Stream

Finance - FINSA13134

Stream Summary

Faculty: COMM - UNSW Business School

School: School of Banking and Finance

Contact:  UNSW Business School Student Centre

Program: 3134 - Mat Sci and Eng Hons/Commerce

Award(s):

Bachelor of Commerce (Major)

View stream information for previous years

Stream Outline

Finance is a study of financial and capital markets. It is concerned with decision making within those markets, and how values or prices of financial assets are determined. Finance is also concerned with investment decisions (for example, selection among alternative projects, selection of securities to include in a portfolio), financing decisions of a firm (dividend policy, debt and equity structures, and lease purchase decisions), and the development of risk-hedging strategies so as to minimise the damaging effects of adverse movements in share prices, interest rates, exchange rates, and other uncertainties in domestic and international financial markets.

This stream is not to be undertaken by Finance Co-op students.

Stream Structure

  • A major in Finance consists of 48 UOC (8 courses). Four(4) of these courses are specified; the other four (4) are elective courses that are chosen from the list below. At least two (2) of the elective courses must be at level 3 (i.e. FINS3XXX). This is regardless of whether you are doing a single major or taking Finance as a second major
  • A minor in Finance consists of 30 UOC (5 courses) containing at least 18 UOC at level 2 or 3. The minor does not form part of the nominated major.

Compulsory courses

Elective courses
ACCT3563 is included for the benefit of students undertaking majors in both Accounting and Finance to allow compliance with the requirements of the professional Accounting bodies. Students with majors in Accounting and Finance may count this course towards the Finance major AND the Accounting major.

** Students may count ONE of COMM3020, COMM3030 or ACCT3563 towards their major in Finance.

Please note: Students should take the three compulsory Finance courses in the first 2 years of their study (preferably in first year and the first semester of the second year) so that they can complete as many Finance courses as possible in the areas of Banking, Corporate Finance, Funds Management and International Finance during their second and third years.

Honours

Honours Level study is also available in Finance. Students interested in studying at Honours Level should refer to the relevant Honours stream record for entry requirements.

Professional Recognition

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission has accredited specific courses that can be taken in the undergraduate programs to meet the training requirements of the Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146) for the purpose of licensing financial product advisors. A list of the courses required is available from Professional Recognition of Programs for Undergraduate Students in the UNSW Online Handbook.

CFA
The Bachelor of Commerce (Finance), Master of Commerce (Finance), and Master of Finance have been accepted into the CFA Institute University Recognition Program. This status is granted to institutions whose degree program(s) incorporate at least 70% of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK), which provide students with a solid grounding in the CBOK and positions them well to sit for the CFA exams.

Further Information

Please note that these requirements may be subject to change.
Students are advised to follow requirements according to the year they commenced. Please refer to previous editions of the Online Handbook for your program requirements.

Contact the UNSW Business School Student Centre for advice.
tel: + 61 2 9385 3189
location: Level 1, room 1028, Quadrangle Building
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