Bachelor of Commerce and Administration - Victoria University of Wellington

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Please note: Information on this page relates to the 2007 academic year, unless otherwise specified.

The Bachelor of Commerce and Administration

Commerce is one of the world’s moving forces, shaping societies and connecting people around the globe. Wherever people are at work, in public office or private business, they depend on business, financial, and managerial expertise to keep their world in motion.

Victoria’s BCA benefits from its location in the nation’s administrative hub. The Faculty is housed at the University’s Pipitea Campus in the central business district, across the road from Parliament. First-year courses are taught at Kelburn, but you will be based at Pipitea for subsequent years.

In addition to its own teaching staff, the University uses the expertise of professionals working at the highest levels of business and government. Wellington’s private and public sector organisations provide a wealth of research opportunities.

A BCA degree leads to a diverse range of public and private sector careers, including accounting, banking, e-commerce, finance, marketing, human resource management, information systems, international business, and economics. Victoria also has a range of graduate options for BCA students wishing to continue their studies.

To become a senior professional accountant you need to qualify for membership of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of New Zealand. You can meet the academic requirements for membership by completing a BCA with a major in Accounting, and a Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting. You can also meet the requirements with a BCA (Hons) in Accounting, or a BCA majoring in Accounting with a second degree such as a Bachelor of Science (BSc) or Bachelor of Laws (LLB), including specified courses.

A BCA at Victoria

A BCA normally requires three years of full-time study. 360 points are required. At least 180 points must be above 100 level. See the Course Catalogue to find out the points value of courses. To enrol in a BCA you need university entrance. It is useful to have studied accounting, economics, and maths with statistics.

All students must take compulsory courses in Accounting, Economics, and New Zealand’s Commercial Environment. These are called the BCA core.

You are also required to take at least three courses at 300 level. These must be from at least two different subject areas, for example Management and Marketing.

In addition to these requirements, you must meet the requirements of a major in at least one subject. Each subject has specific courses you need to take to meet the requirements of a major.

It is possible to change your major during your degree. It is also possible to include up to 156 points from courses offered by other faculties.

Some students choose to combine their BCA with another degree. Because a number of courses can be credited to both degrees, two three-year degrees can be completed in four to five years by able students. Commerce can also be combined with Science or Teaching through the conjoint Bachelor of Commerce and Administration and Bachelor of Science and conjoint Bachelor of Commerce and Administration and Bachelor of Teaching programmes.

First-year compulsory BCA core courses

Students with high achievement in NCEA Level 3 Economics may be able to replace ECON 130 with ECON 140 Economics and Strategic Behaviour.

First-year BCA elective courses

In addition to the BCA core courses, students normally take three elective courses in their first year. High-achieving students can take up to five elective courses in addition to the BCA core. Two factors will determine the courses chosen by a first-year BCA student:

Major: each major requires you to take certain courses. See the Subjects section for details of these major requirements.

Second advanced subject : BCA students are required to take at least two different subjects at 300 level - one of these may be outside Commerce. This may require taking certain 100-level courses in the first year to prepare you. See the Course Catalogue for details of these prerequisites.

BCA Subjects

Major subjects

You can also take Communication Studies, but not as a BCA major.