Course details

Summary

Finance is a relatively new and rapidly growing discipline that examines the acquisition and allocation of financial resources. Where financial accounting measures past performance, Finance as a discipline is forward-focused. It is largely about future planning for firms or investors.

Finance consists of three interrelated subject areas:

• corporate finance studies how firms raise and efficiently utilise funds obtained from lenders and shareholders
• financial markets and institutions explores how the financial system facilitates the transfer of funds from savers and lenders to borrowers
• investment analysis studies how investors choose securities and asset classes for their investment portfolios.

All of these areas assess the trade-off between risk and reward and the valuation of both financial and capital assets.

The Graduate Diploma in Commerce offers students an opportunity to complement and extend their undergraduate studies with further study in commerce subject. It is ideal for those who wish to transition into postgraduate study and is also suitable for graduates with a non-commerce degree who have an interest or career goals in any of these areas.

Qualification structure and duration

Graduate Diploma in Commerce (GradDipCom) students is required to pass at least 120 points from courses at 200 or 300-level from the Bachelor of Commerce. Of these, 75 points must be at 300-level including 60 points in a single subject of the diploma.

The flexible structure means students can tailor their programme according to their immediate needs and career goals.

Further study

Students will graduate having obtained advanced knowledge in their subject of choice, which will enable them to progress into a research-based postgraduate qualification in this area if they wish. UC offers a range of master's qualifications and the Doctor of Philosophy.

Career opportunities

Today it would be rare for a person to rise to the position of chief financial officer (CFO) without a strong grounding in both Accounting and Finance. There are also many other career opportunities for Finance graduates, with typical jobs including: financial analyst, money market and foreign exchange dealer, loan analyst, equity analyst, risk analyst/manager, portfolio manager, financial planner, investment banker and small-business manager.

Entry criteria

Graduate diplomas require a relevant bachelor's degree. If you gained your qualifications overseas, these will need to be assessed to ensure they are of an equivalent standard.

Acceptance for the programme will depend on the standard and relevance of previous studies. Candidates are expected to have attained at least a B+ GPA in their final year of undergraduate study. All candidates need to be approved by the Dean of Commerce.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 550 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum C+ grade; CAE or CPE minimum score of 169 with at least 162 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 57 and no PTE communicative skills score below 50.