Finance - Business School - The University of Western Australia

Business school 

Finance 

fostering a world–class education for Future leaders

The UWA Business School 

has a proud history of 

excellence in teaching, learning 

and research. We are renowned 

for providing a high quality 

education for some of the 

brightest students from 

around the globe. 

In 2012, the University will 

introduce a new generation 

of undergraduate degrees in 

business, the sciences, arts, 

and design along with a new 

four-year, research-focused 

Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) 

degree. These new degrees are 

designed to provide you with a 

varied and inspirational start to 

your career. 

Business at UWA offers you 

the flexibility to engage with a 

broad range of disciplines while 

delivering a strong and relevant 

education, preparing you to solve 

the greatest business challenges 

across the corporate, government 

and not-for-profit sectors. 

We hope you choose to further 

your education with us and look 

forward to welcoming you to the 

Business School. 

International accreditation 

The UWA Business School is the 

only business school in Western 

Australia to have accreditation 

through the European Quality 

Improvement System (EQUIS) 

and the Association to Advance 

Collegiate Schools of Business 

(AACSB). EQUIS and AACSB are 

both leading international systems of 

quality assessment, improvement, 

and accreditation of higher education 

institutions in management and 

business administration. 

02 | www.studyat.uwa.edu.au

Finance at UWA 

Studying Finance at UWA is a strong step towards a successful 

career. From 2012, we are building on our solid history of education 

excellence and delivering improved flexible course structures that 

provide you with more choices, in-depth knowledge and greater 

opportunities for success. 

You will have the freedom to sample 

a wide range of subjects in both the 

finance field and your own personal 

areas of interest, more opportunities 

to study abroad, and you will 

graduate with the comprehensive 

skills, knowledge and experience that 

are highly regarded in the workplace. 

The UWA advantage: 

Knowledge for a 

changing world 

UWA has introduced a new course 

structure to give you the flexibility 

and opportunity to develop the 

wide-ranging skills and abilities highly 

prized by employers in today’s global 

economy. As an undergraduate 

student at UWA you have the choice 

to study Finance within any of our five 

new bachelor’s degrees: 

ÌÌ 

Bachelor of Commerce (BCom): 

3 years 

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Bachelor of Arts (BA): 3 years 

ÌÌ 

Bachelor of Design (BDes): 

3 years 

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Bachelor of Science (BSc): 

3 years 

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Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) 

(BPhil[Hons]): 4 years 

The UWA Business 

School advantage 

The UWA Business School is one 

of the premier business schools 

in the Asia–Pacific region. We are 

recognised for producing some of the 

highest quality graduates in Australia 

and are committed to ensuring our 

programs are relevant and valuable to 

industry. You will study in a state-ofthe-art 

facility that offers a stimulating 

learning environment where you can 

interact with other students and staff. 

Our location in Western Australia 

gives you access to some of the 

world’s most influential business 

institutions. These connections with 

industry allow you to engage with 

key representatives and develop 

networks with future employers while 

gaining a greater understanding of 

the real world. 

Bachelor of Commerce 

(BCom) 

Finance is one of the majors offered 

within the Bachelor of Commerce. 

The Bachelor of Commerce is a threeyear 

business degree that develops 

your analytical, communication and 

problem solving skills, all of which 

apply to a wide range of career paths. 

You can choose to complete one 

or two majors within your degree, 

plus additional broadening units from 

one or more other degrees. Your 

broadening units or second major 

can be chosen from any area of 

study across the University such as 

Arts, Science or Design, allowing you 

to try something new, add to your 

knowledge base and study areas 

of particular interest to you. 

Studying Finance 

within a degree other 

than Commerce? 

Some of the information in this 

brochure is only relevant to 

students completing Finance as 

part of a Bachelor of Commerce. 

Finance can also be taken within 

all other undergraduate degrees. 

For more information about 

studying Finance please contact 

the Business School or visit 

www.studyat.uwa.edu.au 

The University of Western Australia | 03

Overview: 

Finance major 

The Finance major builds on the foundations of finance from 

the perspective of a functioning organisation, 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 will also learn aspects of investment finance including 

risk and return tradeoffs, workings of the capital markets, 

investment products and investment portfolios, and 

appropriate risk management techniques. 

If you are interested in a career as a financial economist, you 

should consider combining the Finance major with a second 

major in Economics. 

Fast 1Fact 

5 Stars 

The 2011 edition of the Good 

Universities Guide gives UWA five 

stars for student/staff ratio, staff 

qualifications, and all three graduate 

outcomes – getting a job, positive 

graduate outcomes, and graduate 

starting salary. 


Darren Kirke | Graduate 

“Studying Finance at UWA 

has been challenging and 

incredibly stimulating 

intellectually. The emphasis is 

on equipping you with the right 

knowledge and practical problemsolving 

and decision-making 

skills you require to succeed in a 

constantly evolving financial world. 

This has given me an enormous 

advantage in securing roles 

with Alcoa and Macquarie while 

studying, as well as a graduate 

position with UBS’s investment 

banking division in Sydney.” 

Darren completed his BCom/ LLB 

in 2010, majoring in Finance. While 

studying, Darren was a member of 

the Finance Association of Western 

Australia (FAWA). 

Join FAWA 

The Finance Association of Western 

Australia is a UWA organisation 

for high-achieving, like-minded 

students intent on pursuing a 

career in finance. 

It seeks to provide inspiration, 

education and motivation to 

students interested in investment 

banking, trading, derivatives 

and consulting. 

FAWA’s aim is to be the most 

active finance club in Australia in 

developing the professional skills 

and employability of members and 

providing a forum for interaction 

between students. 

Visit www.fawa.com.au 


Course structure: 

Finance major 

To graduate with a Bachelor of 

Commerce you will need to complete 

24 units of study. Eight of these units 

will form part of your Finance major. 

Finance major units: 

Level 1 core units 

Financial Accounting 

Introduction to Finance 

LEVEL 2 core units 

Corporate Financial Policy 

Plus two of the following: 

Business Analysis and Valuation 

Derivative Products and Markets 

Financial Planning 

Quantitative Methods for Finance 

LEVEL 3 core units 

Investment Analysis 

Plus two of the following: 

Applied Financial Management 

Banking: Theory and Practice 

Derivative Strategies and Pricing 

International Finance 

Trading in Securities Markets 

In addition to the units which form 

your Finance major, you will need 

to complete four complementary 

units as part of your Bachelor 

of Commerce degree. These 

complementary units provide you 

with an introductory knowledge 

of core areas within the Bachelor 

of Commerce. 

Complementary units 

Students nominating Finance as their degreespecific 

major in the Bachelor of Commerce 

or Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) course 

must also study: 

Economic and Business Statistics 

Marketing Management 

Microeconomics: Prices and Markets 

Organisational Behaviour 

A ‘degree-specific’ major is one chosen 

from the list of majors attached to a 

particular degree. 

You must also choose four 

broadening units taught in a subject 

area (or areas) outside of the 

Bachelor of Commerce. You are 

able to choose from Arts, Science 

or Design units, and at least one of 

these units must have an international 

or cultural focus. For more 

information on broadening units visit: 


Your final eight units can be chosen 

from any subject area either within 

the Bachelor of Commerce or from 

another degree. If you decide 

to undertake two majors, these 

eight units would make up your 

second major. 

Specialist focus 

While studying the Finance major, 

you can choose to study a broad 

range of units that will give you an 

overall understanding of the finance 

field, or select specific units that 

provide you with a specialist focus. 

Corporate Finance 

Corporate Finance builds the basic 

foundations of finance from the 

perspective of a company. For 

instance, the key decisions that a 

chief financial officer has to make 

include the appropriate mix of equity 

and debt to finance a firm’s projects, 

identifying the optimal dividend payout 

policy and choosing amongst various 

business projects. Corporate Finance 

provides an analytical framework for 

identifying and evaluating the requisite 

information to make optimal decisions. 

Graduates are likely to find 

employment in banks, corporations 

and financial institutions as financial 

consultants, merchant bankers, 

credit managers, financial analysts 

and fund managers and in 

businesses as financial consultants, 

advisers and managers. 

Units of study include: 

ÌÌ 

Applied Financial Management 

ÌÌ 

Business Analysis and Valuation 

ÌÌ 


ÌÌ 


ÌÌ 

International Finance 

ÌÌ 


Investment Finance 

Investment Finance is designed 

to develop the skills and 

competencies essential for making 

informed choices in building an 

investment portfolio. Modern 

portfolio theory, centred on efficient 

markets theory, is the core analytical 

framework taught in Investment 

Finance. In the wake of the global 

financial crisis, a lively debate 

on the efficacy of the framework 

has emerged. 

The Investment Finance focus 

provides students with the critical 

thinking capabilities to evaluate the 

issues raised in this debate and 

decide for themselves the validity 

of the points raised. The course 

develops skills in portfolio allocation, 

investment appraisal and the use 

of financial instruments such as 

options and futures. Strategies for 

hedging and capital management are 


also explained. A moderate level of 

mathematics and statistics is involved. 

Graduates with a specialisation in 

Investment Finance can expect to 

find employment in banks, large 

financial institutions and in stock 

broking as fund managers, risk 

analysts, strategic investment 

advisers, financial consultants and 

credit managers. With the recent 

growth in superannuation funds, there 

is a high demand for graduates with 

investment analysis skills. 


ÌÌ 


ÌÌ 


ÌÌ 


ÌÌ 


ÌÌ 


ÌÌ 


Quantitative Finance 

Quantitative Finance provides you 

with skills at the cutting edge of 

financial engineering. You will develop 

a deep understanding of the design of 

modern financial instruments such as 

options and other derivative securities, 

and their basis in stochastic models of 

financial markets. 

This focus area includes much of 

the material from the corporate and 

investment finance areas together 

with mathematics. It is targeted at 

students with a strong mathematical 

background because of its focus on 

probability and statistical models and 

their application in financial markets. 


ÌÌ 


ÌÌ 


ÌÌ 


ÌÌ 


ÌÌ 

Quantitative Methods for Finance 

ÌÌ 


Combine your interests – 

Choose two majors 

UWA’s new undergraduate course structure allows you to take two 

majors within your three or four year degree. Studying two majors 

can increase your employability and allow you to choose from a 

wider range of career paths. 

If you are enrolled in a Bachelor 

of Commerce you can choose to 

increase your knowledge in business 

by selecting a second major from 

within the BCom. Alternatively, you 

can widen your skill base and take a 

second major from fields within arts, 

sciences or design. Your choice of 

major(s) can prepare you for further 

studies, including a professional 

postgraduate degree (see page 10). 

Bachelor of Commerce 

students 

Finance + second major from the 

Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) 

Popular combinations with Finance 

within the Bachelor of Commerce 

degree include: 

ÌÌ 

Accounting 

ÌÌ 

Economics 

Finance + a second major from 

another degree 

You can choose to combine the 

Finance major with a major from 

another undergraduate degree: 

ÌÌ 

Bachelor of Arts 

ÌÌ 

Bachelor of Science 

ÌÌ 

Bachelor of Design 

The following are a selection of 

popular majors to take with Finance: 

ÌÌ 

Engineering Science 

ÌÌ 

Natural Resource Management 

Studying a degree other 

than Commerce 

If you choose to study a BA, BDes 

or BSc you can select Finance as 

your second major. When taken as a 

second major, you are not required 

to complete the four complementary 

units. A sound knowledge of the 

principles and practice of business is 

highly regarded in every profession 

and will equip you for career success. 

As a student enrolled in the BPhil 

(Hons) you can nominate Finance as 

either your degree-specific major or 

as a second major. 

Fast 2Fact 

Scholars 

UWA has produced almost 

100 Rhodes Scholars. 


Combine your interests – Choose two majors 


Year 1 Level 1 

Finance core 





Level 1 


Level 2 


Level 3 

Finance option 

Broadening/ 

elective unit 

Level 2 


Level 3 


Broadening/ 

elective unit 

Broadening/ 

elective unit 

Broadening/ 

elective unit 

Complementary 

Commerce unit 

Complementary 

Commerce unit 

Complementary 

Commerce unit 

Complementary 

Commerce unit 

Major 2 Major 2 

Major 2 Major 2 

Major 2 Major 2 Major 2 Major 2 

Key: Finance Major 2 Complementary Broadening/ 

major Commerce unit elective unit 

Accounting and Finance (Professional Membership) – Sample 

Year 1 

Financial 

Accounting 

Microeconomics: 

Prices and Markets 

Organisational 

Behaviour 

Broadening/ 

elective 

Introduction 

to Finance 

Marketing 

Management 

Economic and 

Business 

Statistics 

Australian Legal 

Principles and 

Institutions or 

Introduction 

to Law 

Year 2 

Management 

Accounting 

Corporate 

Financial Policy 

Taxation 


Analysis and 

Valuation 

Corporate 

Accounting 

Financial 

Planning 

Company 

Law 

Accounting 

Information 

Systems 

Year 3 

Investment 

Analysis 

Financial 

Accounting: 

Theory and 

Practice 

International 


Broadening/ 

elective 

Advanced 

Corporate 

Accounting 

Auditing 

Banking: 


Practice 

Broadening/ 

elective 

Key: Accounting Finance Complementary Broadening/ 

major major Commerce unit elective unit 

ECON1111 Quantitative Methods for Business and Economics is to be taken by students who have completed Math 2C and 2D or equivalent. 

Students who have completed Math 3A or 3B or higher can enrol into a broadening unit. 

Economics and Finance – Sample 

Year 1 

Year 2 


Prices and Markets 


Policy and 

Applications 


Behaviour 


Econometrics 

Financial 

Accounting 

Derivative 

Products and 

Markets 

Broadening/ 

elective 

Quantitative 

Methods for 


Macroeconomics: 

Money and 


Macroeconomics: 

Policy and 

Applications 

Marketing 

Management 

Corporate 

Financial 

Policy 

Economic and 


Statistics 

Broadening/ 

elective 

Introduction 

to Finance 

Broadening/ 

elective 

Year 3 

Investment 

Analysis 

International 


Monetary 

Economics 

Broadening/ 

elective 

Finance and 

Economics for 

Minerals and 

Energy 

Derivative 

Strategies 

and Pricing 

Broadening/ 

elective 

Broadening/ 

elective 

Key: Economics Finance Complementary Broadening/ 

major major Commerce unit elective unit 



These units are for students who wish to focus on Investment Finance and Money and Banking. 

Finance and Engineering Science – Sample 

Year 1 

Year 2 

Financial 

Accounting 

Corporate 

Financial Policy 


Prices and 

Markets 

Business Analysis 

and Valuation 

Broadening/ 

elective 

Energy 

Engineering 

Challenges in 

a Global World 

Broadening/ 

elective 

Introduction to 


Financial 

Planning 

Marketing 

Management 

Motion 

Economic 

and Business 

Statistics 


Behaviour 

Material 

Behaviour 

from Atoms 

to Bridges 

Broadening/ 

elective 

Year 3 

Investment 

Analysis 

Physical 

Electronics 

Signals and 

Systems 

Broadening/ 

elective 

Applied Financial 

Management 

Banking 


Practice 

Power 

Machines 

Electric 

Circuits 

Key: Engineering Finance Complementary Broadening/ 

Science major major Commerce unit elective unit 



These units are for students who wish to focus on Investment Finance and Money and Banking. 


Start your career 

Graduating with a Finance major from UWA, you will have the skills, 

knowledge and practical experience to apply for a wide range of jobs 

in the public sector, public accounting firms, small businesses and 

government departments. 

What sort of jobs 

can I apply for? 

A Finance major will prepare you for 

a wide variety of positions, including: 

ÌÌ 

Auditor 

ÌÌ 

Bank manager 

ÌÌ 

Credit officer 

ÌÌ 

Finance broker 

ÌÌ 

Finance manager 

ÌÌ 

Financial planner 

ÌÌ 

Insurance broker 

ÌÌ 

Investment analyst 

ÌÌ 

Stockbroker 

ÌÌ 

Superannuation officer 

What will I do? 

In the field of finance, you may be 

required to: 

ÌÌ 

Collate information on securities, 

market conditions and 

government regulations, and the 

financial circumstances of clients 

ÌÌ 

Deal in the marketplace on 

behalf of clients and provide 

financial advice 

ÌÌ 

Record and give ‘buy’ 

and ‘sell’ orders 

ÌÌ 

Calculate transaction costs 

ÌÌ 

Consider and develop appropriate 

investments for clients 

ÌÌ 

Plan purchasing and 

selling activities 

Employers of UWA 

Finance graduates 

ÌÌ 

Accounting firms such as Ernst & 

Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, 

Deloitte Australia 

ÌÌ 

Commercial Banks such as 

Commonwealth, ANZ 

ÌÌ 

Investment Banks such as 

J. P. Morgan, Azure Capital, 

Deutsche Bank, Macquarie Bank 

ÌÌ 

Major corporations such as 

Wesfarmers, BHP Billiton, 

Woodside 

ÌÌ 

Reserve Bank of Australia 

ÌÌ 

Treasury 

Careers Centre 

As a UWA student you can access 

our online careers portal that will 

allow you to search for jobs, prepare 

your CV and register for workshops 

that will help you get the job you 

want. For more information visit 

www.careers.uwa.edu.au 

“A UWA business qualification 

is world renowned, which 

places us as some of the most 

sought after graduates in 

Australia and the world. 

The partners and supporters 

of the Business School 

are a constant source of 

encouragement and support, 

which has definitely helped me 

to create lifelong contacts for 

future employment so early 

in my degree.” 

Hannah Berdal 

Student 

Hannah is currently studying a 

combined LLB/ BCom course and is 

involved in Students in Free Enterprise 

(SIFE) UWA, in addition to student 

societies ECOMS and FAWA. 

Fast 3Fact 

Top talent 

In 2010, UWA enrolled 4 out 

of 5 of the state’s top 5% of 

school leavers. 


Further study 

After finishing your bachelor’s degree you have a range of exciting 

options. You can choose to start your new career by directly 

entering the workforce, or you can undertake additional university 

studies. Further studies will increase your knowledge and skills 

and increase your employability. At UWA, after completing your 

undergraduate degree, you will have a range of further study options 

to choose from. 

Honours 

If you perform well in the first 

three years of your undergraduate 

degree, you can apply to undertake 

honours. This is an additional oneyear 

program where you complete 

focused study in a specialist field of 

your choice, allowing you to draw 

on the skills and knowledge you 

gained in your bachelor’s degree to 

conduct further research. Completing 

an honours degree demonstrates 

you have achieved a high level of 

knowledge and expertise in your 

studies and that you are able to 

undertake individual research 

projects. Honours studies will help 

you develop the skills you need 

for easy transition from study to 

employment or a higher research 

degree. Honours is available in 

all Commerce majors excluding 

Business Law. 

Fast 4Fact 

Group of Eight member 

UWA is a member of the prestigious 

Group of Eight (Go8) network, 

as well as the World Universities 

Network and the Matariki Network 

of Universities. 

Postgraduate courses 

At UWA we offer a wide range of 

postgraduate qualifications including 

graduate diplomas and master’s 

degrees that will allow you to increase 

your expertise in your chosen field. 

By undertaking an additional one 

to two years of study you will 

increase your knowledge base 

through coursework and/or research. 

For more information on the range 

of postgraduate degrees available, 

visit www.studyat.uwa.edu.au/ 

postgrad 

Professional courses 

From 2012, UWA will offer professional 

postgraduate degrees in law, 

medicine, engineering, architecture, 

audiology, dentistry, landscape 

architecture, music teaching, 

nursing science, pharmacy, podiatric 

medicine, psychology, social work 

and teaching. By studying a Bachelor 

of Commerce and selecting the 

appropriate prerequisite units you 

can progress to the professional 

postgraduate degree of your choice. 

As a result, you will then be able 

to graduate with a solid business 

foundation that will be applicable 

to any career you choose. For more 

information about professional 

degrees at UWA in 2012, visit 


Scott Molloy | Graduate 

“There is now no area of pursuit 

that is not influenced by the 

commercial or economic 

sector, and for that reason, an 

understanding of business is 

enormously beneficial. Whether 

you ultimately intend to pursue 

a career in law, engineering, 

fine arts, genetics, or any other 

area, the UWA Business School 

can teach you the analytical 

skills you need to succeed in 

the real world.” 

Scott completed his BCom (Hons)/ LLB 

(Hons) in 2010, majoring in Finance. 

Scott was involved in the SIFE UWA team, 

FAWA, and the UBS Investment Banking 

competition, and is now working as an 

Equities Research Analyst at J.P. Morgan 

in Sydney. 


Fast 5Fact 

Exchange programs 

UWA has exchange agreements 

with over 100 universities around 

the world. 

Admission 

UWA entry requirements 

To be considered for entry to the 

BCom, BA, BDes or BSc you 

must achieve the University’s 

minimum entry score (ATAR of 80 or 

equivalent), and demonstrate English 

language competence (visit www. 

studyat.uwa.edu.au/elc). 

To be eligible for consideration for 

entry to the BPhil(Hons) you must 

achieve an ATAR of 98 (or equivalent) 

in addition to meeting the University’s 

English language competence 

requirements and any prerequisites 

for your chosen major(s). 

Prerequisites 

If you are studying Finance as part 

of the Bachelor of Commerce you 

will need at least Western Australian 

Certificate of Education (WACE) 

Mathematics 2C/2D (or equivalent). 

If you have a secondary qualification, 

other than a Western Australian 

school leaving qualification visit 

www.studyat.uwa.edu.au/ 

undergraduate/admission 

Credit for prior learning 

Applicants with prior tertiary studies 

are welcomed. Some credit may be 

given depending on grades achieved 

and areas of study covered. 

International students 

International students should also visit 

www.international.uwa.edu.au/ 

students/esos for more information 

about the study environment, course 

fees and refund policy, support 

services and schooling obligations 

for dependent children. 

Contact us 

Australian students 

UWA Business School 

Undergraduate Student Centre 

Tel: +61 8 6488 2780 

Fax: +61 8 6477 1086 

Email: undergrads-business@uwa.edu.au 

www.business.uwa.edu.au 

International students 

International Student Officer 

(Undergraduate) 

International Centre 

Tel: +61 8 6488 3939 

Fax: +61 8 9382 4071 

Online enquiries: 

www.ask.uwa.edu.au 


Recommended courses: WACE 

Mathematics 3A/3B (or equivalent) 

is strongly recommended. 

Prerequisites and recommended courses 

may not apply to students completing this 

major in a degree other than the Bachelor 

of Commerce or Bachelor of Philosophy 

(Honours). 


The University of Western Australia 


Australian Students 


Undergraduate Student Centre 

Tel: +61 8 6488 2780 

Fax: +61 8 6488 1086 

Email: undergrads-business@uwa.edu.au 

Web: www.business.uwa.edu.au 

International Students 

International Student Officer 

(Undergraduate) 

International Centre 

Tel: +61 8 6488 3939 

Fax: +61 8 9382 4071 

Online enquiries: www.ask.uwa.edu.au 

Web: www.studyat.uwa.edu.au 

While the UWA Business School has made every effort to 

ensure that information contained in this brochure is accurate, 

courses may be subject to change. For up-to-date information, 

please contact us or visit www.business.uwa.edu.au 

CRICOS Provider Code: 00126G 

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Finance - Business School - The University of Western Australia

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