Business School
Why study Finance?
Finance is the study of how individuals and firms allocate resources through time.
You will learn about the capital markets and the financing decisions that businesses and organisations need to make.
Should you choose to continue on and study finance at postgraduate level, you will learn about the commercial activity of providing funding and capital through the use of financial instruments in financial and capital markets.
When you undertake an undergraduate degree you can choose courses that will focus your studies in any of the following areas: financial management, financial analysis, investments, corporate environment, public sector, financial accounting, and financial reporting.
Postgraduate courses are designed to build your understanding of concepts such as good corporate governance, investments, valuation theory, asset pricing, market micro-structure, capital structure and dividend policy, risk-hedging and liquidity management.
When you complete an undergraduate degree, you might decide to follow one of these career pathways: academic, investment banker, merchant banker, corporate banker, merger and acquisition specialist, corporate finance specialist, treasury specialist, stockbroker, and financial analyst.
Studying finance at postgraduate level can lead you to more senior or specialised career roles such as academic, chief financial officer, corporate advisor or valuer, multinational funds manager, or portfolio manager.
You can study Finance in the following programmes:
Bachelor of Commerce (BCom)
The BCom offers Finance as a single major or as a double major alongside one of the other majors offered within the BCom. Due to the close link between the two disciplines, Finance combines well with Accounting and is one of student’s most popular double major choices. You can also study the Bachelor of Commerce in Finance as part of a conjoint degree programme where you study for two degrees at once.
Bachelor of Commerce (Hons)
The BCom (Hons) is one fulltime year of postgraduate study following the Bachelor of Commerce degree. Entry is by invitation only and is based on superior grades in the subject area.
Master of Commerce (MCom)
The MCom degree is a two-year postgraduate programme. The first year is coursework, which may be taken as bachelor honours, while the second year comprises a research thesis.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
As a general rule you need to have successfully completed either a bachelor honours degree or masters degree to be eligible to study for a PhD in Finance.
