Bachelor of Commerce (Degree with Honours) (BH-COM) // Course structure

Course structure

The BCom (Honours) course consists of the equivalent of eight subjects (100 points). Grades are awarded for each individual subject and an overall grade result is returned for the course. The honours degree is only awarded to students who pass (i.e. obtain a grade of at least P) all subjects of the course and who complete the course with an average grade of H3 (65%) or higher.

Students are required to complete the equivalent of eight subjects. In determining the final grade, individual subjects are weighted according to their points value.

A students will not be awarded honours if the student either

• fails a single 12.5-point subject with a mark below 40%, or
• fails two or more 12.5-point subjects (a 25-point subject is treated as two subjects).

Any student who fails two subjects in their first semester of study will not be allowed to continue in the honours course.

Any student who fails a single 12.5-point subject with a mark of 40% or above will be entitled to a final subject rule assessment at the end of the final teaching period for that student. The maximum mark to be awarded for this subject on satisfactory completion of this assessment is 50%. The final grade for such a student will be based on the weighted average of the passing grades only.

Students who do not meet the requirements to be awarded the Honours degree will still be able to take out the pass degree if previous commerce studies were undertaken at the University of Melbourne.

• Accounting
  Students are required to complete the equivalent of eight subjects (100 points) in fourth year honours.
  
  Students must take two compulsory subjects:
  ACCT40004 Honours Research Methods
  and one of
  ACCT40006 Honours Research Essay or
  ACCT40008 Honours Research Essay Part 1 and ACCT40009 Honours Research Essay Part 2
  
  
  Students must also take two elective subjects from the below list:
  ACCT40001 Research in Financial Accounting;
  ACCT40002 Research in Management Accounting;
  ACCT40003 Research in Auditing;
  ACCT40007 Behavioural Accounting Research.
  (If students would like to take more than 2 subjects from this list, the additional subjects can be taken under the remaining elective component discussed below).
  
  The remaining elective subjects must be approved by the Head of Department of Accounting to meet the overall load of 100 points.
  
  Students who have not previously completed either of ECOM30001 Basic Econometrics or ECOM30002 Econometrics or equivalent quantitative studies such as advanced studies in multivariate statistics or similar will be required to enrol in either ECOM30001 Basic Econometrics or ECOM30002 Econometrics in their first semester of Honours study.
• Actuarial Studies
  Students are required to successfully complete the equivalent of eight subjects (100 points) in fourth year honours.
  
  Students must complete the following subjects:
  One of
  ACTL40001 Actuarial Studies Research Essay or
  ACTL40010 Actuarial Studies Projects Part 1 and ACTL40011 Actuarial Studies Projects Part 2;
  and
  50 points of level-4 actuarial studies subjects; and
  25 points of approved level-3 or level-4 subjects taught within or outside the Faculty of Business and Economics.
• Economics
  Students are required to successfully complete the equivalent of eight subjects (100 points) in fourth year honours. Students must complete the following subjects:
  
  ECON40001 Advanced Microeconomics; and
  ECON40002 Advanced Macroeconomics; and
  ECON40018 Economics Research Essay Part 1 and ECON40019 Economics Research Essay Part 2.
  
  By the end of the Honours Year, students must have completed at least one level-3 or level-4 econometrics subject in addition to:
  ECOM30001 Basic Econometrics or ECOM30002 Econometrics
  namely one of
  ECOM30003 Applied Microeconometric Modelling;
  ECOM30004 Time Series Analysis and Forecasting;
  ECOM40001 Microeconometrics;
  ECOM40004 Financial Econometrics;
  ECOM40006 Econometric Techniques;
  
  and three other subjects (if the econometrics requirement has been satisfied in third year, then four other subjects) normally level-4 economics subjects.
  
  Students may choose up to two level-3 economics subjects (to include an econometrics subject) and one subject from another department within the University with the honours convenor's approval.
  
  Students who take ECON40015 Financial Economics cannot include ECON30024 Economics of Financial Markets in their final honours year program.
• Finance
  Students are required to successfully complete the equivalent of eight subjects (100 points). Students must complete the following:
  
  FNCE40001 Advanced Corporate Finance; and
  FNCE40002 Advanced Investments; and
  FNCE40004 Research Methods in Finance; and
  FNCE40006 Finance Research Essay; and
  
  12.5 points of other subjects taught by the Department of Finance; and
  25 points of subjects taught within or outside the Faculty of Business and Economics as approved by the Head of the Department of Finance.
  
  Level-3 subjects may not be taken with the exception of ECOM30004 Time Series Analysis and Forecasting.

Last updated: 4 March 2021