Wondering what a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne is like?
We’ll unpack everything you need to know to help you make an informed decision, such as the course structure, teaching format, faculty and uni life.
Keep reading to find out more!
What is a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne?
Core Units for this Degree
How to Get into a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne
What’s the Teaching Format?
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?
What is a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne?
A Bachelor of Commerce at Melbourne University is all about understanding business challenges and the skills you need to solve them. The compulsory core units will equip you with the commerce and business skills you need for success in any industry.
It also offers a broad range of majors and electives to help you discover your interests and passions while building a skillset across various disciplines.
Can this degree be studied in conjunction with another or completed as Honours?
You can study a Bachelor of Commerce at Melbourne University as a double major so that you leave with a lot of incredible skills and knowledge to set you up for the future! While Melbourne University doesn’t offer double degrees for undergraduate courses, you can complete a concurrent diploma which may add extra time to your degree.
There’s also an Honours program available as an additional year of study which will allow you to specialise in Accounting, Actuarial Studies, Economics, or Finance. You’ll develop your research and analytical skills while building expertise in a particular field.
To get into the Honours program, you need to have completed a Bachelor of Commerce (or an equivalent degree) with a weighted average mark (WAM) of at least 70%. You also have to meet some subject prerequisites — for example, if you want to complete the Honours program with a specialisation in Economics, you’ll need to demonstrate that you have a solid understanding of the following third year units offered by Melbourne University or their equivalent from another uni: Macroeconomics, Microeconomics and Econometrics 2.
There may be additional entry requirements to get into the Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) program however, these will vary depending on the specialisation you choose.
Find out more about the Honours program here!
Career Paths
So you’re probably wondering where this degree could take you, and the answer is, just about anywhere in the world of business!
Here are just some of the professions a Bachelor of Commerce at Melbourne University could lead you to:
- Accountant
- Actuary
- Business analyst
- Digital marketing manager
- HR executive
- Researcher
Wondering which other careers you can explore with a commerce degree? Check out our article here!
Core Units and Majors
A Bachelor of Commerce at Melbourne University requires you to complete a total of 24 subjects (8 per year). Throughout your degree, you have 7 compulsory core units.
These core subjects are there to help you build a foundational understanding of business and commerce which will certainly come in handy once you dive into your majors!
The core units you’ll study are:
- Introductory Microeconomics
- Quantitative Methods 1
- Accounting Reports and Analysis
- Introductory Macroeconomics
- Principles of Finance
- Organisational Behaviour
- Quantitative Methods 2
If you decide to wait until your second year to choose your major, studying some of these core units in your first year will give you a taste of the various subject areas to help you make a decision and find what you’re interested in!
We talked to Rory, who is currently in his 4th year studying a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics and Finance)/Diploma in Music, who said that the core units “gave you a really good sense of if that’s something you want to continue. For me, I did the Accounting core unit and I knew afterwards that it wasn’t something that I necessarily wanted to continue but I still found it valuable and interesting”.
What are the Majors?
A Bachelor of Commerce at Melbourne University offers a lot of interesting majors which will allow you to develop commerce skills and knowledge within the field of your choice.
Here are the different majors you can choose from:
- Accounting
- Actuarial Studies
- Economics
- Finance
- Management
- Marketing
For most majors, you can choose them in either first or second year; however, you’ll need to study units from an Accounting or Actuarial Studies major in your first year due to accreditation requirements.
In addition to your core units and major/s, you’ll also be able to select 4-6 breadth subjects which come from non-commerce disciplines. This means you can choose to study just about anything that interests you! You could study Mathematics and Statistics, Business and Work Law, Spanish, Music Theatre and anything in-between!
Are there any built-in internships or placements?
While there aren’t any built-in internships or placements, you’ll find plenty of support from the university and faculty to find work experience. Find out more about how you can source internships and experience here!
How to Get into a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne
The guaranteed ATAR for this degree is 95.00 but not to worry, Melbourne University makes sure your personal circumstances are taken into account through their Access Melbourne scheme.
By applying to Access Melbourne, you might be eligible to receive a guaranteed entry or receive an offer despite having an ATAR below the published minimum. You may also be eligible for a Melbourne Access Scholarship of up to $15,000!
Find out more about your eligibility, how to apply and its benefits here!
Are there any prerequisites?
For students completing their HSC, subject prerequisites for entry into a Bachelor of Commerce at Melbourne University include a study score of:
- at least 25 in English/English Language/Literature or at least 30 in EAL
- at least 25 in Mathematical Methods or Specialist Mathematics
What scholarships are available?
The University of Melbourne has heaps of scholarships available so check your eligibility and find the right scholarship for you here!
In particular, there’s a Commerce Achievement Scholarship for high-achieving students with a 98.00+ ATAR who are commencing a Bachelor of Commerce at Melbourne University. It’s valued at up to $26,500 including living allowance for the course of your degree and a travel grant!
What’s the Teaching Format?
A Bachelor of Commerce at Melbourne University is taught in semesters, which means you’ll study two sessions per year.
Class Structure
For each unit, you’ll typically have a 1-2 hour lecture and a 1 hour tutorial; however, this may vary depending on your major. If you’re studying full-time, you’ll have approximately 16 contact hours.
Lectures
Lectures usually have around 100 to 200 students and aim to introduce key ideas, concepts and theories. These typically aren’t interactive or peer-based learning experiences but they’re still super important!
A lot of your assessments and tutorial discussions are based on lecture content.
Tutorials
A tutorial has roughly 20 students attending and are used to discuss and consolidate lectures. These are often collaborative and interactive which gives you the opportunity to learn through hands-on experiences while also networking with peers.
What are the assessments like?
The type of assessments you’ll have varies depending on the major you’re studying. A major in Finance, for example, doesn’t have many essay or writing-heavy assessments like you would in a Marketing or Management major.
While the nature of assessments does depend on your major, some common styles of assessments you’ll most likely come across include group assessments, mid-semester tests, quizzes and exams. Your end-of-semester exams typically carry the greatest weighting and can form over 50% of your final mark!
What skills will you refine and learn?
While of course, you’ll master a wide range of commerce and business-related skills required to succeed in the workforce such as accounting, report-writing, digital marketing, or management, you’ll also refine and learn a whole lot of transferable skills too!
These are equally important and the best part is that you’re going to be picking them up not only through the subjects you cover, but also through extracurriculars, practical experience, or any part-time jobs you might have!
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?
Throughout your degree, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get involved in the friendly, bustling culture of Melbourne University such as all the clubs and societies available. From course-related ones like the Commerce Students’ Society to food and beverage clubs like the Chocolate Lovers’ Society, life on campus will never get boring!
Participating in clubs and societies is a great way to connect with like-minded people, engage in fun social events and part-take in professional development and up-skilling opportunities. Take a look at all the clubs and societies here and find ones that interest you!
Mentoring
You’ll also have access to heaps of competitions, workshops, career development sessions and mentoring programs within the Commerce faculty. The Business & Economics Career Mentoring Program, for example, is a great opportunity to connect with an industry mentor to gain career direction and build your industry knowledge, skill sets and networks.
“The general sense of studying at Melbourne University is quite inspirational, you’re there with a lot of smart people… and I really like the location of the campus — being very centrally located in the city, it’s a really vibrant community.” — Rory Hughes
Faculty
The Faculty of Business and Economics at Melbourne University is super approachable and supportive. It’s also ranked #1 in Australia which certainly shows that it’s an excellent faculty for a Bachelor of Commerce!
“I’ve never had a lecturer or tutor that I’ve not liked. The teaching quality has been really good the whole way through.” — Rory Hughes
Maitreyi Kulkarni is a Content Writer at Art of Smart Education and is currently studying a Bachelor of Media and Communications (Public Relations and Social Media) at Macquarie University. She loves writing just about anything from articles to poetry, and has also had one of her articles published with the ABC. When she’s not writing up a storm, she can be found reading, bingeing sitcoms, or playing the guitar.
