Bachelor of Finance
Course code/s: LBF Melbourne
Course description
This course is designed to meet academic and vocational requirements for a career in the finance industry. It provides a comprehensive understanding of all areas of finance and develops a thorough grasp of issues faced when working for a finance-related organisation - such as a listed trading bank, stockbroking firm, insurance or financial planning company, financial consulting organisation or the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Students train in corporate and international finance, investment and portfolio management, and risk management. The course also covers financial and estate planning, derivative securities, mergers and acquisitions, and security and firm valuation.
Admission requirements
Admission requirements are completion of VCE and VCE units 3 and 4 of English (any) and mathematics (any) with a study score of at least 20 in each. Applicants with comparable qualifications will be considered. A limited number of students may also be considered under Special Entry Schemes.
Degree requirements
Students must complete a course of subjects accumulating at least 360 credit points, at least 345 of which must be subjects offered by the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law. The course is designed to be completed within three years of full-time study, although part-time study is possible. Maximum course duration is seven years. Students should undertake 120 credit points at each year level and must complete 120 credit points at third year level. Variations to this structure are subject to approval by a Faculty of Business, Economics and Law course adviser.
Course structure
Students must pass the compulsory and elective subjects listed below. All subjects are worth 15 credit points.
First year
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Academic Integrity Module (online) | MGT1AIM |
| TE-SEM-1 | Business Foundations | BUS1BUF |
| TE-SEM-1 | Accounting and Finance for Business | BUS1AFB |
| TE-SEM-1 | Accounting for Management Decisions | ACC1AMD |
| TE-SEM-1 | Either an FBEL or LTU free elective # | |
| TE-SEM-2 | Business Economics | BUS1BUE |
| TE-SEM-2 | Business Analytics | BUS1BUA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Fundamentals of Finance | FIN1FOF |
| TE-SEM-2 | Either an FBEL or LTU free elective # |
# Unless taking a sequence of two language subjects, students are limited to one LTU elective in first year.
Note: MGT1AIM is a not-for-credit subject which students are required to complete at the commencement of their first semester. The subject is designed to enhance the students' knowledge and awareness of issues concerning academic integrity.
Second year
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Banking and Financial Institutions | FIN2BFI |
| TE-SEM-1 | Principles of Economics* | ECO2PEC |
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to Quantitiative Analysis | ECO2IQA |
| TE-SEM-1 | FBEL level 2 elective | |
| TE-SEM-2 | Finance Law* | LST2FLA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Econometric Methods | ECO2EME |
| TE-SEM-2 | Corporate Finance | FIN3CFI |
| TE-SEM-2 | FBEL level 2 elective |
* If the Schools of Economics and Law supply only one instance of these subjects, it should be changed to the relevant semester.
Third year
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | International Financial Management | FIN3IFM |
| TE-SEM-1 | FIN coded level 3 elective** | |
| TE-SEM-1 | FIN coded level 3 elective | |
| TE-SEM-1 | FBEL level 3 elective | |
| TE-SEM-2 | Investment and Portfolio Management | FIN3IPM |
| TE-SEM-2 | FIN coded level 3 elective** | |
| TE-SEM-2 | FIN coded level 2 elective** | |
| TE-SEM-2 | FBEL level 3 elective*** |
** Students who want to work in the financial planning industry with RG146 compliance, must choose Financial Planning (FIN2FPL), Retirement and Estate Planning (FIN3REP) and Case Studies in Financial Planning (FIN3CFP).
*** Quantitative Risk Analysis (FIN3QRA) is recommended for students seeking Honours or post-graduate studies.
Finance electives
| Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|
Financial Planning |
|
| Financial Planning | FIN2FPL |
| Taxation | ACC3TAX |
| Retirement and Estate Planning | FIN3REP |
| Case Studies in Financial Planning | FIN3CFP |
Corporate Finance |
|
| Financial Derivatives | FIN3FDR |
| Security Valuation | FIN3SEV |
| Mergers and Acquisitions | FIN3MAQ |
| Case Studies in Finance | FIN3CSF |
Other recommended elective subjects |
|
| Econometric Methods | ECO2EME |
| Microeconomic Analysis | ECO3MIA |
| Computational Finance | FIN3CLF |
| Introduction to Time-Series Econometrics | ECO3ITE |
| Macroeconomic Analysis | ECO3MAA |
| Financial Statement Analysis | FIN3FSA |
Note: Not all subjects are offered in any one year.
Honours
The honours program requires a further year of full-time study or two years of part-time study. As a guide, the usual minimum requirement is a B (70%) average result in at least six second and third year finance subjects (at least 50% at third year level), although a student's entire academic record is taken into account. Students must complete all requirements of their undergraduate degree before being invited to take up the honours program. For more information on the Finance Honours program see the entry under the Bachelor of Finance Honours.