Advanced Commerce

Overview

Overview

Are you a high achiever, aspiring to be a leader in your field? Or perhaps you dream of pursuing advanced research at the PhD level, discovering new theories and applications that can help solve some of today’s complex business and societal challenges? Our Advanced Commerce degree will ensure you’re well-equipped to thrive in your chosen field, regardless of your desired career path.

From the very beginning, this course offers a unique learning experience with early opportunities to build professional skills. You’ll learn alongside motivated peers, developing strong connections that support your growth and success. As you progress, you’ll gain in-depth expertise in your chosen major, then focus on a research topic that will form the basis of your Honours year.

Throughout your studies, you’ll acquire a powerful blend of knowledge, ethical reasoning, technical expertise and research experience – skills that will enhance your employability, support lifelong learning, and prepare you for future postgraduate study.

Professional development opportunities

High-achieving students may be eligible for a range of extracurricular activities designed to increase employability. These include:

• LinkedIn Learning: augmented skill-building resources for independent development
• Curtin Ignition: an intensive training program for aspiring entrepreneurs
• High Achievers Program: a fast-track industry experience, accelerating your professional development.

Course structure

First year

In your first year you’ll study our business core units:

• Analytics for Decision Making: You’ll learn basic data analysis to derive essential information from numerical, textual and visual datasets. As well as understanding the legal and ethical issues related to the collection and use of data, you’ll examine case study data sets from a range of business disciplines, communicate your findings to an audience and make recommendations.
• Business Inquiry Lab: You'll be introduced to essential information, knowledge, and foundational academic and professional skills, including ethical reasoning. You'll also have the opportunity to learn about the research culture within the Faculty of Business and Law, engage with research centres, interact with academic staff, and explore current research themes to develop early awareness of how research informs business, law, society, and policy.
• Communication, Culture and Indigenous Perspectives in Business: You’ll develop  awareness of responsible business practices and cultural, academic and professional integrity in business. These perspectives will help you in business communications and in making business decisions.
• Financial Decision Making: You’ll develop the skills and knowledge needed to make informed and responsible decisions using accounting and financial information. You’ll learn basic accounting and financial terminologies, how to interpret financial statements and make investment decisions.
• Markets and Legal Frameworks: You’ll explore how key business disciplines are connected and understand the relationship between a business enterprise and stakeholders including government, customers and the broader community. You’ll also identify the laws and regulations applied to businesses, and learn how business and marketing strategies can impact society and the environment.

You'll also have the opportunity to undertake introductory study in fields such as marketing, business law, economics and global business. This can be valuable if you are still deciding on your primary major and want to explore different business fields.

Second year

In your second year, you’ll deepen your knowledge through our core business unit, Applied Research: Business and Society.

In this unit, you’ll tackle real-world challenges facing business and society today. With guidance from experienced faculty and industry partners, you’ll sharpen your critical thinking, broaden your perspective, and learn to communicate ideas with impact. You’ll also explore global issues, emerging technologies and ethical decision-making – building practical skills that will prepare you for the future.

At the same time, you’ll begin studying units from your chosen major. See Customise your degree below to explore the majors and study combinations available.  

Third year

In your third year you’ll finalise your study in your chosen major and ‘cap’ off this study with one of our practical capstone experiences, enabling you to apply your skills and knowledge in an industry setting.

See all our capstone experiences in Step 3 of Customise your degree below.

Fourth year: choose your pathway

Choose between our research or industry pathways:

• Research pathway: tailored for those with ambitions of pursuing a PhD, this pathway will provide you a solid foundation for further academic study and research
• Industry pathway: undertake a practical experience through an industry experience, such as a work placement or study tour, combined with an industry project.

Exit pathway

You can exit this degree with a Bachelor of Commerce after completing 600 credits (equivalent to three years of full-time study). If you have a course-weighted average (CWA) lower than 75%, we may recommend exiting with a three-year bachelor degree rather than completing your honours.

Further study

Postgraduate coursework

Upon graduation from our Advanced Commerce degree, you may qualify for direct entry into many postgraduate courses, including:

• Master of Commerce
• Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Depending on your major/s, you may also qualify for direct entry into additional postgraduate courses.

Postgraduate research

If you studied the research pathway in your fourth year, you may also qualify for direct entry into our research degrees. This includes our Master of Research, which is a one-year degree designed to expand on your honours research.

If you graduated with first or upper second class honours, you may be eligible to pursue a PhD in your field without needing to complete a master degree first. Visit our Higher Degree by Research page for more information.

Customise your degree

You can customise your degree to suit your career goals. If you aren’t sure what you want to study yet, our expert teaching staff will take you through the options in your first semester and help you choose the best pathway that embraces your unique passions and your career aspirations.

Step 1: Choose your business major

Choose one:

• Business Information Systems Extension²
• Business Law¹
• Economics
• Finance¹
• Human Resource Management
• International Business
• Logistics and Supply Chain Management
• Management¹
• Marketing¹
• Tourism and Hospitality
• Tourism and Hospitality Global

1. Available to study online

2. Includes an embedded specialisation for accreditation by a professional body. Cannot be studied as part of a double major

Step 2: complement your major

Choose one of three options to complement your major.

Option A: two specialisations

Enhance your major by completing two specialisations, either from within business or from other study areas. Each specialisation involves half the number of units of a full major, giving you the flexibility to explore two complementary fields. 

View list of specialisations.

Option B: one specialisation and four electives

Complement your major with a specialisation from business or a different study area. For example, if you’re majoring in economics, you might choose to complete a specialisation in Actuarial Financial Mathematics. You can choose four elective units from any course offered at Curtin, provided you meet the unit prerequisites.  

Option C: eight electives

Choose eight elective units from any course at Curtin, provided you meet the unit prerequisites. 

Step 3: choose your capstone experience

In your final year, you will undertake a capstone experience to further your practical skills and international business knowledge.

You'll choose one of the following experiences:

• Research For Impact (recommended): You'll have the opportunity to apply your disciplinary knowledge to a major research project that connects what you’ve learned in class to real-world issues. This unit serves as a bridge between coursework and the final honours year by equipping you with the skills and experience needed to undertake independent research with confidence and purpose. You'll identify a research question or societal issue relevant to your field of study. Projects may be traditional academic research or applied investigations that address local or global challenges, such as sustainability, social equity, digital futures, or ethical business practices.
• Advanced Commerce Study Tour: Ready for an adventure? Through this capstone experience, you’ll apply what you’ve learnt in real-world settings around the globe. Through site visits, guest lectures and team projects, you'll connect with industry leaders, gain fresh perspectives and tackle real business challenges – all with the guidance of our academic staff. Local or international, every tour blends cultural activities with practical learning – developing your leadership, problem-solving and global industry knowledge.

Transformational learning

You may also have the opportunity to complete an additional ‘real-world’ learning experience. From internships and consulting projects to international experiences and workplace simulations, you’ll challenge yourself, explore new perspectives, and grow both personally and professionally.

• Enhancing Your Business Mind: Your first job outside of university is a big step in your career – and you’ll want to take that step with confidence. In this capstone experience, you’ll apply your entrepreneurial skills, business ideas and critical thinking to a real workplace, improving your employability and equipping you with skills to succeed after university. You’ll have the chance to challenge yourself (in a supportive environment) and discover things you didn’t realise you needed to know – about industry and yourself.
• Business Clinic: This is your chance to become a real-world business consultant, working directly with individuals, small organisations and startups to solve challenges and optimise opportunities. Through hands-on experience in the clinic, you will develop your understanding of key business concepts, problem-solving techniques and ethical decision-making. You’ll gain valuable insights into the modern business world and the confidence to navigate its complexities once you graduate.
• Business and Law International Experience: We’re a global university with campuses and connections around the world – why not make the most of it! Through this capstone experience, you can progress your studies while travelling by studying a short course with one of our global exchange partners. You’ll immerse yourself in a different culture, expand your knowledge, make lifelong memories and build your global perspective.
• Business Internship: You’ve understood the theory, read the academic papers and pored through the textbooks – now it’s time to apply what you’ve learned to real business situations through a professional internship. Guided by an academic advisor and an industry professional, you’ll be immersed in the day-to-day operations of your host organisation. This capstone experience is a chance to develop your business skills, enhance your career readiness, build your professional network and nurture your personal and professional growth.

Note that opportunities may vary according to academic performance, available space within your study plan and any international travel restrictions.

What you'll learn

• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental business principles and practices, as well as expertise in one or more specific business disciplines
• engage in critical analysis of complex and multi-dimensional business problems, utilizing both practical and theoretical tools to address them, and evaluate the results within the context of existing disciplinary knowledge
• demonstrate advanced proficiency in digital literacy and cultural competencies specific to a chosen business discipline and demonstrate the ability to apply them within the framework of professional practice
• communicate professionally, in ways that are responsible and appropriate for international business contexts and in formats relevant to the audience
• critique and use ethical practices and demonstrate professional and academic integrity