Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies)

The Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) and the Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) (Honours) degrees offered by the University of Sydney Business School.

Note: Part-time study is also available for these degrees.

The Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) complements the professional business related studies and accreditation of the Bachelor of Commerce with additional studies in languages, humanities and sciences. This four-year (full-time) program gives students the opportunity to develop enhanced communication skills and an unrivalled breadth of knowledge from study in subject areas from the University of Sydney Business School, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment.

Degree structure

To be awarded the Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies), students complete units of study with a total value of 192 credit points, comprising:

• four core units of study (18 credit points), comprising three junior core units of study (12 credit points), including a zero credit point unit, and one senior capstone unit of study (six credit points)
• compulsory units of study from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (Table A subject areas) to the total minimum value of 24 credit points
• compulsory units of study from the Faculty of Science (Table 1 subject areas) to the total minimum value of 12 credit points
• two majors: one selected from the subject areas specified as 'Major I subject areas' and one from the subject areas specified as 'Major II subject areas'
• a maximum of 96 credit points in junior units of study (1000 level units of study)
• a minimum of 108 credit points in units of study from the University of Sydney Business School (a maximum of 84 credit points from non-Business School subject areas).

Requirements for the degree with honours

For the award of the Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) with Honours, meritorious students must complete an additional honours year of study after the completion of the requirements for the Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies). Honours study is offered in most of the subject areas available to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies). For details of the requirements for entry into and for the completion of the Honours Year in this program, please refer to sydney.edu.au/business/honours.

Core units of study

Students are required to complete all their junior core units of study within the first year of enrolment in the sequence set out in the 'Degree progression' table.

All students must complete in BUSS1900 and BUSS1001 in their first semester of enrolment and BUSS1002 in their second semester of enrolment. The senior capstone core unit, BUSS3500, must be completed in a student's final semester of enrolment.


(i) Junior units of study (12 credit points)

• BUSS1900 Managing Business Communication A (zero credit points)#
• BUSS1001 Understanding Business
• BUSS1002 The Business Environment.

# The zero-credit point unit, BUSS1900, is designed to support students in developing their business communication skills at the very outset of their degree to ensure success in the semesters that follow. All commencing undergraduate students must enrol in BUSS1900 but have the option of withdrawing following a mandatory waiver test conducted during Orientation Week (O Week) preceding the start of each semester. For further details refer to the Business School website.


(ii) Senior (capstone) unit of study (six credit points)

• BUSS3500 Integrated Business Applications.

Compulsory Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Faculty of Science units of study

(i) Arts and Social Sciences units of study

Students select a minimum of 24 credit points worth of units of study from the Table A subject areas in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Handbook. Students can meet this requirement by completing a major from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (for example as a Major II option).

For full details of the unit of study options within these subject areas please refer to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Handbook sydney.edu.au/handbooks/arts/subject_areas.

(ii) Science units of study

Students select a minimum of 12 credit points worth of units of study from the Table 1 subject areas in the Faculty of Science Handbook. Students can meet this requirement by completing a major from the Faculty of Science (for example as a Major II option).

For full details of units of study options within these subject areas please refer to the Faculty of Science handbook sydney.edu.au/handbooks/science.

Majors and electives

Compulsory majors

Students in the Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) are required to complete two majors. One from the subject areas listed under 'Major I' and one from those listed under 'Major II'.

In most cases, a major consists of 36 credit points in senior units of study (usually six units) in a single subject area. Junior units of study (1000 level) may be used to meet the prerequisite requirements for more than one major. However, senior (or in some cases intermediate and senior) units of study (2000 and 3000 level) can only be used to meet the requirements for one major.


Major I subject areas

• Accounting
• Business Information Systems
• Commercial Law
• Finance
• Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management
• International Business
• Management
• Marketing
• Quantitative Business Analysis.

Major II subject areas

• any major listed under the 'Major I subject areas' (this major must be different to the one chosen from the 'Major I' list)
• a major from the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment #
• a Table A major from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences #
• a Table 1 major from the Faculty of Science. #

# These options are subject to any restrictions that the offering faculty may impose regarding the completion of their majors in out-of-faculty degrees and restrictions due to the maximum 84 credit points allowed in non-Business School units of study for the degree. The requirements for these majors will be according to the rules of the offering faculty - please refer to the relevant other faculty's handbook for details (sydney.edu.au/handbooks/).

If a major is chosen in a subject area offered by the Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Agriculture and Environment or Science then in most cases, a minimum of 36 credit points in senior units of study (or senior and intermediate units) must be completed in that subject area. Junior units of study (1000 level) may be used to meet the prerequisite requirements for more than one major. However, senior (or in some cases intermediate and senior) units of study (2000 and 3000 level) can only be used to meet the requirements for one major.

A maximum of 84 credit points in total (junior, intermediate and senior) can be taken in units of study from any faculty other than the Business School (this maximum includes the required 12 credit points in Science units and 24 credit points in Arts and Social Sciences units). Students need to be mindful that it is not always possible to choose a major from outside of the Business School and still complete the 108 credit points needed within the Business School. For example, certain Table 1 Faculty of Science majors may require the completion of more than 60 credit points in Science units in order to complete the major, which with the required 24 credit points in Arts and Social Sciences units would exceed the maximum of 84 credit points allowed in units from outside the Business School.

Additional majors and electives

Students may select an additional major/s and/or electives offered by the Business School or from any other faculty of the University of Sydney, subject to approval by the offering faculty and degree requirements such as the maximum non-Business School credit points allowed in the Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies).

For details of majors from other faculties, students should consult the handbook for the relevant faculty sydney.edu.au/handbooks

Professional accreditation requirements

Within the Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies), students may choose to pursue a program of study that would allow them to seek accreditation with particular professional bodies.

Professional accounting accreditation (ICAA or CPA Australia)

Completion of an accredited degree is a recognised pathway to a career in professional accounting. See the Bachelor of Commerce entry in this chapter for details of accreditation requirements.

Australian Computer Society (ACS) accreditation

Students planning to satisfy the professional accreditation requirements for the ACS should include in their degree a prescribed set of units of study (48 credit points), including a major in Business Information Systems. The required units of study are listed below:

• INFS1000 Digital Business Innovation
• INFS2001 IS for Performance Improvement
• INFS2020 Business Process Modelling and Improvement
• INFS3040 Enterprise Systems and Integrated Business; and
• four additional senior 'INFS' coded elective units of study including two more 'INFS' units at 3000-level. (See listings under the 'Business Information Systems' subject area for available units of study).

This program will be re-assessed for accreditation by ACS in February 2014. Students should refer to the Business School website for the latest information regarding accreditation.

Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) accreditation

All undergraduate degrees incorporating a major in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management are AHRI-accredited. Students wishing to satisfy the requirements for professional membership of AHRI should complete an Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management major as part of their degree. The required units of study for the major are listed under the 'Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) subject areas for majors and electives'.

Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) accreditation

The Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) is accredited by the APAC for students completing the three-year psychology major sequence (48 credit points in intermediate and senior units of study) as part of this degree. This study must be supplemented by an accredited fourth year of study in psychology before students are eligible to enrol in an APAC accredited Masters or Doctoral programs. The required units of study for the major are listed in the Faculty of Science handbook (sydney.edu.au/handbooks/ ).

Progression guide

The following table illustrates a degree progression example for a student enrolled in the Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) on a full-time basis undertaking a total of 24 credit points per semester.

* This is a zero credit point unit.

Note: This is a basic structure only based on the unit of study offerings for 2014. If the second major chosen is one of the Faculty of Science's or Faculty of Arts and Social Science's majors then this structure would differ as the compulsory units of study in these areas could be counted towards the second major (Major II). For a Science major the term 'senior' in the table above refers to both 'intermediate' and 'senior' Science units of study. Students are usually able to complete the units of study for their course in different sequences to that which is listed (including enrolling in units in Summer or Winter School sessions when available). Students are advised to plan their course based upon their individual needs and to contact the Student Information Office if they need any assistance in planning their progression in their degree.

The Business School website illustrates units of study progression sequences for specific majors. This information can be found at sydney.edu.au/business/course/FH019