Faculty of Business, Economics & Law

Changes to B Commerce/B Economics

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Following a program review, structural changes have been made to the Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Economics (BCom/BEcon) from 2021.

What does this mean for you?

As a current student, you have the option to continue to follow your current (pre-2021) BCom/BEcon program requirements, OR transfer to the 2021 program and requirements to complete your study.

Please be aware that if you are a Commonwealth Supported student changing program, Federal Government legislative changes may impact your fees. Refer to my.UQ for information.

Please read the information below carefully and consider the option that is best for you. If you decide you would like to change to the 2021 requirements, you will need to submit a program change request on mySI-net by 12 February 2021 (program change requests will open 4 December 2020).

The changes can be broadly summarised as follows:

  • Students commencing in 2021 will be required to complete 28 units (14 courses) of core courses for the BCom/BEcon dual program.

  • From 2021, a major will comprise 16 units (8 courses) and is compulsory for the BCom component but optional for the BEcon component.

  • In the BCom component –

    • A new major has been introduced from 2021: Business Analytics.

  • For the BEcon component –

    • A new major has been introduced from 2021: Economics of Strategy and Behaviour.
    • The International Trade and Finance major has been renamed International and Financial Economics.
    • The Quantitative Methods major has been renamed Quantitative Analysis.
    • The Business and Industry and Natural Resources and Environment majors have been discontinued and cannot be completed under 2021 requirements.

In making a decision about which program requirements to follow, you need to consider the courses you have already completed, those you are currently enrolled in, as well as the courses you will be required to complete. You also need to consider the major/s you wish to complete.

Please note:

  • New/additional courses in majors will be rolled out progressively over the coming years i.e. not all new/additional courses will be offered in 2021, some may not be offered until 2023. You will need to consider the availability of courses for your chosen major/s, noting that if you change to the 2021 program and requirements you must complete 16 units for a major.
     
  • Due to the limited availability of courses (or discontinuation of the major), if you are intending to graduate in 2021 with one of the following majors, you will need to remain under your current (pre-2021) requirements: Business and Industry, Business Information Systems, Finance, International Trade and Finance, Quantitative Methods, and Natural Resources and Environment.
     
  • If you would like to complete any of the new or renamed majors (Business Analytics, Economics of Strategy and Behaviour, International and Financial Economics, Quantitative Analysis) you will need to change to the 2021 program requirements. If you would like to complete the new Business Analytics major, you should note that some courses for this major will not be offered until 2022. If you are intending to graduate before the end of 2022, you will not be able to complete this major.
     
  • If you change to the 2021 program and requirements, course credit will only be given where it fits within the new requirements.
     
  • You cannot follow different requirements for each component. For example, you cannot follow the 2021 requirements for the BCom and the pre-2021 requirements for the BEcon. If you change to the 2021 program and requirements it will be for the dual program as a whole.

What you need to do

To help you make a decision about which program requirements to follow, we recommend you complete a progression check for each version of the program requirements.  When completing the check, please remember to refer to the program requirements and course list for the appropriate year on the Programs and Courses website:

To view the appropriate year on Programs and Courses, select the relevant year from the drop down box next to ‘show information for’ in the top right hand corner of the page and click ‘change’, then select your program from the list.

If you decide you would like to change to the 2021 requirements, you will need to submit a program change request on mySI-net by 12 February 2021 (program change requests will open 4 December 2020).

If you are remaining in your current program and therefore following the pre-2021 requirements, please be aware there may be some changes to course offerings. Refer to our changes to courses page for further details.

Contact

Please rest assured we are committed to assisting you to progress through and successfully complete your program.

If you need further information or advice about these changes, please contact the BEL Student Administration Team at bel@uq.edu.au.

Why has UQ made these changes?

For a number of years now, UQ has been reimagining the learning experience it delivers for you, our students. We recognise that Universities must ensure they develop enterprising graduates with the knowledge, skills and networks to build meaningful and impactful careers that can be sustained and adapted over the course of a lifetime. With this in mind, the University embarked on an ambitious review of every course, major and degree program on offer at UQ to make sure that we were delivering the best possible outcomes for you as you embark on navigating your career.