Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) Majoring in Finance

Summary

The Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree programme enables each student to develop his or her own interests in business and related subjects. Students are able to create individualised courses using a range of papers offered across teaching departments in the School of Business and University as a whole. Students have the flexibility within the BCom degree to combine two specialisations and graduate with a double major.

Every person and organisation raises and spends money. Finance examines the theory and practice of this process, with particular attention to the measurement and management of risk. It’s about deciding how money is allocated in the real world. Finance is both a science and an art – a science because it systematically analyses information and uses it to make and test predictions; an art because these future activities are uncertain and there is frequently no “right” answer. Finance deals not only with the measurable, “quantitative” aspect but also with the unmeasurable, where intuition and experience play a strong role. Skills in these areas are invaluable in the workplace. Above all, finance is exciting. You will often have to make swift decisions concerning large amounts of money and resources.

Career opportunities

The range of careers in finance is wide and varied, and well-paid. Graduates work in planning and budgeting, portfolio management, investments, securities, trading, risk management, and foreign currency trading. They are employed by government departments, the education sector, banks, insurance companies, investment banks, accounting firms, stockbroking firms, and many others. Because a finance degree is relevant to economic structures worldwide, it is highly exportable. There are many job opportunities overseas and Otago graduates compete well in many international markets.