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Bachelor of Commerce (Honours)

Course Code: BCOM340 CRICOS Code: 069125F

Duration	Campus and Intake	Fee*
1 Year/s	Hawthorn (Summer Term)	A$20,100 (annual for 2012)

*The indicative course fees shown in Course Search apply to international students studying on-campus in Australia for the relevant year only. They are based on a standard study load per year. However, please note that fees are assessed according to a student's study load in each semester, and variation to study load will result in an adjustment to tuition fees. All fees are subject to annual review and may be adjusted.

About the course

Course Description:

The Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) course provides students who have demonstrated academic ability with the opportunity to pursue their undergraduate studies to an advanced level, to deepen their intellectual understanding in their major area of study, and to develop their research skills.

The Honours course is a recognised point of entry into postgraduate research studies. Students concentrate on their chosen area of study, gaining a better understanding of the academic discipline that they study and the research techniques appropriate to the discipline. The requirement to complete a substantial original piece of research for their dissertation ensures that honours graduates develop abilities to conceptualise problems, devise research strategies and carry out individual research work under the supervision of a member of staff with expertise in the area.

Undertaking the Honours course can also assist by providing a point of differentiation when seeking employment, as the course offers students the opportunity to extend their knowledge in their chosen discipline and to specialise in an area within it. The course's strong orientation to research instructs students in the principles and techniques of original research and prepares them for areas of professional employment in which conceptual, organisational and research skills are in demand.

Aims & Objectives:

On completion of the Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) students will be:

able to critique literature and conduct analyses at an Honours level;
able to identify research opportunities and know how to solve research problems in both the business and academic settings;
cognisant of the social and ethical complexities of applied research;
able to communicate in a credible, articulate and confident manner suitable for an academic forum.

Course Structure:

The Honours course consists of a 25 per cent research methodology and critical evaluation component, and a 75 per cent dissertation component. It consists of four units totalling 100 credit points. Students must satisfactorily complete both components to achieve an overall honours assessment.

This program operates under a student workload model based on 100 credit points for a full-time academic year. One credit point is deemed equivalent to one hour of student work per week for one semester whether in contact with staff or in private study. Students holding international student visas are required to study full time.

Students will be required to complete a dissertation in one of the major areas of study listed below:

Accounting
Commercial Law
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Finance
Human Resource Management
International Business
Management
Marketing

Research Methodology component
The research methodology unit of study (HBR401) aims to equip students with the necessary research skills to conduct studies for higher degrees. It is designed to facilitate the development of independent learning skills. Students will be presented with various research methodologies appropriate to their chosen discipline as well as those used in other disciplines. Assessment will be based on assignments and class exercises. Teaching methods will include formal lectures and tutorial discussion groups and will make extensive use of library resources. This unit of study is compulsory for all Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) students and no prerequisite is necessary.

Critical Evaluation component
The discipline-specific unit of study (HBR402) aims to provide methods of evaluating and critiquing literature from a business research perspective; to allow a breadth and depth of exploration of the area of study chosen by the student. This is an exploratory approach that is intended to help the student arrive at a viable topic for their dissertation. Students will be expected to read widely from a variety of sources including both textual and journal articles, and meet regularly with their supervisor.

Dissertation component
Normally a student will produce, under supervision, a dissertation (HBR403A and HBR403B) between 8,000 and 12,000 words on an original theoretical or applied business problem, which demonstrates the student’s ability to conceptualise and present a research project based on published theory in a scholarly and independent manner. The structure of the dissertation will be consistent with the proposal development in the Critical Evaluation unit of study, and with the quality expectations that are carried with a work of this kind.

Students who successfully complete the above components will be graded as follows:

First Class Honours (H1) 80%-100%
Upper Second Class Honours (H2A) 70%-79%
Lower Second Class Honours (H2B) 60%-69%
Third Class Honours (H3) 50%-59%

Units of Study:

HBR401 Research Methods

HBR402 Critical Evaluation in Research

HBR403A Minor Thesis A
HBR403B Minor Thesis B

Employment Outcomes

Career opportunities:

Students with a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree have the opportunity to develop academic and generic skills that will serve them well whether their future paths lead to a career in research or industry.

How To Apply

English Language Requirements:

Satisfactory completion of the Swinburne English for Academic Purposes Advanced level certificate at the postgraduate level (EAP 5: PG-75%); OR, obtaining a minimum IELTS overall band of 7.0 (Academic Module) with no individual band below 6.5; OR, a TOEFL (Paper-based) minimum score of 600 (with Test of Written English (TWE) score of 5); OR, a TOEFL (Computer-based) minimum score of 250 (with Written Writing score of 5); OR, a TOEFL (Internet-based) minimum score of 100 with no band less than 24.

Refer to the English Language Requirements website for further information.

Special entry requirements:

To be eligible for admission into the Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) program, an applicant must have satisfied the requirements of an undergraduate degree with a Business or Commerce major and a weighted credit average (first year units a weighting of 0.8, second year units a weighting of 1.0 and third year units a weighting of 1.2) from a University approved by Swinburne or a credit average in the Graduate Certificate of Research Studies (Commerce).

Find Out More

For further information:

Enquire online: http://www.swinburne.edu.au/international/enquiry
Email: international@swinburne.edu.au

Phone: +613 8676 7002 (outside Australia)

Freecall 1800 897 973 (within Australia)

Information Sessions:

Visit our Meet Us page to see when we are visiting your home country (or here in Australia)

Scholarships:

A range of scholarships are available to international students, visit our Scholarship Page for details. A range of scholarships are available to international students, visit our Scholarship Page for details.