Students having completed the core units and the accounting stream units will have met the educational requirements for registration with the Tax Agents' Board. Depending upon the electives and alternates chosen, this degree satisfies the accreditation requirements of Financial Planning Association and ASIC, CPA Australia, The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA), for entry into their CPA and CA programs respectively. In order to meet entry requirements to the CFP professional educational programs offered by the Financial Planning Association students will need to complete units in the financial planning stream.
Eligibility for admission to the Bachelor of Financial Advising is based on the following requirements:
HSC Mathematics and English.
Applications from Australian and New Zealand citizens and holders of permanent resident visas must be made via the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC).
International applicants must apply directly to the University of Western Sydney via UWS International.
Applicants who have undertaken studies overseas may have to provide proof of proficiency in English. Details of minimum English proficiency requirements and acceptable proof can be found on the Universities Admissions Centre website (UAC).
Overseas qualifications must be deemed by the Australian Education International - National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR) to be equivalent to Australian qualifications in order to be considered by UAC and UWS.
Qualification for this award requires the successful completion of 240 credit points including the units listed in the recommended sequence below.
Students must have no more than 100 credit points of Level 1 units and no fewer than 60 credit points of Level 3 units.
Electives within the sequence may be used towards obtaining an approved major or sub-major offered by UWS. Students requiring professional accreditation must complete units in the relevant streams as well and are advised to use their electives to do so.
Recommended Sequence
Full-time
Year 1
Autumn session
Accounting Information for Managers
This unit provides exposure to financial and management accounting information from a user of accounting information viewpoint. The unit aims to provide breadth of awareness and knowledge in relevant fields of accounting essential to decision making for managers.
Introduction to Business Law
This is an introductory law unit designed to introduce the fundamentals of law in a commercial context. The unit introduces students to the basic principles of law and the legal system as well as examining some of the major areas of law that impact on commercial dealings. This unit examines the structure of the legal system, the way law is made and legal problem solving. The main areas of law covered include contracts, torts, consumer protection and agency
Principles of Economics
This unit is an introduction to economic concepts and contemporary economic issues. It introduces students to basic concepts such as markets and their operation, the behaviour of firms, the efficiency and potential failings of free markets, the role of government, key macroeconomic variables and problems such as unemployment. It illuminates these concepts via application to contemporary economic issues and debates over different theoretical perspectives. This unit also exposes students to recent developments in economics via presentations by specialist guest lecturers.
Quantitative Techniques
This unit provides students with a range of basic skills in mathematics and statistics, which are useful in business and the finance industry. After reviewing basic methods of algebra, functions and their uses are discussed. The mathematics of finance are covered in some depth, including interest, present and future values, annuities, periodic payment, depreciation bonds and debentures. The uses and abuses of statistics are discussed by looking at ways of presenting data, both in tables and pictorially. Finally probability,decision making and index numbers are introduced.
Spring session
Financial Accounting Applications
This unit gives students the practical skills necessary to analyse the accounting transactions of an entity and then be able to measure and record these transactions in a systematic manner for the preparation of accounting reports to external users.
Management Accounting Fundamentals
This unit provides an introduction to management accounting in an e-commerce environment. The interrelations of management accounting to other functional areas, to suppliers, to customers, and to other sources of external information relevant to planning and control are examined. Topics include the development and logic of routine and non-routine analysis performed to support management decision making.
Law of Business Organisations
This unit deals with legal issues concerning the creation and control of companies and compares this structure with other forms of business organisations, such as partnership, trusts and sole traders. This unit will provide students with an appreciation of the law of partnership, and companies and, for the sake of completeness and comparison, a brief examination of the law regarding unincorporated and incorporated non-profit associations.
Managing Professionals
Based on the understanding of the nature of professional work and its essentially collaborative nature, this unit examines the types of organisational structures in which professionals work and identifies the leadership and interpersonal skills needed to mould people engaged on professional work into a co-operative, self directed workforce. It recognizes the importance of encouraging effectiveness and ethics in professional roles and proposes the concept of a 'community of practice' as a means for sharing essential knowledge and developing stragetic agendas.
Year 2
Autumn session
Law of Commercial Obligations
This unit deals with legal issues concerning controls over and enforcement of various kinds of legal obligations in business. Topics covered include: sale of goods, consumer protection, manufacturers' liability, insurance, negotiable instruments and banking, property trusts, securities and insolvency.
Taxation Law
Topics in this unit include: constitutional basis of taxation; income tax assessment; concept of income tax; allowable deductions; other federal and state taxes; taxation of business associations (partnerships, companies, trusts and primary producers); taxation accounting, administration and practice; taxation planning and avoidance.
Corporate Financial Management
This unit introduces the fundamental concepts of finance theory and the tools of financial decision making in the context of the Australian institutional environment. These concepts relate primarily to the time value of money, risk and return, capital budgeting and capital structure. The unit's purpose is to develop an understanding of the basic practices of financial management from the perspective of a firm (both large and small). Students examine the investment, financing and dividend decisions of corporations.
One elective
Spring session
Professional Relationships and Communication in Business
This unit will introduce students to and assist them in the development of a broad range of necessary skills required by today’s professional advisers. Such skills are highly valued, transferable and universally recognised in the world of work and will assist students in managing their day to day relationships with clients and colleagues. Skills include
• Creation and on going maintenance of the client adviser relationship and a recognition of the importance of trust as the foundation of that relationship
• Identification of the broad needs of clients and an appreciation of differing levels of client financial literacy
• Communication and interpersonal skills which contribute to productive relationships with clients and colleagues
• Professional/Academic research and writing skills
• Enhance team based skills that contribute to productive working relationships and outcomes
And three electives
Year 3
Autumn session
State Taxes and GST
This unit examines the Commonwealth statutory regime to the Goods and Services Tax and the NSW statutory regimes relating to Payroll Tax, Land Tax and Stamp Duty. It provides the framework to critically assess proposals for reform of these taxes.
And two electives
And one of the following units:
Advanced Accounting
This unit addresses the advanced aspects of accounting with particular emphasis on accounting philosophies and theories, and selected accounting standards and applications.
Financial Services Law
This unit focuses on regulatory issues relating to financial services. It covers issues such as financial services reform, retail verses wholesale clients, FSRA, Australian Financial Services Licence, conduct and obligations, impact on investments, statutory regulation of financial markets, ASIC’s power, liability and enforcement.
Students wishing to follow the Financial Planning Stream must choose Financial Services Law, unit code 200271 .
Spring session
Financial Planning
The unit endeavours to provide students with an understanding of the complex process and contextualisation of the Australian Financial Planning Industry. This unit aims to introduce students to the principles of personal financial planning and the provision of personal financial advice including the preparation of a Statement of Advice (SOA). Topics covered include the current Australian regulatory environment, strategies for the accumulation of wealth and risk protection, retirement planning, estate planning, taxation consequences, debt and credit management and home ownership. This unit meets ASIC requirements (PS146) in relation to both knowledge and skills.
Advanced Taxation Law
This is an advanced level study of selected aspects of income tax and capital gains. It includes an examination of other taxes, including sales tax, stamp duty, payroll tax, death duty and estate duty.
And two electives
In addition to the core units previously listed, students choosing to complete the Accounting Stream or Financial Planning Stream, or streams, must include the specific units listed here under for each stream. (It should be noted the tax units required for recognition as a Tax Agent are included in the core units).
200536 Intermediate Financial Accounting is a pre-requisite to study 200109 Corporate Accounting Systems. Therefore this unit is compulsory for students seeking Accounting qualification and accreditation.
Accounting Stream
Corporate Accounting Systems
This unit builds on the fundamental knowledge of accounting procedures gained in Intermediate Financial Accounting. It involves the comprehensive study of aspects of corporate accounting and reporting which are regulated by legislation, accounting standards, Australian Securities and Investment Commission and Stock Exchange requirements. This unit is designed to provide students with grounding in the regulation and practice of corporate reporting in Australia. The major orientation is towards the theoretical and practical aspects or corporate reporting, whilst at the same time exploring the reasons for regulatory disclosures.
Systems Design and Audit
This unit examines the development and operation of information systems and the subsequent audit of financial information produced by these systems.
Advanced Accounting
This unit addresses the advanced aspects of accounting with particular emphasis on accounting philosophies and theories, and selected accounting standards and applications.
And five electives
Financial Planning Stream
Personal Asset Management
This unit provides students with necessary knowledge and skills to construct and manage a portfolio of personal assets. Emphasis is placed on how the individual, rather than the firm, approaches financing and investing decisions. The unit will consider the theories of portfolio construction, concepts of investment risk, return and diversification, matching asset allocation based on client's individual risk profile, design and management of a personal investment portfolio and the law as it relates to investments.
Insurance Advising - Theory and Practice
This unit provides a substantial grounding in the theories and practices of insurance and risk management so as to enable the student to make knowledgeable risk management decisions. Topics covered include introduction to risk and the risk management process, risk management techniques, property and liability exposures, risk management for home owners, business liability and insurance, health insurance, life insurance, loss of income exposures, annuities and employee benefits, insurance industry, government regulation of insurance, and implementing risk management decisions.
Estate and Succession Planning
The unit aims to provide a detailed study of laws which impact on estate and succession planning, with a focus on identifying practical and strategic planning opportunities and outcomes. The unit forms part of the elective stream of a sub-major in financial planning. Some issues considered in this unit also have an impact in respect to investments, insurance and risk management, retirement, superannuation and taxation consequences.
Retirement Planning
This unit aims to provide a study of the laws which impact on advice and decisions relating to retirement planning, with a focus on identifying practical and strategic planning opportunities and outcomes. It forms part of the elective stream of financial planning. Some issues considered in this unit also have an impact in respect to investments, insurance and risk management, superannuation and taxation consequences.
And four electives