BCom in Accounting

The Bachelor of Commerce - Accounting degree requires a minimum of 360 credit points. At least 90 of these points must be for papers above 100-level, and 72 for papers at 300-level. Students may choose some papers from areas other than accounting. The degree is usually completed in three years. Several distinct subject areas are taught within the Department of Accountancy and Business Law including financial accounting, management accounting, financial management, business law, taxation and auditing. Financial and management accountants are concerned with two different aspects of accounting in organisations. Management accounting deals with planning, monitoring and record keeping within organisations, with a focus on costs and budgets. Financial accounting on the other hand is concerned with the processes required to produce and analyse reports for general and more specialised external users. All levels of study include coverage of financial accounting and management accounting.

Click here for information on papers offered by the department.

When planning a career in accounting you will also need to consider whether you wish to obtain a professional qualification. Although a BCom with a major in accounting is a good educational grounding in the discipline, gaining membership of a professional accounting body is desirable. The Department provides two routes to professional membership - the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (NZICA) and CPA Australia.