Faculty of Commerce

Commerce Orientation

Frequently Asked Questions 

 

 How do I enrol in tutorials/seminars/workshops/computer labs?

The Faculty of Commerce utilises the University SMP OnLine Tutorial System for enrolling in tutorials, seminars, workshops and/or computer labs. If your Commerce subject is not listed in SMP, enrolment in tutorials will usually take place at the first lecture.

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 How do I find a lecture/tutorial room or office?

Rooms at the University are coded according to a building, floor and room number. For example:

  • 14.G01 is located in Building 14 on the Ground Floor in Room 1
  • 67.104 is located in Building 67 on the First Floor in Room 104, and
  • 40.224 is located in Building 40 on the Second Floor in Room 224.

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 What are lectures and when do they start?

Lectures are large, formal classes in which lecturers present course material to all students enrolled in a given subject. They commence in Week 1 of session immediately following Orientation Week.

Lectures in Commerce subjects are generally 2 hours in duration for undergraduate subjects and 3 hours for postgraduate subjects.

Depending on the size of an undergraduate class, lectures in the Faculty of Commerce may be scheduled as:

  • a 2 hour lecture weekly and a 2 hour repeat lecture covering the same material scheduled at another time in the same week, or
  • 2 x 1 hour lectures weekly with repeat 2 x 1 hour lectures covering the same material at another time in the same week, or
  • one 2 hour lecture weekly.

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 What are tutorials and when do they start?

Tutorials are small classes of usually between 20 and 25 students in which material from lectures and readings can be discussed in more detail.

Tutorials start in Week 2 of session, and are conducted by tutors who may not be the lecturer for the subject.

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 What do the subject codes mean?

All subject codes at the University of Wollongong are alpha-numeric. This means that they have either 3 or 4 letters followed by 3 numbers. You can identify which discipline and School or Faculty a subject belongs by the letters in the subject code:

Code

Discipline

School/Faculty

ACCY

Accounting

School of Accounting and Finance

COMM

Commerce subjects

Faculty of Commerce

ECON

Economics

School of Economics

FIN

Finance

School of Accounting and Finance

LAW

Law

Faculty of Law

MARK

Marketing

School of Management and Marketing

MGMT

Management

School of Management and Marketing

The numbers in the subject code signify the level of study:

Codes starting with 1

e.g., ACCY111

First year undergraduate subject

Codes starting with 2

e.g., FIN221

Second year undergraduate subject

Codes starting with 3

e.g., MARK344

Third year undergraduate subject

Codes starting with 4

e.g., COMM404

Honours subject

Codes starting with 9

e.g., MGMT911

Postgraduate subject

You can see all the subjects being offered by a School or Faculty in the Subject Database.

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 What are core subjects?

There are 9 subjects which make up the core of the Bachelor of Commerce. These subjects are compulsory and common to all students studying a BCom:

ACCY111

Accounting Fundamentals in Society

COMM101

Principles of Responsible Commerce

COMM121

Statistics for Business

ECON101

Macroeconomic Essentials for Business

FIN111

Introductory Principles of Finance

MGMT110

Introduction to Management

MARK101

Marketing Principles

Plus at least one subject from:

COMM113

Business Oriented Information Systems

ACCY112

Accounting in Organisations

ECON111

Introductory Microeconomics

MGMT102

Business Communications

Plus one capstone subject from:
COMM331
Simulation of a Socially Innovative Enterprise
COMM333
Applied Business Research for Social Innovation
COMM334
Intercultural Applications of Socially Innovative Commerce
COMM390
Commerce Internship

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 What are credit points?

Credit points are gained by successful completion of subjects. Most Commerce subjects are worth 6 credit points. Students undertaking the Bachelor of Commerce degree must complete a minimum of 144 credit points.

 What is a major?

A major is a sequence of subjects which make up the main area of study in a degree. Majors consist of 8 subjects totalling 48 credit points. The majors available in the Bachelor of Commerce are:

Accountancy
Business Innovation
Business Law
Economics
Finance
Financial Planning
Human Resource Management
International Business
International Economics
Management
Marketing
Public Relations
Quantitative Analysis in Economics
Supply Chain Management

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 What is a minor?

A minor is a sequence of subjects which make up a secondary area of study in a degree. Minors in the Faculty of Commerce consist of 4 subjects totalling 24 credit points. There are 17 minors available in the Faculty of Commerce.

The University also offers a minor in International Studies.

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 Are there any deadlines I need to be aware of?

All students should familiarise themselves with key dates throughout each session. For example, there are deadlines relating to:

  • enrolment in a course,
  • enrolment in a subject and how students can enrol in a subject,
  • withdrawal from a subject to avoid either financial or academic penalties being imposed,
  • payment of fees.

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 Who do I see about advanced standing (credit transfer, exemptions)?

On enrolment day:

All issues relating to advanced standing should be discussed with the Commerce Sub-Dean.

Following enrolment:

International students should initially ask at Commerce Central.

Domestic students should initially see the Sub-Dean. In some cases the Sub-Dean may refer students to the relevant School.

In all cases, the Sub-Dean must authorise any recommended advanced standing.

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My enrolment in one of my subjects shows "provisional". What does this mean and how do I have it removed?

Many second and third year subjects offered by the Faculty of Commerce have prerequisites. Students who have enrolled in a subject but do not meet the prerequisites for that subject will show a "provisional" enrolment status. In order to have the provisional status removed from your academic record, you should either withdraw from the subject or, if you wish to apply for a waiver of the prerequisite, seek approval from the relevant Associate Head of School. The appropriate form for a waiver is an Academic Approval Form.

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 What is a prerequisite?

Some subjects have prerequisites. A pre-requisite is a requirement which must be completed before enrolling in the next level of subject eg completing ACCY111 or ACCY100 before progressing to ACCY112.

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 What is a co-requisite?

A corequisite is a subject that must be taken at the same time as another subject.

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 Who do I see if I have to get a waiver of a prerequisite?

You must complete an Academic Approval Form and have it approved by the relevant Associate Head of School, e.g., for a ACCY subject, you need to seek approval from the Accounting Associate Head of School

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 Where can I get copies of subject outlines?

Subject outlines are available online and some are provided at lectures.  You may obtain a copy from the Commerce Central website.

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 What is plagiarism and why is it important for me to understand what it means?

Plagiarism means using the ideas of someone else without giving them proper credit. There are penalties for plagiarising so you must be aware of what it means and how to avoid it. More information can be obtained from http://www.uow.edu.au/about/policy/UOW058648.html.

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 What is copyright and how does it affect me?

Staff and students must comply with copyright laws. It is important that you are aware of what you can copy and how much you can copy. More information can be obtained from http://www.library.uow.edu.au/copyright/.

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 Where can I go for assistance with my studies?

The University provides a number of services for students experiencing difficulties or requiring assistance with their studies. If you are experiencing problems, you are encouraged to seek advice from any of the following services:

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How much maths is involved in a Commerce/Business or Bachelor of Economics degree?

It is a common misunderstanding that studying business is all about maths which is just not true. Our degrees are about application, not just the maths. In our lectures, we concentrate on common scenarios faced by individuals, businesses and industry, analyse that problem using common statistical tools, then come up with solutions. Even students studying accounting , involved 30% numeracy while the other 70% is about logic and analytical thinking. Dr Sam Jebeile, Senior Accounting Lecturer at UoW, says, “Most accountants aren’t mathematicians. Once you learn the principals of accounting, those principals are applied to business finances. Mostly accounting is about planning, organising and performance on improving every aspect of business.
We focus on the social function of accounting and how it plays in the context of government, business and not for profit environments. Accounting is more focused on interpretation of numbers, rather than the calculation of them.”

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Last reviewed: 27 February, 2013