Do you dream of living and thriving in the leading financial cities of the world - New York, London, Shanghai, Sydney or Hong Kong? Stop dreaming and get going. An ANU Bachelor of Finance will equip you to excel in the global financial marketplace.

As a student you will be challenged to solve a variety of financial problems while developing a keen analytical mind. Having these skills will prove invaluable in the fast changing world of finance.

As a Bachelor of Finance graduate from the Australian National University you will be highly sought-after, so aim high and think about which cityscape view you want from your office.

Statistics opens the door to understanding our world through the exploration of data and the modelling of uncertainty. The need for statistics is growing rapidly as our ability to collect massive amounts of data outruns our ability to understand and use the data we collect. Hal Varian, Chief Economist at Google, declared that “the sexy job in the next ten years will be statisticians”, as the challenge of understanding large, complex data structures mounts. It is estimated that 2.5 exabytes of data is generated every single day, with the accumulated amount of data doubling every 18 months, and that 90% of all data ever gathered was produced within the last two years. What’s more, statistics is critical for every discipline for which data play a role, and in responding to the world’s biggest challenges such as climate change, terrorism, health and medicine, and global economic conditions. Some of the world’s largest employers of statisticians include Google and Facebook as well as governments, financial institutions, medical and pharmaceutical industries, universities and many other sectors. By completing a BStat at ANU, you stand ready to meet humanity’s biggest challenges by understanding the world we observe through the eyes of data and statistical and probability modelling.

Employment Opportunities

Finance has applications in many fields including banking, financial consulting and planning, funds management, merchant banking, stock broking, and treasury. Examples of job titles are listed below:

Financial dealer/broker

Financial dealers and brokers conduct financial market transactions on behalf of clients and offer advice on financial matters.

Financial manager/analyst/specialist

Combines financial knowledge with management, marketing, and operational skills in order to recognise the impact of financial data on the business as a whole, as well as on individual areas within the business. Translates financial data into non-financial terms and communicates it to all levels within the organisation.

Mathematical statistician

Designs and analyses experiments, develops new statistical theories and forecasting models, and designs sample surveys and quality control systems.

Corporate treasurer

Plans short and long term finance for organisations and advises on the financial consequences of internal and external decisions. They design investment portfolios to manage financial risk for organisations by acquiring, looking after, and investing funds.

Operations manager

Possesses expertise in both finance and information technology. Usually works closely with the Chief Finance Officer and the IT department, to measure the value of software and web-deployed applications. Helps businesses make decisions that are both financially and technologically sound. Is also responsible for working with vendors of financial software and applications.

Finance has applications in many fields including banking, financial consulting and planning, funds management, merchant banking, stock broking, and treasury. Examples of job titles are listed below:

Financial dealer/broker

Financial dealers and brokers conduct financial market transactions on behalf of clients and offer advice on financial matters.

Financial manager/analyst/specialist

Combines financial knowledge with management, marketing, and operational skills in order to recognise the impact of financial data on the business as a whole, as well as on individual areas within the business. Translates financial data into non-financial terms and communicates it to all levels within the organisation.

Mathematical statistician

Designs and analyses experiments, develops new statistical theories and forecasting models, and designs sample surveys and quality control systems.

Corporate treasurer

Plans short and long term finance for organisations and advises on the financial consequences of internal and external decisions. They design investment portfolios to manage financial risk for organisations by acquiring, looking after, and investing funds.

Operations manager

Possesses expertise in both finance and information technology. Usually works closely with the Chief Finance Officer and the IT department, to measure the value of software and web-deployed applications. Helps businesses make decisions that are both financially and technologically sound. Is also responsible for working with vendors of financial software and applications.

Learning Outcomes

1. Recognise the important role of investment and financing decisions, equities, bonds and derivatives in the financial markets.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the three basic ideas underpinning finance: the time value of money; diversification; and, arbitrage and their application to corporate financial decision-making; investment decisions and portfolio management; derivatives and risk management; portfolio construction; corporate valuation; and debt markets.
3. Apply theoretical foundations in practice to various discipline backgrounds.
4. Develop the skills necessary to critically engage with and evaluate financial problems.
5. Using a diverse range of discipline backgrounds and varied data, develop the skills necessary to collect, process, interpret and communicate the outcomes of financial problems.

1. Review and synthesise a broad range of statistical knowledge from their chosen major.
2. Use the R statistical computing language to carry out a wide variety of statistical tasks.
3. Carry out model selection in a multiple linear regression modelling context in various discipline backgrounds.
4. Describe the concepts of stochastic processes in discrete and continuous time.
5. Describe and interpret probability theory, continuous random variables, and sampling distributions and the central limit theorem.
6. Using a diverse range of discipline backgrounds and varied data, analyse programming problems to suggest, design and implement appropriate modular program structures, based on a data-directed approach.

Further Information

Electives: 

Students have 48 units of electives in a single degree program. Electives can be selected from CBE or other Colleges. No more than 10 courses at 1000 level.

Students wish to undertake an out of college elective may contact the relevant College directly.

Student Responsibility:

It is the student's responsibility to select electives in such a way that:

• they satisfy prerequisites for the corresponding course/s.
• they conform to the rules set out in Programs and Courses or if unsure seek advice from the CBE office.

It is the student's responsibility to select the courses appropriate for his/her program.

Bachelor of Finance/Bachelor of Applied Data Analytics:

If students take this program in a Flexible Double Degree with a Bachelor of Applied Data Analytics, you will need to replace overlapping STAT courses with later year FINM or STAT courses.

Quantitative Finance Major: 

If you wish to take Quantitative Finance Major, you will need to take MATH1113 in your first year of study.

FDD with Commerce:

Bachelor of Finance cannot be combined with Bachelor of Commerce with a Finance major.

Investments Course:

The Investments course has been recoded from FINM2003 to FINM3011 (the FINM2003 version has been disestablished). From 2025, students need to enrol in FINM3011 to complete the Investments course.

Electives: 

Students have 48 units of electives in a single degree program. Electives can be selected from CBE or other Colleges. No more than 10 courses at 1000 level.

Students wish to undertake an out of college elective may contact the relevant College directly.

Student Responsibility:

It is the student's responsibility to select electives in such a way that:

• they satisfy prerequisites for the corresponding course/s.
• they conform to the rules set out in Programs and Courses or if unsure seek advice from the CBE office.

It is the student's responsibility to select the courses appropriate for his/her program.

Bachelor of Finance/Bachelor of Applied Data Analytics:

If students take this program in a Flexible Double Degree with a Bachelor of Applied Data Analytics, you will need to replace overlapping STAT courses with later year FINM or STAT courses.

Quantitative Finance Major: 

If you wish to take Quantitative Finance Major, you will need to take MATH1113 in your first year of study.

FDD with Commerce:

Bachelor of Finance cannot be combined with Bachelor of Commerce with a Finance major.

Investments Course:

The Investments course has been recoded from FINM2003 to FINM3011 (the FINM2003 version has been disestablished). From 2025, students need to enrol in FINM3011 to complete the Investments course.

Admission Requirements

Prerequisites

There are no formal program prerequisites. But assumed knowledge is:-ACT: Mathematical Methods (Major)/Further Mathematics/Specialist Mathematics (major)/ Specialist Methods or NSW: HSC Mathematics Advanced or equivalent. More information about interstate subject equivalencies can be found here.

• ACT:

Required: Mathematical Methods (Major) / Further Mathematics (Major) / Specialist Mathematics (Major) / Specialist Methods (Major)

Recommended: Specialist Mathematics/Specialist Methods (Major/Minor)

• NSW:

Required: Mathematics Advanced or equivalent

Recommended: Mathematics Extension 1 or equivalent

• VIC: Mathematics Methods or equivalent
• QLD: Mathematics Methods or equivalent
• TAS: Mathematical methods/Mathematics Specialised/Mathematics 1 and II through U Tas/Both Mathematics 1 and II through UTAS/Both Advanced Calculus and Applications 1A and 1B through UTAS
• SA / NT: Mathematical Methods or equivalent
• WA: Mathematical Methods or equivalent
• IB: Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations HL/Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches SL or HL

Adjustment Factors

Adjustment factors are combined with an applicant's secondary education results to determine their Selection Rank. ANU offers adjustment factors based on equity, diversity, and/or performance principles, such as for recognition of difficult circumstances that students face in their studies.

To be eligible for adjustment factors, you must have:

• achieved a Selection Rank of 70 or more before adjustment factors are applied
• if you have undertaken higher education, completed less than one year full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) of a higher education program
• applied for an eligible ANU bachelor degree program

Please visit the ANU Adjustment Factors website for further information.

Scholarships

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the Scholarships website.

Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Finance flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 48 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

A minimum of 12 units of courses tagged as Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving

The 96 units must include:

30 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

BUSN1001 Business Reporting and Analysis

ECON1101 Microeconomics 1

ECON2101 Microeconomics 2

FINM1001 Foundations of Finance

STAT1008 Quantitative Research Methods

6 units from completion of a course from the following list:

ECON1100 Economics 1 (H)

ECON1102 Macroeconomics 1

12 units from completion of a course from the following list:

BUSN2036 Financial Statement Analysis

CBEA2001 Australian Indigenous Perspectives in Business and Economics

CBEA3001 College of Business and Economics Special Industry Project (UG)

CBEA3066 Global Business Immersion

CBEA3070 ANU College of Business and Economics Internship Program

EMET1001 Foundations of Economic and Financial Models

FINM3009 Student Managed Fund and FINM3010 Student Managed Fund Extension (12 units*)

FINM3015 Foundations of Fintech

MATH1013 Mathematics and Applications 1

MATH1113 Mathematical Foundations for Actuarial Studies

MATH1115 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 1

STAT2032 Financial Mathematics

Any other ANU courses

*Enrolment in the Student Managed Fund (SMF) courses requires 12 units over two consecutive semesters. For more information, please see the SMF website (https://rsfas.anu.edu.au/study/student-managed-fund) and the application page (https://rsfas.anu.edu.au/news/smf-applications).

48 units from completion of one of the following majors:

Asian Capital Markets

Capital Markets

Quantitative Finance

If your flexible double degree is within the College of Business and Economics (for example Commerce and Economics), the below study plan may show the same course twice. If this is the case, you must only do the course once and replace the other course with a University Wide Elective. Please note that you cannot exceed 8 out of college electives.

The minor in Business and Economics Essentials will not be listed on transcripts for students completing the Bachelor of Commerce.

For majors and minors offered by the ANU College of Business and Economics, students may count a course towards multiple majors and minors. If a minor is a subset of all stated courses and/or prerequisites for a major, then completion of the major overrides completion of the minor, and only the major is regarded as having been completed. If all courses in a major and/or minor are compulsory courses in the degree, the major and/or minor will not be listed on the transcript.

The Bachelor of Statistics flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 48 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 96 units must consist of:

48 units from the completion of one of the following statistics majors:

Applied Statistics

Probability and Stochastic Processes

Statistical Data Analytics

Theoretical Statistics

 6 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

STAT2005 Introduction to Stochastic Processes

 6 units from completion of an introductory statistics course from the following list:

STAT1003 Statistical Techniques

STAT1008 Quantitative Research Methods

6 units from completion of an introductory mathematical statistics course from the following list:

STAT2001 Introductory Mathematical Statistics

STAT2013 Introductory Mathematical Statistics for Actuarial Studies

6 units from completion of a regression course from the following list:

STAT2008 Regression Modelling

STAT2014 Regression Modelling for Actuarial Studies

12 units from completion of an introductory mathematics courses from the following list:

MATH1013 Mathematics and Applications 1

MATH1014 Mathematics and Applications 2

MATH1115 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 1

MATH1116 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 2

12 units from completion of courses from the following list:

COMP1100 Programming as Problem Solving

COMP1730 Programming for Scientists

CBEA2001 Australian Indigenous Perspectives in Business and Economics

CBEA3001 College of Business and Economics Special Industry Project (UG)

CBEA3066 Global Business Immersion

CBEA3070 ANU College of Business and Economics Internship Program

MATH2301 Games, Graphs and Machines

MATH3511 Scientific Computing

Any other ANU courses

If your flexible double degree is within the College of Business and Economics (for example Commerce and Economics), the below study plan may show the same course twice. If this is the case, you must only do the course once and replace the other course with a University Wide Elective. Please note that you cannot exceed 8 out of college electives.

Students enrolled in Bachelor of Statistics/Bachelor of Actuarial Studies degree will need to enrol in STAT2013 and STAT2014, instead of STAT2001 and STAT2008.

Students enrolled in Bachelor of Statistics/Bachelor of Advanced Computing (Hons) degree will need to enrol in MATH1115 and MATH1116, instead of MATH1013 and MATH1014. Also, in the Bachelor of Statistics, these students should replace COMP1100 with an elective, as they will completing COMP1130 in the BAC (Hons) degree, which is an incompatible course.

For majors and minors offered by the ANU College of Business and Economics, students may count a course towards multiple majors and minors. If a minor is a subset of all stated courses and/or prerequisites for a major, then completion of the major overrides completion of the minor, and only the major is regarded as having been completed. If all courses in a major and/or minor are compulsory courses in the degree, the major and/or minor will not be listed on the transcript.

Majors

Bachelor of Finance Majors

Minors

Bachelor of Statistics Minors

Study Options