Industry associations & accreditations

UNSW School of Business and Finance has industry associations and accreditations with three leading institutes, including ASIC, FINSIA and CFA. These important connections are vital in helping our graduates find employment and achieve Certified Financial Planner (CFP) status. 

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission and the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA)

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) administers the Corporation Law. Chapter 7 of the Corporation Law regulates financial advisers (including financial planners and stockbrokers) of retail clients, and it mandates financial advisers to meet several education requirements. The amended Corporation Law increased the minimum education requirement of ASIC Regulatory Guideline 146 (RG146) to an Approved Degree requirement. Entrant financial advisers from 1 Jan 2019 must be a holder of an Approved Degree as assessed by the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA).

UNSW offers FASEA Approved Degrees curriculum that subsumes the RG146 requirements at undergraduate and postgraduate levels for students interested in pursuing a financial advice career. Candidates seeking to attain a FASEA Approved Degree need to complete A SPECIFIC LIST OF COURSES within their program structure. Please see the following link for program and course requirements of current and past FASEA Approved Degrees at UNSW (pdf).

Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA) 

FINSIA members have access to several career support services and publications specifically related to professionals in the financial services industry. Finance graduates may apply for recognition of prior learning under the Financial Services Associate (FSA) Program to reduce coursework requirements. The FSA program fast-tracks its membership to the Associate level. Business graduates with three years of relevant work experience may apply directly for associate membership with FINSIA. 

CFA 

The Bachelor of Commerce (Finance), Master of Commerce (Finance) and Master of Finance have been accepted into the CFA Institute University Recognition Program. This status is granted to institutions whose degree program(s) incorporate at least 70% of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK). Therefore, there are no specific courses which provide students with a solid grounding in the CBOK and student enrolled in these programs are eligible to apply for CFA examinations for CFA professional recognition.