Bachelor of Commerce

Accounting is the ‘language of business’, informing management decision-making within an organisation and the allocation of resources between organisations. It provides the tools to measure and assess firm performance and valuation.

Professional accountants operate in an increasingly complex and sophisticated field and are valued in every industry. Because they act as strategic advisers and business partners, they must understand business issues and processes and have the skills necessary for sound decision-making. Accounting leads to a career path with countless possibilities – you can work in a variety of roles, in any sector, in countries across the globe.

Melbourne is known for the quality of its accounting program and strong graduate employability outcomes. The Accounting major offers a direct path to becoming a qualified accountant. You'll learn about the financial structure of organisations, and how to produce and analyse financial information. You'll also develop knowledge of business strategy, issues and processes, along with the skills for sound decision making.

Membership requirements to Professional Associations vary, but will usually require you to have completed certain subjects in the Bachelor of Commerce, such as Corporate Law, Principles of Business Law and Taxation Law 1. Full membership requirements may include relevant work experience and/or further study.

Actuaries work in the assessment and management of the financial risks faced by insurance companies, superannuation funds and other entities. These risks include illness, disability or death of individuals, as well as risks to property (motor vehicles, buildings, etc.). The actuary’s work is based on a multi-disciplinary background in mathematics, statistics, finance and economics.

A major in Actuarial Studies will give you a firm grounding in the traditional actuarial skill set of mathematics, statistics, demography, finance and economics. Specifically, you’ll learn from subjects covering actuarial techniques and life insurance modelling, through to the mathematics of finance and insurance risk models. This background, coupled with strong analytical skills, sees actuaries serving as financial advisers to a range of organisations including insurance companies, banks and other financial institutions, superannuation funds and governments

Professional Recognition

The Centre for Actuarial Studies is accredited by the Actuaries Institute, which is the professional actuarial body in Australia. This accreditation means that students who complete certain subjects at the University of Melbourne, and achieve a sufficiently high standard, will be recommended for exemption from the corresponding subjects of the Actuaries Institute. Further details are available in the Students’ Guide on the Centre for Actuarial Studies website: fbe.unimelb.edu.au/economics/ACT/courses/current_students

The Faculty of Business and Economics is also designated as a Center of Actuarial Excellence by the US Society of Actuaries.

The of use of increasingly diverse forms and large amounts of data in business intelligence and decision making has been increasingly integral to achieving and sustaining competitive advantage.

Decision makers in business organisations, public sector organisations and policy makers are reliant on business analyst professionals who can identify useful data for generating new insights, structuring and interpreting the data, and communicating their analysis to nontechnical users and decision makers.

Graduates with a major in Business Analytics have varied employment opportunities in both the public and private sector in a rapidly expanding set of professional applications. Data analytics working across different industry and organisational settings combine knowledge and skills from core business and economics disciplines, such as accounting, actuarial studies, economics, finance, human resource management, operations and supply chain management, and marketing, with techniques that rely on computational science, including algorithms, natural language programming, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing.

Competing the major in Business Analytics, students will learn about core techniques deployed to identify, evaluation and resolution of complex business and economics problems.  This major offers a strong complement to other existing majors within the Bachelor of Commerce, which provide the theories, models and techniques relevant to particular professional fields. 

Economists study how people choose to allocate resources. They look at the behaviour of individuals, organisations and governments to understand how markets function. Economics is essential to modern life. It seeks to understand, assess and explain the mechanisms of markets and national economies.

A major in economics builds problem-solving skills that are applicable to careers in business and government. It will teach you how to analyse and interpret data and will equip you with the tools to find smart solutions for the numerous problems confronting governments and the commercial world. Graduates with a major in Economics have varied employment opportunities in both the public and private sector. Three broad areas of study available within the main discipline are:

• Microeconomics
• Macroeconomics
• Econometrics

The Finance major is the study of money management. Finance professionals manage assets to create wealth for investors or companies. When dealing with investments, it's about considering the time between investment and future payoff - and the risks attached to these future payoffs. The finance discipline examines how these organisations raise funds to implement investment strategies, and how they allocate these funds to a variety of investment opportunities. This involves the application of economic analysis, accounting concepts and quantitative methods to solve financial problems, assess risks and make financial decisions.

The discipline of finance covers three key areas:

• Capital markets and financial institutions refers to the operations and decisions of banks and other financial institutions, such as managed funds, and includes the optimal design of securities.
• Investments and derivative securities involves financial decision making by investors; i.e., the valuation and risk characteristics of securities; the optimal construction and management of investment portfolios; and the role of financial markets in trading these securities.
• Corporate finance consists of financial decision making by companies, project evaluation, capital structure (the mix of debt and equity to fund investment projects), and payout decisions (how much profit should be returned to shareholders).

These ‘core’ subject areas may be supplemented with elective subjects in financial planning (personal finance), banking, international finance, entrepreneurial finance, ethics in finance and FinTech. Studying finance will prepare you for a career in the finance sector and as finance specialists in industry and government.

Professional Recognition

The University of Melbourne is a Program Partner of the CFA Institute, which awards the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Recognition as a CFA Program Partner means the Commerce Finance major is tied to professional practice and helps prepare you for the CFA exams.

Effective managers lead businesses and organisations in achieving their goals. Studying management equips you with the leadership, analysis, planning and decision-making skills you need to succeed from day one.

By undertaking a major in Management, you will learn about your own personal effectiveness, how to work in teams, and how to solve real organisational problems. You will understand the principles of making good business decisions, managing business operations, dealing with change, thinking globally, and acting ethically. In this major, you can choose subjects from specialist areas including business management, human resource management, international business and operations management.

Career options are many and varied, including positions in management consulting, senior business leadership positions, equity and diversity officer, human resources manager, project manager, change management specialist, recruitment consultant, manager of business process improvement, research and development management, and many others.

The Management major is also a valuable complement to studies in another area, such as accounting or finance.

Marketing is essential to the health of any profitable enterprise, whether in the public or private sector. Marketing allows you to manage a brand and contribute to an organisation’s business strategy. A major in marketing will provide you with the tools and skills you need to build relationships with your audience. You will learn how to research and evaluate market opportunities. You will learn how to create compelling value propositions for customers. We will teach you how to design products and communication campaigns that will engage and excite customers. And you will see the importance of putting the customer at the centre of everything the organisation does.

Teaching topics span the breadth of marketing education including advertising, product and brand management, strategic marketing, market research, service and relationship marketing, global marketing, digital marketing and consumer behaviour. Marketing studies offer vital skills and knowledge to underpin your career growth, whatever path you choose to take.

Professional Recognition

All students graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in marketing become Associate Members of the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI). Combined with some years of work experience and professional development, you may then become eligible for accreditation as a Certified Practicing Marketer (CPM).

The Diploma in Music provides students with the opportunity to undertake a tailored sequence of music study and gain a music qualification while completing an undergraduate degree in another field at The University of Melbourne. It is available to students enrolled in an undergraduate degree other than the Bachelor of Music and the Bachelor of Fine Arts. It is studied concurrently with the bachelor degree.

Diploma in Music students study for a music qualification alongside Bachelor of Music students, giving the opportunity to build valuable friendships and networks in a challenging musical environment. A range of study options is available across all areas of specialisation within the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, including practical music, ensemble music performance, aural studies, composition, improvisation, music history and theory. Students are encouraged to follow their own areas of interest, constructing a bespoke program of study from the range of elective choices available.

The Diploma may only be awarded on the completion of the concurrent degree course. This means that graduation from the Diploma will only occur at the same time as graduation from the concurrent course.

A concurrent diploma must be undertaken at the same time as your substantive degree (e.g. Bachelor of Arts) and is considered to be a combined course for the purposes of the Student Assistance (Education Institutions and Courses) Determination 2019. More information on concurrent diplomas is found here.

The Diploma in Mathematical Sciences is a 100-point diploma, normally taken concurrently with an undergraduate degree.

The Diploma in Mathematical Sciences is a great way to use and develop your mathematical skills and complement your undergraduate studies. The high-level numerical and modelling skills you will gain can be applied across almost every area of employment and are always in demand.

This diploma is studied concurrently on a part-time basis with a bachelor degree. Within the Diploma, students will complete the requirements of the Mathematics and Statistics major from the Bachelor of Science. The Diploma consists of 1 year EFTSL of study completed concurrently with an undergraduate degree usually over 3-4 years.

A concurrent diploma must be undertaken at the same time as your substantive degree (e.g. Bachelor of Arts) and is considered to be a combined course for the purposes of the Student Assistance (Education Institutions and Courses) Determination 2019. More information on concurrent diplomas is found here.

Please note: The Diploma in Mathematical Sciences is not available to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science who are taking the Data Science, Mathematics and Statistics or Mathematical Physics majors.

The Diploma in Computing will provide students in almost all areas of study with the option of complementing their principal undergraduate major with a program in the IT area, designed to give them familiarity with a range of data manipulation and presentation techniques. The delivery format via a concurrent diploma is designed to build on and extend students’ main study, with the expectation that students will contribute problems and challenges from their main study area to their Diploma subjects. 

A concurrent diploma must be undertaken at the same time as your substantive degree (e.g. Bachelor of Arts) and is considered to be a combined course for the purposes of the Student Assistance (Education Institutions and Courses) Determination 2019. More information on concurrent diplomas is found here.

The Diploma in Languages (D-Lang) is a concurrent program and provides students with the opportunity to undertake language study while completing an undergraduate, graduate coursework or RHD program at the University of Melbourne.

There are 12 languages available all offering a sequenced path of study commencing at entry point 1 (beginners), entry point 3 or entry point 5 (post VCE) and continuing through to proficiency level 6 (advanced). Some languages offer advanced entry points (see individual languages for further information). Students are able to commence the program at different entry points pending on proficiency.

The Diploma in Languages will usually add one year duration to your studies. Undergraduate students have the option to fast track and may complete both programs in three and a half or three years. The duration for graduate coursework students varies on their program, advice and permission for graduates should be sought from their home Faculty prior to application.

The Diploma may only be awarded on the completion of both programs. Domestic students enrolled in a Graduate Coursework or Research Higher Degree course will have access to Commonwealth supported places. International Graduate Coursework and RHD students will attract International undergraduate fees for the Diploma in Languages.

A concurrent diploma must be undertaken at the same time as your substantive degree (e.g. Bachelor of Arts) and is considered to be a combined course for the purposes of the Student Assistance (Education Institutions and Courses) Determination 2019. More information on concurrent diplomas is found here.

Accelerated Level 1 subjects for students with a strong mathematics background, plus a choice of Level 2 subjects to introduce students to topics such as chaos, abstract algebra or probability.

This Breadth Track progressively develops knowledge and skill for acting on stage and in film and TV.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is predicted to play an increasingly integral role in almost all aspects of our lives, including in fields of policing, public administration, environmental protection, education, medicine, finance and law. This track provides students with the skills necessary to deal with the technical, ethical and legal challenges that arise in designing, governing and regulating AI that is fair, safe and beneficial to society. This specialist track builds on the work of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Ethics (CAIDE), a cross disciplinary research centre at the University of Melbourne bringing together academics researching all aspects of AI ethics and regulation, including from engineering, computer science, humanities, science and law.

This breadth track explores issues related to ancient civilizations.

This breadth track explores issues related to ancient civilisations, with a focus on mythology.

This breadth track explores issues related to ancient civilizations, with a focus on Ancient Egypt and the Near East.

This breadth track explores issues related to ancient civilizations, with a focus on Ancient Greece.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Ancient Greek.

This breadth track explores issues related to ritual, meaning and performance from an anthropological perspective.

This breadth track explores issues related to self and society.

This breadth track explores issues related to structures, identity and power.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in the Arabic language for beginners.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Archaeology.

This breadth track surveys the history of architecture from the beginnings of shelter to the present day.

This breadth track introduces students to the basics of architectural design and history and provide students with the prerequisite subjects to apply for entry into the 300-point Master of Architecture.

This breadth track explores drama/theatre/music and visual arts making and presenting in relation to a diverse range of learning settings from the perspective of the artist and community.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Australian flora,and in the diversity of the plant kingdom. It provides a general approach to the different biomes of Australia and the adaptive biology of the plants and animals inhabiting those biomes, and to the different floristic bioregions of Victoria and their ecology. Plant Biodiversity introduces the structure, biology and evolution of the major groups of land plants, with examples from the Australian flora.

This sequence provides students with a comprehensive overview of Australia's native wildlife, and the evolution, ecology and management of this remarkable group of animals.

This track will introduce students to the principles of biotechnology, which is the use and manipulation of living organisms, or substances obtained from these organisms, to make products of value to humanity.

This track will develop a student's general interest in biology and focus particularly on how cells function, particularly in the context of multicellular organisms. With emphasis on current research methodologies, it provides insights into how cells 'translate' the genetic code to produce and transport proteins to specific sites within or outside the cell to control processes required for cell survival, proliferation, movement and growth and how these processes controlled and orchestrated during the remarkable progression of a fertilised egg into an independent organism.

This breadth track provides students with an introduction to the foundations of Chemical Engineering.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Chinese language for beginners.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Chinese language for students who have taken Chinese at VCE level.

This breadth track explores issues related to Chinese Studies.

This breadth track explores the diversity of choral music and progressively develops knowledge and skills in choral performance.

Climate and Water integrates the major challenges being faced both nationally and internationally integrating knowledge across disciplines to provide strategies for developing appropriate responses to these challenges.

This breadth track explores issues related to climate change from a multidisciplinary perspective.

This breadth track for BCom students qualifies students to apply for a 200-point (two-year) Master of Construction Management. Note that BCom students are exempt from the normal prerequisite for Residential Construction and Structures.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Creative Writing.

Explore artistic play, expression and performance in the growth and creative development of children and young people through active and experimental learning in diverse settings.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge of crime and crime control and helps develop analytical skills in criminology.

This Breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in dance styles and approaches to physical training whilst exploring how movement, languages and choreographic approaches can be used to express ideas and realise performance.

This breadth track explores issues related to Deafness and communication, from a wide range of perspectives including social, cultural, and technological. There is also a focus on visual communication and Auslan, the language of the Australian signing Deaf community.

This breadth track explores issues related to development studies.

This breadth track progressively develops skills in drawing and painting. Students learn practical hand-on techniques and processes whilst also gaining a greater understanding of how art communicates ideas.

This breadth track explores the Earth's internal composition, structure and evolution over geological time.

This breadth track develops an understanding of how we use the principles of ecological science for the conservation and management of natural and human-made ecosystems.

This sequence explores the unique place of humans in the earth's evolutionary history, and the diverse ways in which evolutionary process continue to affect contemporary human society.

This breadth track provides students with an introduction to the foundations of Electrical Engineering.

This track gives students an insight into some fundamental principles of engineering and how engineering interacts with the social and natural environmental settings where water and soil are fundamental resources for human development.

This breadth track explores issues related to English literature.

This breadth track engages with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creative and cultural practices, with a focus on connections to Country and place, while developing cultural literacies, critical thinking, and deep listening skills. Each subject focuses on Indigenous artistic practices through which students will investigate knowledges, technologies and architectures, place and ways of knowing, being and doing.

Food is essential to human life on Earth, and is inextricably bound up in our biology, culture and beliefs. Learn about the current and future challenges of global food production, supply, and consumption and discover how food production in Australia is changing to meet the environment and society's changing needs.

Forests and fire introduces students to forests from social, historical, environmental and economic perspectives and provides an understanding of the effects of fuel, weather and climate on the nature and periodicity of bushfires, as well as the social and economic impact of bushfires.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in French language for beginners.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in French language for students who have taken French at VCE level.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in French language for students who are at an Advanced Level.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in French language for students who are at a super advanced Level.

This breadth track provides a background in the principles of genetics and inheritance with the opportunity to extend these studies in areas of molecular or evolutionary genetics.

Offering a sufficient background to appreciate the relevance of genetics to current societal issues.

This breadth track will provide students with a broad introduction to geological processes and equip them with important skills in how to map out and read the geological record. Students will apply and improve these skills by undertaking fieldwork.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in German language for beginners.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in German language for students who have taken German at VCE level.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in German language for students who have taken German at VCE level.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in German language for students who are native speakers or near-native speakers of German, or for candidates who have spent a number of years in a German speaking country.

This breadth track explores issues related to development, implementation and analysis of public policy and management.

This breadth track introduces students to a range of issues associated with greening urban landscapes and helps develop knowledge and skills for selecting and managing plants for urban landscapes.

This breadth track provide a background in genetics sufficient to appreciate the significance of recent advances in human genetics research.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Indonesian language for beginners.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Indonesian language for students who have taken Indonesian at VCE level.

This breadth track provides an introduction to the construction industry at a residential level covering basic structures, materials, construction methods and management of the construction process.

This breadth track explores issues related to Islamic Studies.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Italian language for beginners.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Italian language for students who have taken Italian to Year 10/11 Italian or equivalent.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Advanced Italian language.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Japanese language for beginners.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Japanese language for beginners.

Explore the nature of knowledge and how we learn.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Korean language.

This breadth track develops knowledge and skills in Korean language and broadens understanding of Korea.

This breadth track provides students with an introduction to the Landscape architecture design.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in commercial and taxation law.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in commercial, competition, and consumer law.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in media and intellectual property law.

This track examines the educational significance of sport and physical activity, and provides students with the knowledge and skills required to lead physical activity in their community.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and linguistic skills in the structure of English and English language studies.

This breadth track explores issues relating to language in its social and cultural context, both within a single cultural context, and across cultural boundaries.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in linguistics and the analysis of language structure, drawing on data from the full range of the world's languages.

Living in Australia's Hazardous Ecosystems looks at the systems that shape the natural world, including the evolution of the planet Earth, our climate and global weather and the formation and processes of our present landscapes and associated ecosystems. Students will gain an understanding of the increasing trend to urbanisation and larger cities as a contributor to the rising toll of disaster losses globally.

Investigates human-animal relationships interactions, where they originated, domestication, and where they are now, examining in detail key relationships between humans and animals.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in film making, exploring the practicalities behind film and television writing and production.

This breadth track provides an introduction to marine organisms and their environment, and the methodologies and techniques used by scientists to explore the undersea realm.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in mathematics and statistics. It commences with the standard first year package for students with VCE Specialist mathematics or equivalent and progresses to a choice of Level 2 subjects to introduce students to the fields of pure mathematics, applied mathematics or probability.

This track progressively develops knowledge and skills in mathematics for economics and satisfies the quantitative requirements for the Bachelor of Commerce.

This breadth track provides students with an introduction to the foundations of Mechanical Engineering.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in microbiology and immunology.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in history, with a focus on the Middle East and Islam. It covers the both early and modern history of the Middle East and North Africa, and of Muslim countries in South East Asia.

This breadth track explores issues related to music, mind and wellbeing, including development of musical skills at different life stages, the relationship between music and the brain, as well as music and the body and examination of psychological, sociological and scientific research related to performing and creating music.

This breadth track explores music of non-Western cultures and societies and the people and social processes involved in music-making.

This breadth track includes practice led critical studies in music theatre, giving students an opportunity to learn by doing, whilst developing critical thinking and listening skills. In each subject, practical, group singing tutorials are complemented by an engaging lecture series to give students an understanding of what they are embodying when performing some of the most significant and well-known material from the music theatre canon.

This breadth track explores the relationship of our cities and towns and the natural environment which underpins our society.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in non-western music performance, culture and social contexts from around the world.

This breadth track introduces students to different ways of thinking about human-environment relationships and provides frameworks relevant to considering human dimensions of environmental policy and management.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in politics and international studies.

This breadth track explores the history, culture and social context of music across a range of popular music styles.

This breadth track explores issues related to positive psychology, with a focus on the relationship between well-being, pro-social behaviour and peak performance at the individual, group and community levels.

This Breadth track introduces students to printmaking, screen-printing and animation as art making mediums. Learn technical process and image making skills to develop your own art works.

This breadth track for students qualifies students to apply for a 200-point (two-year) Master of Property.

The Roman Studies breadth track surveys a thousand years of Roman political, social and cultural history (500 BCE - 500 CE). Ancient Rome's highly advanced society represents one of the first of the multicultural civilisations of the pre-industrial era and its study therefore offers many timeless insights into our own increasingly cosmopolitan world.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Russian language for beginners.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in sociology.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Spanish language for beginners.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Spanish language for students who have taken Spanish at VCE level.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Advanced Spanish language.

This breadth track develops theoretical knowledge and applied skills in music language and compositional craft.

This breadth track introduces students to fundamental musical concepts including rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, texture, dynamics and form, and explores the history, culture and social context of western music from the middle ages to the 21st century.

This breadth track progressively develops knowledge and skills in Theatre Studies.

Introduces students to the major challenges currently facing humanity, their causes, potential impacts and strategies for mitigating or overcoming the risks they pose.

This breadth track gives students a comprehensive foundation in urban design and planning, which focuses on the intersections between architecture, landscape architecture, planning and geography.

Explores the interaction between food and wine including the practice of drinking wine and matching food, and also raises some of the issues on the associated social, economic and health impacts on society.

This breadth track explores issues of youth, citizenship and identity in education.