Faculty of Science : Guide to courses
6. Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Science (BCom/BSc)

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6. Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Science (BCom/BSc)
    6.1. Attributes of the Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Science graduate
    6.2. Duration
    6.3. Course requirements
        6.3.1. Science component
        6.3.2. Commerce component
        6.3.3. Balance of points

6. Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Science (BCom/BSc)

6.1. Attributes of the Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Science graduate

In commerce/science at the University of Melbourne, we expect to educate our students in the fundamental skills of transforming information into knowledge and being able to integrate this knowledge into a business environment. These outcomes are fully consistent with the University's general ambition for our graduates, and emphasise the transferability of the skills practised in commerce and in science.

Throughout their course, students will find that many of the abilities that they develop are shared by, and so are valued by and are applicable to, activities in all walks of life. In particular, these are the skills that are essential to providing leadership to the science-technology base and business community of the Australian economy and culture.

The Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Science degrees aim to educate and train students in both science and commercial areas of study. The combined course enables students to access a major (specialisation) stream in both the commercial and science components of the course. In addition, the length of the course allows students to pursue minor studies in other discipline areas beyond their majors. Graduates are, therefore, aware of and educated in a broad variety of knowledge areas.

From their exposure to a range of quantitative and qualitative disciplines, Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Science graduates have strong cognitive skills with an awareness of the business environment. In particular, they are able to:

synthesise information from a range of sources, evaluate this, and add new ideas to their existing knowledge;
observe, record and evaluate data or evidence appropriately;
make effective use of information to identify and solve problems;
synthesise and integrate disparate elements into a meaningful whole;
work independently or in teams;
understand and fit into a work organisation's culture;
view and understand an organisation's wider business picture and position; and
understand the commercial environment and recognise and define issues or problems within it.

Graduates in commerce/science are able to be creative in their approach to scientific or business issues. They are used to formulating hypotheses that can be tested for validity. They can extrapolate from the known to the unknown and are comfortable working with analogues rather than needing to deal with literal situations.

Their studies in commercial disciplines enable graduates to accept and deal with a level of uncertainty in problem solving and decision making, particularly when access to information is limited.

The science disciplines also value clear reporting. Consequently, the commerce/science graduate has developed skills of efficient and effective communication of ideas and results, whether in the accepted modes of scientific and business report writing or through more informal oral presentations. Graduates recognise the need to present information and ideas in an effective written form that is appropriate to the purpose and the reader.

Having undertaken laboratory and tutorial classes, commerce/science graduates are adept at activity planning as well as the application of theory to practice. Some students will have found collaborative learning an efficient tool, while others will find their practical work enhanced by effective teamwork.

The need to manage the multiplicity of tasks (lectures, laboratory and assignment work), means that commerce/science graduates are aware of the need to structure and manage time effectively and efficiently, to retain balance and to prioritise their activities. They are able to juggle several tasks simultaneously, take responsibility for their own work, independently or within a group, and to plan their schedule appropriately.

The breadth of the Science @ Melbourne program means that commerce/science graduates will have been exposed, directly or indirectly, to thoughts and ideas from a number of bodies of knowledge. These graduates are aware of the breadth and depth of knowledge in areas beyond their specific areas of specialisation.

6.2. Duration

The BCom/BSc combined course is normally completed over five years.

6.3. Course requirements

Students enrolled in the BCom/BSc combined course must accumulate a minimum (and maximum) of 500 points. Within the 500 points students must satisfy the minimum requirements stated below for both the BSc component and the BCom component.

6.3.1. Science component

A minimum of 237.5 science points is required, which must include:

between 75 and 125 science points at the 100-level;
completion of 50 points of a prescribed science major at the 300-level.

There are no 200-level requirements.

Students who first enrolled in the BCom/BSc before 1999 must complete the requirements set out above with the exception that they do not need to complete a prescribed science major, but rather 50 science points at the 300-level of subjects of their choice.

See Science and non-science subjects for discussion of what constitutes subjects earning science points.

6.3.2. Commerce component

A minimum of 200 commerce points is required, which must include:

50-125 points at the 100-level;
at least 50 points at the 300-level (these must be completed at the University of Melbourne);
the following compulsory subjects:
316-101 Introductory Macroeconomics
316-102 Introductory Microeconomics
316-130 Quantitative Methods 1
325-201 Organisational Behaviour¹
and one of:
316-205 Introductory Econometrics
316-206 Quantitative Methods 2
325-210 Managerial Decision Analysis
325-212 Principles of Market Research

The 200 commerce points must be chosen from subjects taught by departments in the Faculty of Economics and Commerce, or subjects with a 732 prefix taught by the Faculty of Law.

6.3.3. Balance of points

The remaining 62.5 points may be taken from subjects offered by the Faculties of Economics and Commerce, Science, and Arts.

1.	Students who commenced the Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Science prior to 2005 are not required to complete this subject.