Undergraduate professional recognition of programs

For undergraduate students

The degree programs offered by the UNSW Business School are recognised by the following Professional Organisations in accordance with the details set out below:

Australian Computer Society (ACS)
Australian Human Resource Institute (AHRI)
Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA)
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ)
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
CPA Australia
Institute of Public Accountants (IPA)
The Institute of Actuaries of Australia

As professional accreditation requirements do change from time to time, you are advised to contact the individual organisation concerned for current requirements.

The following qualifications in Information Systems have been accredited by Australian Computer Society (ACS) for the Professional Level.

The ACS is responsible for the accreditation of professional ICT education programs in Australia. It is also signatory to the Seoul Accord, which is a multi-lateral mutual-recognition agreement among agencies responsible for accreditation or recognition of tertiary-level computing and IT-related qualifications in Australia, US, Canada, UK, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan that provides graduates from accredited undergraduate degree programs global recognition. ACS ensures that new courses build essential skills for critical emerging fields and sets graduate standards to meet future industry needs. 

Completion of an accredited ACS degree program along with appropriate industry experience is a pathway to professional certification as a Certified Professional https://www.acs.org.au/professionalrecognition/certification-landing-page.html. The ACS Certified Professional certification is accredited by the International Professional Practice Partnership (IP3).

SAS Certification

Those students who complete the following four courses will be eligible for a SAS Certificate in Business Analytics (awarded jointly by UNSW and SAS).

• INFS2608 Database Management & Big Data Infrastructures (6 UOC)
• INFS3603 Introduction to Business Analytics (6 UOC)
• INFS3830 Social Media and Analytics (6 UOC)
• INFS3873 Business Analytics Methods (6 UOC)

SAS Certification credentials are globally recognised as the premier means to validate SAS knowledge. With a SAS Certification credential, students will set themselves apart from others and prove that they have the SAS knowledge to make a difference within an organisation.

Australian Human Resource Institute (AHRI)

The following qualifications in Human Resource Management have been accredited by the National Accreditation Committee (NAC) of the Australian Human Resources Institute for its membership program.

• Bachelor of Commerce major in Human Resources Management
• Bachelor of Economics major in Human Resources Management
• Combined Business programs major in Human Resources Management

Accreditation is granted for a period of three years. Further information on membership and membership benefits can be found on AHRI website.

Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA)

FINSIA members have access to industry-leading content, insights and influential networks that will help you build your capabilities and advance your career. Finance graduates wanting to become professionally qualified may enrol in FINSIA Programs covering different areas of financial services such as banking, ethics and integrity and corporate finance.

Students are encouraged to seek further information from the FINSIA website.

Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

The Bachelor of Commerce at UNSW is accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

Graduates who complete this program may be eligible to apply for exemptions from the fundamental level courses (F1-F9) of the ACCA qualification and proceed with the Professional Level papers required for Affiliate membership status. To find out your eligibility for exemptions, please go to: https://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/help/exemptions-calculator.html.

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ)

Graduates who have completed an undergraduate degree with a major in accounting are eligible under the body’s admission requirements to register for the ‘Chartered Accountants Program’ and become Provisional Members, provided they have completed accredited courses in the core knowledge areas. Students may confirm academic entry requirements for the ‘Chartered Accountants Program’ with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand at https://www.charteredaccountantsanz.com/become-a-member/entry-requirements.

If you are unable to fit these courses in as part of your degree requirements, you may wish to enrol in additional classes as non-award.

Summary of Required Courses for Bachelor of Commerce or Bachelor of Commerce (International) (and various dual degrees with details about specific substitutions of courses for Actuarial Studies and Economics in the ‘Notes’ below this list for variations)

• COMM1140 Financial Management (6 UOC)
• COMM1100 Business Decision Making (6 UOC)
• COMM1150 Global Business Environments (6 UOC)
• COMM1190 Data, Insights and Decisions (6 UOC)
• COMM1170 Organisational Resources (6 UOC)
• COMM1180 Value Creation (6 UOC)
• COMM1120 Collaboration and Innovation (6 UOC)
• ACCT2511 Financial Accounting Fundamentals (6 UOC)
• ACCT2522 Management Accounting for Decision Analysis (6 UOC)
• ACCT2542 Corporate Financial Reporting (6 UOC)
• ACCT3563 Issues in Financial Reporting (6 UOC)
• ACCT3583 Strategic Value Management (6 UOC)
• ACCT3708 Auditing & Assurance Services (6 UOC)
• TABL2741 Business Entities (6 UOC)
• TABL2751 Business Taxation (6 UOC)
• COMM1110 Evidence-Based Problem Solving (6 UOC) AND COMM1190 Data, Insights and Decision Making (6 UOC)

Notes:

The following courses may be substituted for COMM1190 Data, Insights and Decision Making:

• ECON1203 Business and Economic Strategies (6 UOC); OR
• ACTL2131 Probability and Mathematical Statistics (6 UOC); OR
• MATH1231 Mathematics 1B (6 UOC); OR
• MATH1241 Higher Mathematics (6 UOC); OR
• MATH1041 Statistics for Life & Social Sciences (6 UOC); OR
• MATH2801 Theory of Statistics (6 UOC); OR
• MATH2901 Higher Theory of Statistics (6 UOC); OR
• PSYC2001 Research Methods 2 (6 UOC).

Students undertaking the combined Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Laws programs should substitute the following course for TABL2741 listed above.

• LAWS1091 Business Associations (6 UOC)

In addition, BCom/LLB Students need to complete TABL2751 or

• LAWS3751 Business Taxation (6 UOC)

Students undertaking the combined Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Actuarial Studies programs should substitute COMM1100 Business Decision Making with:

• ACTL1101 Introduction to Actuarial Studies

Students who are undertaking either a combined Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Actuarial Studies or combined Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Economics programs the following course, COMM1150 Global Business Environments should be substituted with:

• ECON1101 Microeconomics (6 UOC); AND
• ECON1102 Macroeconomics (6 UOC).

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) has a qualification framework comprising 17 exams and a practical experience requirement. UNSW graduates majoring in Accounting enter at a high level and only need to complete 5 exams starting with the exam for the Management Level Case Study. After passing these remaining exams and meeting the experience requirement graduates may become members of CIMA with the right to use the CGMA designation (Chartered Global Management Accountant). For further information on the specific exemptions see: https://www.cimaglobal.com/Starting-CIMA/Starting-CIMA/Exemptions/.

CPA Australia

CPA Australia has accepted specific UNSW undergraduate courses for the purpose of its membership qualifications. Associate membership of CPA Australia requires the minimum qualification of an accredited undergraduate degree with a major in accounting, and completion of accredited courses in accounting, finance and business areas to satisfy the minimum core knowledge requirements.

Students may confirm academic entry requirements for the CPA Program with CPA Australia at: https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/become-a-cpa/starting-the-cpa-program.

If you are unable to fit these courses in as part of your degree requirements, you may wish to enrol in additional classes as non-award.

Summary of Required Courses for Bachelor of Commerce or Bachelor of Commerce (International) (and various dual degrees with details about specific substitutions of courses for Actuarial Studies and Economics in the ‘Notes’ below this list for variations)

• COMM1140 Financial Management (6 UOC)
• COMM1100 Business Decision Making (6 UOC)
• COMM1150 Global Business Environments (6 UOC)
• COMM1190 Data, Insights and Decisions (6 UOC)
• COMM1170 Organisational Resources (6 UOC)
• COMM1180 Value Creation (6 UOC)
• COMM1120 Collaboration and Innovation (6 UOC)
• ACCT2511 Financial Accounting Fundamentals (6 UOC)
• ACCT2522 Management Accounting for Decision Analysis (6 UOC)
• ACCT2542 Corporate Financial Reporting (6 UOC)
• ACCT3563 Issues in Financial Reporting (6 UOC)
• ACCT3583 Strategic Value Management (6 UOC)
• ACCT3708 Auditing & Assurance Services (6 UOC)
• TABL2741 Business Entities (6 UOC)
• TABL2751 Business Taxation (6 UOC)
• COMM1110 Evidence-Based Problem Solving (6 UOC) AND COMM1190 Data, Insights and Decision Making (6 UOC); OR

Notes:
It is no longer mandatory to include ACCT3708 and TABL2751 but it is desirable to do so. Otherwise, Auditing and Taxation must be completed in the CPA Program.

The following courses may be substituted for COMM1190 Data, Insights and Decision Making:

• ECON1203 Business and Economic Strategies (6 UOC); OR
• ACTL2131 Probability and Mathematical Statistics (6 UOC); OR
• MATH1231 Mathematics 1B (6 UOC); OR
• MATH1241 Higher Mathematics (6 UOC); OR
• MATH1041 Statistics for Life & Social Sciences (6 UOC); OR
• MATH2801 Theory of Statistics (6 UOC); OR
• MATH2901 Higher Theory of Statistics (6 UOC); OR
• PSYC2001 Research Methods 2 (6 UOC).

Students undertaking the combined Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Laws programs should substitute the following course for TABL2741 listed above.

• LAWS1091 Business Associations (6 UOC)

In addition, BCom/LLB Students need to complete TABL2751 or

• LAWS3751 Business Taxation (6 UOC)

Students undertaking the combined Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Actuarial Studies programs should substitute COMM1100 Business Decision Making with:

• ACTL1101 Introduction to Actuarial Studies

Students who are undertaking either a combined Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Actuarial Studies or combined Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Economics programs the following course, COMM1150 Global Business Environments should be substituted with:

• ECON1101 Microeconomics (6 UOC); AND
• ECON1102 Macroeconomics (6 UOC).

Institute of Public Accountants (IPA)

The Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) has approved UNSW for the purpose of its membership qualifications.

Associate membership of IPA may be obtained with the qualification of an accredited undergraduate degree with a major in accounting, and completion of courses in accounting, finance and business areas to satisfy the minimum core knowledge requirements.

IPA does not have a list of individual courses for completion at particular institutions. The body prefers to assess individual programs with reference to the educational standards of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). However, if students complete the requirements for CPA Australia or Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, they should meet the IFAC standards (see above).

The Institute of Actuaries of Australia

The UNSW actuarial program is fully accredited by the Institute of Actuaries of Australia and relevant courses are approved for VEE by the Society of Actuaries (SOA) in the US. To qualify as an actuary in Australia requires the completion of, or exemption from, subjects in the professional syllabus of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia.

Qualification as an Associate of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia (AIAA) is attained on completion of the courses in the Foundation Program and the Actuary Program along with a 1-year working experience. Qualification as a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia (FIAA) requires the completion of subjects in the Foundation Program, the Actuary Program, and Fellowship Program.

The Foundation Program is covered by the relevant subjects in the Bachelor of Actuarial Studies.

For the Actuary Program, there are two university accreditation components:

1. Actuarial Control Cycle, and
2. Data Science Principles

The two parts of Actuary Program are covered at UNSW in three courses which cover actuarial principles and practice along with data analytics as part of an honours year or a 4th year of a combined degree program or after graduating.

Entry requirements

Foundation program

Students can complete the Foundation Program courses as part of their university program. Success at gaining the exemptions requires above average grades (65% and above). Those aiming to enter the actuarial profession should normally expect to gain most of the exemptions and should be aiming to obtain at least an average 70% mark in their University studies.

Actuary program

The requirements are:

• completed all Foundation Program courses with exemptions or
• have a minimum average mark in the ACTL courses of 65% and only 1 or 2 Foundation Program courses to complete.

Other professional recognition

Fellows of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia can obtain Fellowship of the IFoA if they wish to practice in the UK or Europe.

Students who have completed actuarial studies major and obtained exemptions from the Foundation Program subjects of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia can apply for waivers of some of the examinations and VEE credit of the SOA in the US. Fellows of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia can apply for admission as an Associate of the SOA if they wish to practise in North America.

Fellowship of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia (FIAA) is recognised by local actuarial societies in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and Japan. The actuarial societies in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia do not conduct their own examinations. For more information, please go to the Institute's website www.actuaries.asn.au.