Finance courses

A finance degree covers the fundamental knowledge you’ll need to make it in the financial industries. You’ll study how to manage money in a range of areas including banking, economics, financial planning and investing. 

Finance often falls under the umbrella of business studies—so the exact undergraduate course you take may be called a Bachelor of Business or a Bachelor of Business (Finance). 

While they are related, accounting is a more specific field than finance. In an accounting degree, you’ll learn skills that can be applied to the accounting profession, such as how to manage accounts and process and report numbers. 

Finance has broader applications and will give you a wider perspective and skills. In a finance degree, you’ll take a more analytical view and learn more about financial markets and investment strategies. This can equip you for a role in investment banking, financial analysis or even as a Chief Financial Officer (CFO). 

If you know you want to end up working with clients to manage their income, expenses and reporting requirements, choose an accounting degree. If you’re not sure what area of finance you’d like to end up in, you might be best to opt for the broader finance degree. 

Financial courses give you a solid overview of how financial institutions work. Depending on your exact course, you may study topics such as: 

• Capital markets and financial institutions 
• Investments and financial planning
• Corporate and international finance 

You’ll also gain soft skills that you can use on the job in a finance role, such as problem-solving, decision-making and communication. 

A finance degree opens a lot of doors. It gives you a broad perspective and is a good option if you’re not quite sure what kind of financial role you’d like to end up in as the skills you’ll gain are quite transferable. 

Finance jobs tend to be well, with senior roles attracting an average salary of over $100,000 a year according to the Hays Salary Guide. 

It can also be a great career choice if you’d like to travel. Finance professionals are in demand the world over—meaning you could one day end up working in a major finance centre like London, New York or Zurich. 

Studying a business finance course online give you the ability to study where and when you want to. It will enable you to more easily fit study around your existing work and home life commitments. 

It depends on the course and whether you choose something short or long-term. Here’s a general guide: 

If you study a degree through Open Universities Australia, you have the flexibility to choose how many subjects you take per term. This means you can complete your qualification at a faster or slower pace than you would on campus.   

By their nature, finance degrees can be challenging but they tend to suit people who enjoy working with numbers and putting their analytical skills to the test. If this sounds like you, you could excel in the world of finance.

After studying, you may find that the finance industry can be fast paced, but you will likely be well remunerated for your work and find a lot of professional opportunities the world over. 

Before starting an enrolment, it’s important to read the entry requirements for your chosen course to ensure that you’re eligible to apply. If you don’t quite meet the requirements, we may be able to help you find a pathway into your course through open-entry subjects, which anyone can study.

Chat with us to find out more.

Here at Open Universities Australia, we make enrolling online as straightforward as possible. To get started, find the course for you by browsing the options on this page. You can also compare different qualifications using our handy comparison tool, or request help from one of our student advisors.

When you’ve made your choice, click ‘Apply now’ on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We’ll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI) during this process.

Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.

Please note that enquiries and applications for some courses are handled directly by the university. If this is the case, it will be indicated on the course listing page.  

For more information about enrolment, read our online self-service enrolling instructions. If you get stuck at any time, contact us and we’ll talk you through it.