leaving Certificate (STTB SMA): 8
• All India Senior School Certificate (CBSE): 12
• Canadian Matriculation (except Quebec): 70
• Chinese Gao Kao: 525
• Chinese Unified Examinations (UEC): 12
• French Baccalauréat: 12
• GCE or Cambridge Advanced-level Examinations: 8
• German Abitur: 3.3
• Indian School Certificate (CISCE): 60
• International Baccalaureate: 27
• Norwegian Vitnemål: 4
• Singapore-Cambridge A-Levels: 8
• South African National Senior Certificate: 4.6
• Swedish Slutbetyg: 15
• UWA Foundation Programme (UWAFP): 66
• Western Australian Universities Foundation Program (WAUFP): 60
• Monash University Foundation Year (MUFY): 270
• Trinity College Foundation Program: 75
• Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) 2016 onwards: 80
• Korean College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT): 320
• U.S. College Board Advanced Placement Examinations: 8
• Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education: 15

English competency

English is the language of instruction and assessment at UWA and you will need to meet the English language requirements of the University to be eligible for a place.

Minimum overall IELTS score of 6.5, with no band less than 6.0.

Fees and scholarships

Learn more about the fees that apply to you for this course. For fee type definitions and further assistance, see the Fee Calculator Help page. You can also search our database for scholarships that are relevant to you or this course.

Domestic Student Fees

There is no current fee information available for this course. Please visit the fee calculator to browse course fees from a previous year, or other courses.

International Student Fees

There is no current fee information available for this course. Please visit the fee calculator to browse course fees from a previous year, or other courses.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available to students from a diverse range of backgrounds, including academic achievement, financial need, educational disadvantage, leadership and community service, artistic or sporting achievements, and being from a rural or remote area.

Search Scholarships

Careers and further study

This course opens up a world of future study pathways and career opportunities.

Career Pathways

Finance graduates find employment as financial consultants, investment bankers, credit managers, financial analysts and financial engineers in banks, corporations and financial institutions.

Further Study

You can pursue further studies at honours level or undertake a specialised degree such as the Master of Applied Finance, or a generalist master’s degree such as the Master of Commerce or (after appropriate work experience) the Master of Business Administration.

The benefits of Commerce Honours - Josh's story

Josh is a Bachelor of Commerce student completing his honours in Finance. Honours is an intense and rewarding extra year for high achievers after their bachelor’s degree. We caught up with Josh to find out how it’s going.

Master of Applied Finance

The UWA Business School’s Master of Applied Finance is your path to a global finance career.

The Trading Room

Get out of the classroom and into our real-time Trading Room with access to over 400 global markets. With 50 financial terminals, and data from the ASX, NYSE and LSE available, students have an unprecedented opportunity to take their studies further and gain a career edge.

Why take a second major

• Expand your skills - Taking a second major either in a complementary area or in something like music or languages will show you have developed skills such as, teamwork, creativity, critical thinking, digital literacy and presentation skills – which are highly sought after in the workforce.
• Add it to your resume – Employers are looking for graduates who have skills in a variety of areas. Two majors will expand your career prospects and help you stand out amongst the crowd.
• Study your passion alongside your interests – Do you love History? English? Archaeology? Pursue a career while studying something else you love! Your second major can be from any other School across the university.
• No additional time – Choosing two majors instead of one won’t add any additional time to your undergraduate degree. A standard bachelor degree consists of the same amount of units either way.
• Discover what you want to do while you’re doing it – Not sure what career you want when you graduate? It’s very common for undergraduate students to be unsure. Choosing two majors in different areas will give you the opportunity to explore multiple interests and see what fits best. Majors can be switched until the end of your first year without adding any time onto your degree.

Why we need more women in economics and finance

If you’re a female considering a career in economics or finance, you could be pursuing more than your dream career. Here’s just a few reasons why.

Your degree options

This major is offered as a degree-specific, or first, major for these degrees. It is also offered as a second major in our other bachelor's degrees.

• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Philosophy

Accreditation

The UWA Business School is accredited by EQUIS and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), and is a Communicating Signatory to Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME).

EQUIS and AACSB are the leading business school accreditations in Europe and North America respectively, meaning that your business degree will be recognised by employers around the world.