Master of Commerce

2023 Deakin University Handbook

Course sub-headings

• Course overview
• Indicative student workload
• Professional recognition
• Career opportunities
• Participation requirements
• Mandatory student checks
• Alternate exits
• Fees and charges
• Course Learning Outcomes
• Course rules
• Specialisations
• Course structure
• Work experience
• Other learning experiences
• Research and research-related study

Course overview

The Master of Commerce aims to provide a contemporary business course with a variety of choices and flexibilities to suit students’ skills and preferences. The Master of Commerce has been designed for students who are from any field of study whether their background is in business or another area such as education, arts, or engineering, who want to upskill or to change their career paths or to advance their understanding of core business knowledge to pursue a career in the modern commercial world.  

Once you have commenced this course, you'll have the option to complement your primary studies in commerce with a specialisation in a wide range of business-related fields. Designed to meet industry demand for skilled professionals with a breadth of transferrable skills, a specialisation can help deepen your knowledge in a particular business field and benefit your future career. 

The Master of Commerce is designed to prepare our graduates to face the dynamism in the modern commercial world and equip them with cutting edge techniques so that they are able to utilise the tools, technology, and data they need for their future work settings as well as how to use data to inform business decisions that employers look for. 

Indicative student workload

As a student in the Faculty of Business and Law, you can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include classes, seminars, practicals and online interaction. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.

Professional recognition

Deakin Business School is in the top 1% of business schools globally by holding both AACSB and EQUIS accreditations. These prestigious accreditations are awarded to business schools that meet strict standards of quality, academic and professional excellence, and demonstrate a commitment to ongoing improvement and innovation in their courses, ensuring our graduates are employable worldwide.

By choosing appropriate units within the Master of Commerce, you may satisfy the professional recognition requirements for entry into alternate professional bodies including CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ), the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA), the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) or the Institute of Certified Management Accountants (ICMA).

Career opportunities

The specialisations in commerce studies lead to careers in virtually every area of business and government in Australia and internationally. Broad career paths include becoming a professional accountant, IT and systems professional, economist, human resources manager, social and economic policy developer, international trade officer and marketing assistant/manager. As this is a very broad course there are further possibilities in other professions especially if taken with further study.

Participation requirements

Units in this course may have participation requirements that include compulsory placements, work-based training, community-based learning or collaborative research training arrangements.

Placement can occur at any time, including during the standard holiday breaks listed here: https://www.deakin.edu.au/courses/key-dates.

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.

Mandatory student checks

Units which contain work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, working with children check or other check. These requirements will be detailed in unit guides upon enrolment.

Alternate exits

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on your course, the type of fee place you hold, your commencement year, the units you choose and your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Use the Fee estimator to see course and unit fees applicable to your course and type of place. Further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods is available on our Current students fees website.

Course Learning Outcomes

Course rules

The Master of Commerce is typically 8, 12 or 16 credit points. The exact number of credit points you study depends on how much credit you receive as recognition of prior learning (RPL) - your professional experience and previous qualifications - which can save you time and money.

For students undertaking 16 credit points, you study 5 credit points of course electives, one specialisation of 4 credit points, taken from the available Faculty-wide specialisations, 3 credit points of core units, and 4 credit points of general electives, plus completion of the compulsory 0-credit point module, MAI010 Academic Integrity Module.

Most units (think of units as 'subjects') are equal to 1 credit point.

Specialisations

All students must complete one 4 credit point specialisation chosen from the following list of Faculty-wide specialisations.

Note: It is important that students use their course elective choices (or general elective unit choices) to satisfy prerequisite requirements of their chosen specialisation.

Refer to the details of each specialisation for availability.

• Applied Research
• Accounting
• Artificial Intelligence for Business
• Arts and Cultural Industries
• Business Analytics
• Business Law
• Cyberlaw
• Digital Transformation
• Digital Finance
• Event Management
• Finance
• Financial Planning
• Human Resource Management
• Information Systems
• International Trade and Business
• Leadership
• Management Consulting
• Marketing
• Marketing Technology
• Project Management
• Property and Real Estate
• Public Sector Studies
• Supply Chain Management

Course structure

Compulsory 0-credit point module

To be completed in the first trimester of study:

Course Electives

Students complete 5 credit points of course electives, which must include at least one from each of the following groups:

Group 1- Capital Markets

Group 2- Business and Technology

Group 3- Business and Society

Group 4- Business and Ethics

^{^} MPT code denotes Study Tour version of the unit

* MIS770A denotes a Start Anytime unit

Core Units

complete 3 credit points of core Master of Commerce units:

Elective units

Students are able to select 4 credit points of general electives which can be chosen from:

- any units listed in the Postgraduate Faculty-wide specialisations

- Work Integrated Learning (WIL) units

- other postgraduate units offered by the University (subject to eligibility)

Note: Students may use their elective unit choices to complete a second specialisation.

Additional Notes:

Students seeking professional recognition by CPA Australia and CA ANZ should complete the following units within their course:

MPA701 Accounting (Group 1 unit) MPF753 Finance (Group 1 unit)

MPE781 Economics for Managers (Group 3 unit)

MLC707 Business Law (Group 3 unit) MLC703 Principles of Income Tax Law (Accounting specialisation or elective) MAA703 Accounting for Managers (Accounting specialisation)

MAA705 Corporate Auditing (Accounting specialisation or elective)

MAA716 Financial Accounting (Accounting  specialisation or elective)

MAA725 Advanced Accounting Principles and Practice (Elective)

MAA789 Accounting Systems and Analytics (Accounting specialisation or elective)

Work experience

This course provides students the opportunity to complete one or more elective work integrated learning units.
More information: WIL Programs

Other course information

Recognition of Prior Learning
Recognition of Prior Learning into the Master of Commerce may be granted to students who have successfully completed appropriate postgraduate studies. There are negotiated Recognition of Prior Learning arrangements in place for CPA members.

Course duration - additional information
Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as accessing or completing work placements.

Study overseas and earn a dual degree

The Deakin Business School offers the opportunity to study a dual degree with an overseas partner university in Sweden. You’ll learn at world-class business schools and have the chance to explore another country and culture. Learn more about the Master of Commerce/ Master in International Strategic Management

Further information

Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.

• Contact Student Central

Other learning experiences

This course includes the option of other learning experiences including residential and study tour units.

Research and research-related study

Students undertake the equivalent of a credit point of research training and a further credit point of research-based project(s). Components of research and research related-study are embedded across other units of this course and student achievement is demonstrated in specific assessment tasks.