Master of Applied Finance in Financial Services

at University of Wollongong - Southern Sydney Campus Australia

The Master of Applied Finance (Investing) is for students interested in acquiring an advanced understanding of investment and portfolio management.

You will study the theory and practice of financial management and gain an understanding of the global financial system. Additionally, competing approaches to corporate governance and business ethics will be developed, and you will learn how to provide protection against portfolio, financial and corporate risks.

Students are provided with realistic stock market simulations and are introduced to modern portfolio theory and practice with a focus on optimal investment decision-making. You will experience the pressure of live markets and learn how to manage portfolios through a portfolio simulation that allows you to trade shares, options, bonds, managed funds, international stocks with realistic stock market simulations.

The Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting is an introductory course that provides a general understanding of accounting and related areas in business, including finance, statistics and economics.

Successful completion of the Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting provides a pathway to the Master of Professional Accounting or Master of Professional Accounting Advanced, with credit of four subjects towards the Master's degree.

People are an organisation's most valuable resource. Human Resource Management (HRM) is concerned with finding the right staff for an organisation and having employed them, nurturing them so that they want to stay and perform to the best of their abilities. Rather than solely focusing on the bottom line, HRM also focuses on motivational factors, employee health and wellbeing, human rights, ethics, and the impact of responsible management on society.

This degree
You will undertake a foundation year that covers all core disciplines of business, giving you a solid understanding of issues facing organisations today. From your second year, you will begin your major in Human Resource Management. This major will teach you about the people side of business operations by gaining an understanding of Human Resource Management theories and practices. Careers in HRM include HR manager, HR consultant, industrial officer, recruitment manager, training management, safety manager and career development manager.

You will also undertake a final-year capstone subject that lets you apply everything you have learned in collaboration with students from other disciplines. Plus, you have the option of applying for an internship to gain valuable experience whilst receiving credit towards your degree.

What you will study
Specific focus is placed on the acquisition and development of employees, positively influencing their employment performance, and monitoring and managing the processes of staff selection, retention and turnover. HRM examines specific people management practices such as recruitment and selection, organisational behaviour, employee relations, management of change, learning and development and workplace health and safety management.

The Master of Business Administration (Executive) is a unique degree designed for experienced senior managers who want to build their professional capabilities, those aspiring to executive positions and entrepreneurs who are motivated to start and grow their own business venture. The program will develop and advance the skills required to respond to the dynamic business environment by identifying, implementing and managing best business practices through all stages of business life cycles.

You will learn to be innovative, visionary and strategic in the delivery of key business outcomes and realise and develop your authentic leadership style. Your managerial and directional skills will be enhanced to enable you to provide effective responses to the organisation of all business models.

The subjects are specifically designed and taught for interactivity, and you will be able to share and learn from likeminded professionals at similar stages of their career in the classroom. This allows you to expand on your career network and immediately utilise the learnings back to your current senior managerial or executive role. The assessment tasks are similarly designed to be applied back to real and current business objectives.

The Master of Applied Finance with a double specialisation in Investing and Financial Services is for students who are interested in focusing on investment, portfolio management and financial services. The degree will allow you to integrate technical, theoretical and industry knowledge on the operation and organisation of – and participation in – local and international finance. The Investing specialisation focuses on investment and portfolio management, while the Financial Services specialisation focuses on financial institutions, as well as bank management and lending.

Marketing is the activities, institutions and processes for creating, communicating and delivering products and services. This includes facilitating relationships to deliver value for consumers, clients and society. It's about everything from establishing who the customer is to developing a competitive advantage by effectively positioning products/services in the market. Marketing is essential for all organisations, even small business operators and not-for-profits.

This degree
You will undertake a foundation year that covers all core disciplines of business, giving you a solid understanding of issues facing organisations today. From your second year, you will major in Marketing and develop the skills and knowledge needed to plan, develop and execute integrated marketing and communications strategies.

Graduates take many different directions including advertising, digital and social media marketing, social change marketing and the development and of marketing new products. You will also undertake a final-year capstone subject that lets you apply everything you have learned in collaboration with students from other disciplines. Plus, you have the option of applying for an internship to gain valuable experience whilst receiving credit towards your degree.

What you will study
You will study how consumers behave, how organisations find out about their markets and the customers in those markets, how to create effective marketing communications campaigns, and how organisations manage marketing successfully. You will have the opportunity to deepen your understanding in key areas of marketing, for example, how to create change for the better in society or learn about marketing's applications internationally.

Management is the art and science of planning, coordinating and leading group efforts. It is the mobilising of human and material resources to achieve organisational goals. Effective managers make socially responsible decisions both in the short and long term whilst providing inspiring and motivating leadership that can affect all levels of the organisation.

This degree
You will undertake a foundation year that covers all core disciplines of business, giving you a solid understanding of issues facing organisations today. From your second year, you will major in Management to understand the framework of organisational structures, be able to examine quality and risk management, and analyse business strategies. Careers in management include company manager, operations manager, workforce planner, general manager, and strategic development executive.

You will also undertake a final-year capstone subject that lets you apply everything you have learned in collaboration with students from other disciplines. Plus, you have the option of applying for an internship to gain valuable experience whilst receiving credit towards your degree.

What you will study
You will learn how to manage – strategically and ethically – both physical and intangible assets for organisational success and employee wellbeing. You will do this by gaining a sound understanding of the framework of organisational structures, including the local and international environments in which they operate. Final year subjects enable you to identify and analyse quality management systems, strategically manage risk and develop international business strategies.

The Master of Financial Management provides an opportunity for you to enhance your career opportunities by developing further professional and personal skills, and knowledge in Financial Management areas.

You will learn to plan, organise, direct and control financial activities such as obtaining funds and using funds for investments. You will study topics such as investment management, financial strategy, financial statement analysis and learn how to review the global financial system and understand the principles of descriptive and inferential statistics and their applications in the business environment.

The business sector is one of the world's largest employers offering varying roles and careers. Business plays an important role in assisting the evolution of a complex global economy by providing solutions to problems in a sustainable and ethical way.

This degree
The Bachelor of Business Administration is a flexible degree offering a broad education across all key aspects of the business environment. In addition to studying the essential core disciplines of accounting, economics, finance, management and marketing, you can tailor your studies according to your interests or career aspirations by choosing electives from particular Business disciplines, or you can combine Business electives with subjects from other disciplines.
You will also undertake a final-year capstone subject that lets you apply everything you have learned in collaboration with students from other disciplines. Plus, you have the option of applying for an internship to gain valuable experience whilst receiving credit towards your degree.

What you will study
The Bachelor of Business Administration is a flexible degree offering a broad education across all key aspects of the business environment. In addition to studying the essential core disciplines of accounting, economics, finance, management and marketing, you can tailor your studies according to your interests by choosing electives from a particular Business discipline, or you can combine Business electives with subjects from other disciplines.

The Graduate Certificate in Applied Finance is an introductory course designed to provide a general understanding of areas in Applied Finance such as financial statement analysis, managerial finance, statistics and corporate governance.

Upon successful completion of the Graduate Certificate in Applied Finance, you may enrol in a Master of Applied Finance and be eligible for credit for the four subjects completed within the Graduate Certificate. Progression with credit to other Masters programs, including the MBA, may also be possible.

We value the importance of prior learning and work experience in this course and understand that not all mature age working professionals have completed an undergraduate degree. If you fit this profile, still apply for the course, as we will assess your other relevant tertiary qualifications or substantial relevant professional or managerial experience.