Undergraduate Finance

Insight into Today's Business World

Hear from a graduate - Bhavik Dinesh Jeena: a recent graduate of our Bachelor of Applied Finance and Bachelor of Commerce - Accounting

Finance is the study of financial organisations, markets and instruments as well as those who use them. It manages the flow of funds within the economy, and the control of risk. A degree in finance opens the door to many business-related careers. Your options are unlimited. Macquarie University offers focused programs in finance and applied finance as well as the option to study finance within a broader degree, such as the Bachelor of Commerce.

Finance study at Macquarie involves units in accounting, economics, statistics, computing and actuarial studies. Three major aspects of finance are investigated:

Corporate Finance – how organisations make optimal financial decisions regarding investments, and the funding of their activities
Investments – how financial instruments are valued and how are asset portfolios constructed in order to achieve investors’ financial objectives
Financial Markets – how financial markets operate and how both investors and organisations conduct financial transactions in these markets in order to operate more efficiently and effectively

Finance Degrees at Macquarie

At Macquarie, you have the flexibility to study finance as a single or double degree. Single degrees take three years of full-time or the equivalent part-time study.

Specific Degree Information

Bachelor of Applied Finance (BAppFin) is a specialist degree in finance which provides students with a sound background in all aspects of undergraduate finance. The Bachelor of Applied Finance and associated double degrees, have been approved by the ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission - authorised assessors) as meeting ASIC training requirements in relation to RG 146 compliance for generic knowledge, skills, securities, derivatives, managed investments, deposit products and non cash payment facilities, and foreign exchange, subject to the completion of certain units.
Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), with a major in finance, is a more flexible degree than the BAppFin. While the program does include a specialisation in finance related economics and/or accounting units, students can also include electives in other areas of interest, such as computing, politics or sociology.
Bachelor of Commerce – Professional Accounting (BCom–Professional Accg) is the study of professional accounting with finance. Students obtain a double major in accounting and finance. This degree meets the tertiary accreditation requirements of both CPA Australia and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA).
Bachelor of Actuarial Studies

Students can also study finance as part of a double degree, such as:

What’s the difference between Accounting and Finance?

Accounting is about the collection, measurement and communication of economic information so that an informed decision can be made by the users of that information. Accounting can be broken down into management accounting and financial accounting. Management accounting provides information for managers whereas financial accounting produces financial statements for organisations such as companies.

Finance is about managing money. It is the study of financial markets and the instruments within it such as company shares, etc. Finance can be broadly classified as managerial finance and financial services.

What do you study in a Finance degree?

Financial statement analysis
Money and finance
Portfolio management
Security pricing and hedging
International finance
Financial econometrics

Where can you go with a Finance degree?

Finance graduates have a wide variety of career opportunities, both in Australia and internationally.

Banking
Corporate management
Financial planning
Foreign exchange dealing
Funds management
Insurance
Investment analysis
International finance
Public finance and government, such as the Reserve Bank
Stockbroking
Treasury management

How much can you earn with a Finance degree?

Finance graduates can expect competitive salaries that compare well to salaries within other fields. According to Mycareer.com.au website NSW graduate salaries for 2009, the average Finance graduate starting salary is $52,346.