University of Sydney Handbooks - 2016 Archive

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Commerce coursework programs - Course structures

Course structures

Master of Commerce

To be awarded the Master of Commerce, students complete units of study totalling 96 credit points, comprising:

  • 12 credit points in core units of study - one in the first semester of study and one in the final semester of study;
  • 12 to 36 credit points in foundational units of study; *
  • at least one specialisation (24 credit points in advanced units of study) selected from the Commerce areas of specialisation; and
  • additional specialisation/s, dissertation and/or elective units of study required to make 96 credit points in total (excluding foundational units), selected from the Table of postgraduate units of study: Commerce.^

* Students with a prior business qualification may apply to have foundational units waived.

^ High-performing students who have completed at least 48 credit points may apply for an industry or community placement worth 6 credit points and/or a research dissertation equivalent to 24 credit points (selection is competitive).

Graduate Diploma in Commerce

To be awarded the Graduate Diploma in Commerce, students complete units of study totalling 48 credit points, comprising:

  • a six credit point core unit of study to be completed in the first semester of study;
  • 12 to 18 credit points in foundational units of study; and
  • additional elective units of study required to make 48 credit points in total (excluding foundational units), selected from the Table of postgraduate units of study: Commerce.
Graduate Certificate in Commerce

To be awarded the Graduate Certificate in Commerce, students complete units of study totalling 24 credit points, comprising:

  • a six credit point core unit of study to be completed in the first semester of study; and
  • 12 to 18 credit points in foundational units of study
    additional elective units of study required to make 24 credit points in total (excluding foundational units), selected from the Table of postgraduate units of study: Commerce.
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Core units of study

Master of Commerce students need to complete both of the following core units of study.

  • BUSS5000 Critical Thinking in Business (must be completed in the first semester of study)
  • BUSS6000 Succeeding in Business (must be completed in the final semester of study)

Students enrolled in the Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate in Commerce complete only BUSS5000 in their first semester of study.

Foundational units of study

Students enrolled in the Commerce programs select foundational units of study as follows:

  • Master of Commerce: 12 to 36 credit points (two to six units)
  • Graduate Diploma in Commerce: 12 to 18 credit points (two to three units)
  • Graduate Certificate in Commerce: 12 to 18 credit points (two to three units)

The available foundational units of study are as follows:

  • ACCT5001 Accounting Principles
  • BUSS5002 Business Fundamentals
  • CLAW5001 Legal Environment of Business
  • ECON5001 Microeconomic Theory
  • FINC5001 Capital Markets and Corporate Finance
  • IBUS5002 Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  • IBUS5003 Global Business
  • INFS5001 Project Management
  • INFS5002 Digital Business Foundations
  • ITLS5000 Foundations of Supply Chain Management
  • ITLS5100 Transport & Infrastructure Foundations
  • MKTG5001 Marketing Principles
  • QBUS5001 Quantitative Methods for Business
  • WORK5003 Management and Organisations.
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Specialisations and electives


Master of Commerce

Master of Commerce students need to complete one specialisation. It is, however, possible to complete up to three specialisations (limited combinations). A specialisation usually comprises at least one six credit point foundational unit of study and 24 credit points in advanced units of study in a single subject area. Foundational units are normally completed within a student's first semester of study (full-time), or first two semesters (part-time). Advanced units of study cannot be counted towards more than one specialisation. Elective (non-foundational) units of study are selected from the Table of postgraduate units of study: Commerce.


Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate in Commerce

Students enrolled in the graduate diploma or graduate certificate select their elective (non-foundational) unit/s of study from the Table of postgraduate units of study: Commerce which includes the Commerce areas of specialisation. Students should note that specialisations are only awarded at master's level.

Areas of specialisation

* This specialisation is taught by the School of Economics (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences).

Industry Placement Program (IPP) (Master of Commerce only)

Students who achieve a WAM of 65%+ in a minimum of eight units of study (48 credit points) may apply for an assessable work integrated learning industry placement. Access to these units is subject to the availability of suitable placements, with available placements offered on a competitive basis, subject to WAM performance.

The Business School's Industry Placement Program (IPP) offers placement opportunities in the following locations:

  • Sydney - placements with Sydney based firms
  • Canberra - placements in government and not-for-profit agencies
  • Regional NSW – placements with regional organisations
  • International - placements in Asia, Europe, South America and the USA

Note: IPP units cannot be counted towards a specialisation.

Further information on the Industry Placement Program (IPP) can be found at: sydney.edu.au/business/study/opportunities/industry_placement_program.

Community Placement Program (CPP) (Master of Commerce only)

The Community Placement Program (CPP) provides students with the opportunity to work with a diverse range of social businesses. Students who achieve a WAM of 65%+ across a minimum of eight units of study (48 credit points) may apply for an assessable placement unit.

The Business School’s Community Placement Program (CPP) offers placement opportunities in the following locations:

  • Local – Sydney based social business projects
  • Rural – social enterprise projects in regional areas
  • International – social enterprise placements with CPP partners overseas

Note: CPP units cannot be counted towards a specialisation.

Further information on the Community Placement Program (CPP) can be found at: sydney.edu.au/business/study/opportunities/community_placement_program.

Remote and Rural Enterprise (RARE) Program

RARE is a community-engaged learning program, connecting postgraduate students at the University of Sydney with remote and rural enterprises in Australia to collaboratively complete action-research projects.

Further information regarding the RARE programs can be found at: http://sydney.edu.au/business/study/opportunities/RARE.

Deloitte FASTRACK Innovation Challenge

Students who achieve a WAM of 65%+ in a minimum of eight units of study (48 credit points) may apply for the unit, BUSS6505 Deloitte FASTRACK Innovation Challenge (six credit points). A globally recognised innovation program, the Deloitte FASTRACK Innovation Challenge is designed to give business and management students practical experience in business innovation. Places in this unit are offered on a competitive basis.

Further details can be found on the Business School website.

Dissertation (Master of Commerce only)

Students who achieve a WAM of 80%+ in a minimum of eight units of study (48 credit points) in the Master of Commerce may apply to complete a research dissertation (24 credit points) comprising:

  • For full-time students: BUSS7002 Business Dissertation; OR
  • For part-time students: BUSS7000 Business Dissertation A and BUSS7001 Business Dissertation B.

Access to these units is subject to the availability of suitable supervisors, WAM performance and interview. Further information can be found at http://sydney.edu.au/business/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/219050/Application-Form-MCom-Dissertation.pdf.

Note: These units cannot be counted towards a specialisation.

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