Bachelor of Finance

The Bachelor of Finance at Adelaide University is a three-year Australian bachelor degree, and it sits at Level 7 on the Australian Qualifications Framework. You study full time over six semesters, or part time if that suits you better. Each semester you enrol in units of study, and each unit carries a set number of credit points. You need to pass the required number of credit points to graduate, and the handbook sets out which units are core and which are electives. Expect to cover corporate finance, investments, financial markets and institutions, and quantitative methods, then choose electives that match where you want to work. The degree is built so that later units assume the earlier ones, so the order you take them in matters.

Assessment is a mix of exams, assignments, group projects and presentations. Many units use real market data, so you might value a company, build a portfolio, or work through a case study on a listed Australian firm. Some units include work-integrated learning, where you take an internship or an industry project for credit. If your degree includes a capstone unit, it usually comes in your final year and pulls together the finance skills you have built. The university has links with employers in Adelaide and interstate, and those connections often feed into placements and guest lectures. Confirm the exact placement and capstone options on the official course page, because they can change between years.

You finish with skills employers actually ask for: reading a balance sheet, building a financial model in a spreadsheet, valuing a business, understanding risk and return, and explaining a recommendation clearly to people who are not finance specialists. You also learn to work in a team and to write for a professional audience. These are the skills that get used daily in banking, funds management, corporate advisory and government finance roles.

This degree suits school leavers who are comfortable with numbers and want a career in finance, and it also suits people changing careers who want a recognised qualification. If you are applying from overseas, you will need to meet the university's English requirement. IELTS Academic 6.0 to 6.5 overall is the common standard for undergraduate courses, though some courses ask for 7.0 to 7.5. TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the university's own English programmes are accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs also sets its own English threshold for the Student visa, which is separate from the university's requirement. While you study, your visa lets you work up to 48 hours per fortnight during term. After you graduate, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may let you stay and work in Australia, depending on your circumstances. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register, and you should check the official page for current fees, intake dates and the full unit list. The CRICOS course code is 117931G.

• Financial analyst in banking, funds management or corporate advisory
• Investment analyst or portfolio assistant
• Credit analyst or lending officer at a bank or credit union
• Treasury or risk analyst in a large organisation
• Management consultant with a finance focus
• Financial planner or paraplanner
• Audit or assurance associate at an accounting firm
• Public sector finance roles in treasury, health or infrastructure
• Insurance and superannuation analyst
• Equity research assistant

Australian employers in these fields include the major banks, superannuation funds, insurance companies, accounting and advisory firms, and state and federal government departments. Some roles, such as financial advice, have their own professional requirements, so check with the relevant body before you rely on the degree alone.