BlogUniversityWhat It’s Like Studying a Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie Uni

What It’s Like Studying a Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie Uni

Bachelor of Commerce Macquarie - Fact Sheet

Has a Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie caught your interest?

It really isn’t hard to see why. After some intensive research, we’ve come to the very professional conclusion that this is a fantastic tertiary pathway for any budding business person. 

If you want to know why, swipe up on that funky little mousepad, quick smart!

What is a Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie Uni?
Core Units and Majors
How to Get into a Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie Uni
What’s the Teaching Format?
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?

What is a Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie Uni?

To cut a long story short, a Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie University is a one-stop shop for anyone looking to start a career in a business environment. The compulsory foundation units will orient you to all areas of business, ensuring that you will be able to succeed as any type of professional in the industry.

All the while, your major, or double major (more on those later), will set you up to be a master in your choice of specialisation, such as Accounting, Economics or Finance.

If you find yourself captivated by all things business, but you’re still trying to figure out which area, this is the degree for you. You’ll have the chance to play around with different topics, until you find the right one for you. 

So stop stressing, Bill Gates, you’ll find your calling and this degree is a great first step to getting there.

Where could this degree take you?

The real question is: ‘where couldn’t it take you?’ The Macquarie Business School knows what’s up in the world of commerce. It expertly crafted this degree to churn out graduates with all the tools they need to succeed in a big mixing pot of business-focused careers. 

Here’s just a taste of the professions that a Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie could lead you to:

    • Accountant
    • Auditor
    • Business analyst
    • Economic policy advisor
    • Financial analyst
    • Human resource manager
    • Management consultant
    • Marketing professional
    • Stockbroker
    • Taxation consultant

Core Units and Majors

What are the core units?

Like we said before, the program pumps out professionals built to succeed in any business-related profession. The main reason for this is the core units. 

Essentially, you will be required to complete at least one unit in all of the following subjects: Accounting, Finance, Economics, Management, Marketing, and Statistics. I don’t know about you, but that pretty much sums up the fundamentals of business for me!

Here’s a couple of the subjects you’ll need to take on:

    • Principles of Economics 1
    • Marketing Fundamentals
    • Accounting in Society
    • Finance 1A

At times these core units may seem a little tedious and you might just be hanging out to dive into your major – trust us when we say that they are worth it. They will definitely come in handy later on, whether that be academically or professionally. 

What are the majors?

This is where you’ll truly be given the chance to shine. The Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie offers an impressive catalogue of 13 different majors. All you have to do is choose the right one for you!

So without further ado, here are your options for specialisation:

    • Accounting 
    • Business Analytics
    • Business Information Systems 
    • Business Statistics
    • Cyber Security Governance
    • Economics
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Finance
    • Human Resource Management
    • International Business
    • Management
    • Marketing and Consumer Insights
    • Marketing Management

The degree also offers what they call a ‘flexible zone’, which is equivalent to 80 credit points. You can use this flexible zone to explore areas outside or inside business or you could use it to undergo a double major! 

What’s a major in Marketing Management like?

Marketing is one of the most important avenues for a business’ success. Majoring in it will teach you to realise a marketing strategy from proposal through to implementation, to work with a budget like a pro, and to know Excel like the back of your hand. 

Studying Marketing Management at Macquarie will give you an edge that graduates of other programs will not have. With Macquarie’s Finance Decision Lab and Incubator space at your fingertips, you will be able to use real-world technologies in your projects so you’re job ready by the time you finish up the degree. 

Bachelor of Commerce Macquarie - Student Quote

The program is very broad, because marketing itself is a very diversified industry. Assessments centre in on group work and there are a lot (and we mean a lot) of presentations.

Graduates of this stream will establish successful careers in advertising, brand management, market research and product development. The best part is, you can undertake these roles in literally any business because marketing is essential for all commercial success. 

Is there a built-in internship?

One of the greatest things about studying at Macquarie is PACE (Professional and Community Engagement). It’s an award-winning program that gives students practical experience, reflected by Macquarie’s commitment to employability for its students.

PACE is included in every Bachelor degree at Macquarie, and there is the option to take even more PACE units as part of your flexible zone. The compulsory PACE unit will most likely have you working with a host organisation, while being guided by your unit convenor.

PACE blends practical skills with guided learning – essentially, you will be undertaking practical tasks with the host organisation, and then unpack them back at uni through assessments. You can also use the PACE units in your flexible zone to undertake a semester-long internship and gain credits while you do it (sounds like a win-win to me!).

The program could have you working with host organisations in government, industry and NGO areas, and it could even take you overseas!

For more information about PACE click here!

 

How to Get into a Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie

In order to be guaranteed entry into Commerce at Macquarie, you’ll need an ATAR of at least 80. That being said, Macquarie understands that everyone has different backgrounds and skill sets to offer and so they have alternative pathways for entry.

Using Macquarie’s entry navigator you can figure out which type of entry suits you best!

Is there any assumed knowledge or prerequisite subjects?

There are no prerequisite subjects to study a Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie. There is, however, assumed knowledge in HSC Mathematics Standard 2 – if you haven’t taken that course, it’s probably best that you enrol in a mathematics elective in your first year.

It’s true that you probably could scrape by without a history in HSC Mathematics (looking at you, Marketing majors). The thing is, it will definitely make your life a lot easier later on if you buckle down now, especially with stats units.

Scholarships

Macquarie offers a range of different scholarships for every faculty and year of study. Check out their grants and scholarship information to figure out which one is the right fit for you!

What’s the Teaching Format?

Macquarie operates under a semester system, which means you’ll be studying two sessions per year. If you want to graduate in the three-year period, you’ll need to study 4 courses per academic session.

Each course will comprise a 2 hour lecture and a 1 hour tutorial. In other words, you’ll only have 12 contact hours per week all up (you won’t know yourself after HSC!).

Bachelor of Commerce Macquarie - Class Structure

Lectures

The lectures are used to introduce the course content with roughly 100 to 200 students. It will mostly feel like someone is talking at you rather than with you.

They have a presentation feel to them and are notoriously less engaging than tutorials. Some lectures may be a little more interactive later on in the program, but even then, don’t expect too much peer-based learning.

Tutorials

Tutorials are like a lecture’s fun sibling. They’re used to actually engage with the content introduced in the lecture and they’re way more intimate with a maximum of 30 other students.

The way that you’ll do this will depend on your major. In Economics you might do tutorial questions (like sample tests), while in Marketing you might unpack and interact with the lecture content in a more hands-on way.

What are the assessments like?

This will also really depend on your major. Marketing, for example, is much more collaborative than Economics or Accounting. 

Basically, the style of assessments is reflected by the nature of the course. You wouldn’t expect to be doing too many group presentations in Economics, whereas it’s almost all that you do in Marketing. 

A general idea of the assessments you might get are business reports, Excel spreadsheets, weekly quizzes, case studies, presentations, exams, and essays. 

Assessments are generally evenly spread throughout the semester. So even if you have a huge final exam worth 40%, there will be heaps of small assessments leading up to it – this is why it’s so important to take the small assessments seriously as everything adds up in the end!

What skills do you refine?

A Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie is designed to give its students critical thinking, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills. On top of these qualitative skills, you’ll have a lot of experience giving presentations, writing reports and using Excel.

Bachelor of Commerce Macquarie - Skills

These skills are beneficial to any career in business. No matter which avenue you take, an ability to autonomously solve problems and effectively communicate is extremely important.

It’s true that you don’t need to be able to be a good communicator to crunch numbers as an accountant. The problem is, how are you going to communicate with clients, coworkers, and external and internal stakeholders? Skills such as these are going to be the keys to your success.

Interested in the pros and cons of this degree? Check out our article here!

What’s the Faculty & Culture Like?

The Business faculty is Macquarie’s largest! That’s good news for you, because it means that it’s jam-packed with resources and led by a super well-trained faculty.

It’s also a very trustworthy and approachable department that will always get back to you with any issues you may have.

The Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie is also built up of a genuine cohort – there is an element of competition, but it’s never aggressive or cut-throat. Everyone walks in to the degree knowing that it’s a highly collaborative program and with this in mind, everyone is always willing to chat and it’s not hard to make friends.

Mentoring Programs

Macquarie has loads of student support initiatives, so if you’re ever feeling lost, there are many resources you can access or people you can talk to that are willing to help!

Peer Assisted Learning (PAL)

These sessions develop students’ study techniques, communication skills, and group interaction skills. They’re a great way to build self-confidence, develop learning strategies, and – most importantly – make friends!

Another bonus is that they tend to cover most of the core units for a Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie!

Macquarie University Mentors

Macquarie also offers a mentoring program, which gives students a chance to pair up with someone that has studied or is studying the same program. It can be refreshing to get advice from someone that knows exactly what you’re doing.

So don’t be shy to ask questions or send your mentor an email – they’re more than happy to help (it’s what they’re trained to do)! Lecturers and tutors really can’t offer that level of support.

Societies

There are societies for every major in Commerce. Societies are both a great way to participate in fun social events at Macquarie and to leverage your career prospects by participating in networking events!

Macquarie University Business Society (MUBS)

Macquarie University Business Society (MUBS) is the biggest student society for commerce-based resources at the university. Their aim is to connect all students from different disciplines of business.

It’s an absolute must-join for all Bachelor of Commerce students at MQ! But you better get in early because there’s a long line every year during O-Week filled with commerce students trying to secure a spot.

You can find more information at their Facebook page here!

Women Entering Business (WEB)

Another great student-based resource for female students is the Women Entering Business (WEB) society. The society was established by five high-achieving female university students.

Their goal was to fill the gap in female-oriented representation for women entering business. They host multiple professional and social events throughout the year to establish a network for women.

Their Facebook page can be found here!


Cody Williams is a Content Writer at Art of Smart Education. While Cody studied a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and French Studies at UNSW, he quickly realised that his dream job would have him sit happily behind a keyboard. Cody’s digital writing career started with an internship at Bauer Media where he was writing for ELLE and Harper’s BAZAAR’s online publications. Once he had a taste for writing he never looked back, moving to Brisbane soon later to work as a Producer for Channel Nine Queensland. After a year in television media, he dusted off his online writing shoes so he could put them to good use, stamping out some scorching-hot career and educational resources at AOS.

 

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