Bachelor of Business

Real-world impact

The world of business has never been more dynamic. Global markets. Integrated tech. The need for sustainability. This business course puts you right at the cutting edge. You’ll undertake real-world assignments – for example, how would you devise a strategy to expand manufacturing into Japan, or market the reduction of single use plastics? You’ll study alongside researchers addressing today’s business challenges, from workplace wellness for paramedics to implementing the NDIS in regional Australia. And you’ll learn all about the role of big data in business.

Focus on your future

You’ll start by gaining a broad understanding of all major areas of business – everything from accounting to analytics, and that’s just the a’s – then in year two, you’ll choose a specialisation to suit your future career goals.

Connection to industry

Your connection with industry starts from your very first lecture. The course has been designed in consultation with industry representatives from across business sectors, from finance and health, to tourism and management. And you’ll get guest lectures from industry leaders, like Jane Hillsdon, manager of the award-winning Dragonfly marketing agency. You will have opportunities to make professional connections and build your résumé as you progress through your course via work placements in an industry area you’re interested in – anywhere across Australia or the world.

The business world needs innovators. People who can tackle tomorrow’s challenges, today. People like you. And with the Bachelor of Business from Charles Sturt University, you get the very best start to your business career. Broad, applied knowledge. Industry-aligned specialisations: Finance, HR Management, Management and Leadership, Marketing, Strategic Planning. Experience with employers. It’s all here.

You’re totally in control of your degree. Study full-time or part-time. Learn online or combine online and on-campus study (we call it blended learning). Choose to exit after year one or two – with a qualification – and return to complete your bachelor’s later, with credit. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to gain real work experience through our paid internship program with IBM Australia.

Recommended study pattern

The course consist of 24 standard subjects (192 points). Each of the employability and work placement subjects consists of a 6-point subject and is complemented with a 2-point transferable subject which forms a standard 8-point subject.

Students must ensure that there are no more than 12 level one eight-point subjects in their degree (note: the combination of a BUS 6-point subject with an EMP 2-point subject equals one 8-point subject). The level of a subject is designated by the first digit in the subject code, eg ACC127 is a level one subject.

Students enrolled through the Charles Sturt University Study Centres may only have a limited selection of specialisations and minors to choose from.

Core Subjects

ACC127 Accounting and Financial Literacy

BUS114 Contemporary Employability and Learning (and one (1) Restricted Elective from Set A)

BUS223 Work Placement 1* (and one (1) Restricted Elective from Set B)

BUS385 Work Placement 2* (and one (1) Restricted Elective from Set C)

ECO130 Business Economics

HRM210 Human Resource Management

IKC101 Indigenous Australian Cultures, Histories and Contemporary Realities

LAW110 Business Law

MGT100 Organisations and Management

MKT110 Marketing Fundamentals

QBM100 Data Analytics for Business

Restricted Electives

One (1) Restricted Elective Set A (first year) from:

EMP103 Workplace Communication 

OR

EMP105 Technology for the Connected Workplace

One (1) Restricted Elective Set B (second year) from:

EMP100 Building Resilience for the Workplace 

OR

EMP109 Solving Problems with Critical Thinking

One (1) Restricted Elective Set C (third year) from:

EMP101 Building Emotional Intelligence 

OR

EMP104 Design Thinking and Creativity

* Study Centre students complete the following subjects in place of BUS223 Work Placement 1 and BUS385 Work Placement 2:

BUS224 Employability and Professional Practice 1

BUS386 Employability and Professional Practice 2

* In very limited situations, Charles Sturt University's students who are unable to undertake a work placement may seek the Course Director's and the Sub Dean Workplace Learning's approval to substitute one or more of these subjects with an equivalent Employability and Professional Practice subject.

(Note: Students who wish to extend their work experience have the option to complete BUS387 Work Placement 3 as an Unrestricted Elective Subject.)

Specialisations

Finance

ECO220 Macroeconomic Analysis

FIN211 Financial Management

FIN221 Investments

FIN230 Financial Institutions and Markets

FIN331 Financial Planning

FIN350 Strategic Financial Management (Capstone**)

FIN370 Funds Management

LAW220 Business Organisations Law

Human Resource Management

HRM201 Workplace Relations in Australia

HRM310 Developing Human Resources

HRM320 Issues in Human Resource Management

HRM330 Strategic Human Resource Management (Capstone**)

MGT210 Organisational Behaviour

MGT320 Managing and Leading Change

MGT340 International Management

MGT367 Leadership Issues

Management and Leadership

MGT210 Organisational Behaviour

MGT245 Leading Yourself and Teams

MGT290 Project Management

MGT307 Applied Entrepreneurial Projects

MGT310 Operations Management

MGT320 Managing and Leading Change

MGT330 Business Strategy (Capstone**)

MGT340 International Management

Marketing

MKT211 Applied Social Media and Digital Marketing

MKT220 Consumer Behaviour

MKT230 Market Research

MKT241 Marketing in Action

MKT303 Social and Sustainability Marketing

MKT310 Integrated Marketing Communication

MKT340 Strategic Marketing Management (Capstone**)

MKT390 Managing Brands and Product Innovation

Strategic Planning

ACC201 Budgeting and Financing for Project Managers

BUS306 Business Scenario Solutions

MGT206 Fundamentals of Strategic Planning

MGT245 Leading Yourself and Teams

MGT290 Project Management

MGT310 Operations Management

MGT330 Business Strategy (Capstone**)

MGT360 Risk Management

**Capstone subject: recommended for completion in the final year of study or towards the end of the degree.

Unrestricted Elective Subjects

An unrestricted elective is any undergraduate (8-point) subject offered by Charles Sturt University provided prerequisites and enrolment restrictions have been met. 

Students must choose five (5) unrestricted electives by completing:

• a minor (four [4] subjects) in another discipline area and one (1) unrestricted elective,

• five (5) unrestricted electives.

Minor

A minor is a prescribed set of subjects taken from a discipline other than the chosen specialisation.

For a minor – comprised of subjects either from within the Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences, or from another Faculty – students must take an established sequence of a set of four (4) subjects. A minor must include no more than two level 1 subjects and must include at least one level 3 subject. Students must ensure that they take the necessary prerequisites.

If a minor is chosen from those offered within the Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences, it must be in an area other than that of the specialisation studied. No more than one (1) subject can be counted towards a minor if it has already been undertaken as part of the core and/or the specialisation. A student cannot claim more than one (1) minor.

Minor Sequences from within the Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences

Accounting and Financial Management

ACC128 Financial Accounting and Reporting

ACC293 Management Accounting for Sustainable Decision Making

ACC393 Strategic Accounting for Enterprise Management

PLUS one (1) subject from the list below

ACC201 Budgeting and Financing for Project Managers

ACC240 Financial Management of Small Business

FIN211 Financial Management

Entrepreneurship

ACC201 Budgeting and Financing for Project Managers

MGT307 Applied Entrepreneurial Projects

PLUS two (2) subjects from the list below

ITC105 Communication and Information Management

MGT245 Leading Yourself and Teams

MGT290 Project Management

MKT211 Applied Social Media and Digital Marketing

BUS306 Business Scenario Solutions

MKT390 Managing Brands and Product Innovation

Finance

FIN211 Financial Management

FIN221 Investments

FIN230 Financial Institutions and Markets

FIN350 Strategic Financial Management

Human Resource Management

HRM330 Strategic Human Resource Management

PLUS three (3) subjects from the list below

HRM201 Workplace Relations in Australia

MGT210 Organisational Behaviour

HRM310 Developing Human Resources

HRM320 Issues in Human Resource Management

MGT320 Managing and Leading Change

MGT340 International Management

MGT367 Leadership Issues

Legal and Industrial Relations

LAW240 Industrial Law

PLUS three (3) subjects from the list below (at least one at level 3)

HRM201 Workplace Relations in Australia

LAW220 Business Organisations Law

LAW260 Administrative Law

LAW316 Dispute Resolution

LAW317 Mediation

LAW370 Law of Employment

IT Management

ITC114 Database Management Systems

ITC211 Systems Analysis and Design

ITC212 Internet Technologies

ITC314 Virtualisation Technologies

Management and Leadership

MGT245 Leading Yourself and Teams

MGT330 Business Strategy

PLUS two (2) subjects from the list below

MGT210 Organisational Behaviour

MGT220 eCommerce

MGT290 Project Management

MGT307 Applied Entrepreneurial Projects

MGT310 Operations Management

MGT320 Managing and Leading Change

MGT340 International Management

Marketing

MKT220 Consumer Behaviour

MKT340 Strategic Marketing Management

PLUS two (2) subjects from the list below

MGT220 eCommerce

MKT211 Applied Social Media and Digital Marketing

MKT230 Market Research

MKT241 Marketing in Action

MKT303 Social and Sustainability Marketing

MKT310 Integrated Marketing Communication

MKT390 Managing Brands and Product Innovation

Project Management

ACC201 Budgeting and Financing for Project Managers

MGT290 Project Management

OR

ITC218 ICT Project Management

PLUS two (2) subjects from the list below

MGT245 Leading Yourself and Teams

BUS306 Business Scenario Solutions

LAW316 Dispute Resolution

MGT320 Managing and Leading Change

MGT330 Business Strategy

MGT360 Risk Management

Psychology

PSY101 Foundations of Psychology 1

PSY102 Foundations of Psychology 2

PSY201 Research Methods in Psychology

PLUS one (1) subject from the list below:

PSY305 Psychology of Personality

PSY307 Cognition

Note: Students who have completed QBM100 Data Analytics for Business and MKT230 Marketing Research should not complete PSY201 Research Methods in Psychology but should select an alternative subject from PSY203 Social Psychology OR

PSY204 Psychological Testing OR the other level 3 subject.

Strategic Planning

MGT206 Fundamentals of Strategic Planning

PLUS three (3) subjects from the list below (at least one at level 3)

ACC201 Budgeting and Financing for Project Managers

MGT245 Leading Yourself and Teams

MGT290 Project Management

BUS306 Business Scenario Solutions

MGT310 Operations Management

MGT330 Business Strategy

MGT360 Risk Management

Minor Sequences from outside the Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences

Agribusiness

AGB165 Agribusiness Systems

AHT231 Agricultural Finance and Business Management

PLUS two (2) subjects from the list below (at least one at level 3)

AGB110 Agricultural Economics

AGR220 Extension

AGB310 Agricultural Marketing

AGB351 Commodity Trade and Pricing (AGB110 is assumed knowledge)

Design and Content Creation

COM135 Spotlight on Design and Design Content

DCC200 Design and Content Creation Perspectives 1

DCC201 Design and Content Creation Perspectives 2

COM330 Managing Business Relationships

Ethics and Social Responsibility

PHL202 Ethics

PHL302 Morals, Minds and Decision-Making

PLUS two (2) subjects from the list below:

PHL103 Human Nature and the Good Life

SOC102 Social Inequality

PHL209 Justice and Punishment

SOC308 Community Analysis

News and Media

COM134 Spotlight on News and Media

NAM200 News and Media Perspectives 1

NAM201 News and Media Perspectives 2

COM330 Managing Business Relationships

Strategic Communication

COM133 Spotlight on Strategic Communication

STC200 Strategic Communication Perspectives 1

STC201 Strategic Communication Perspectives 2

COM330 Managing Business Relationships

Sustainability

ENM163 Natural Resource Management

ENM308 Global Sustainable Development

PLUS two (2) subjects from the list below (no more than one at level 1):

ENM101 People in the Environment

GEO164 Earth System Processes

GEO204 Ecological Soils

GEO303 Climatology

MKT303 Social and Sustainability Marketing

Students enrolled at the Study Centres may have a restricted choice of specialisations and elective subjects

Award requirements

Bachelor of Business

To graduate students must satisfactorily complete 192 points.

Choose your subjects

Majors

After you have completed your first year, you'll choose the major that best suits your future career goals.

Finance

When you study finance as a major, you'll develop a broad range of skills that will enable you to make your mark in local, national or global companies. You will be work-ready in roles within business development, banking, finance, insurance and all levels of government.

Human Resource Management

From the strategic level to application in the workplace, this major builds your knowledge across all human resource management functions. You’ll master organisational behaviour, learn how to manage change effectively, and discover how to build resilience in your staff. The good news is, when you study human resource management in this degree, the major is accredited with the Australian Human Resource Institute (AHRI).

Management and Leadership

Study business management and leadership as a major and build the right skills to successfully lead and manage organisational units and whole organisations, as well as organisational change. You'll develop crucial soft skills for successfully working with and leading people, as well as hard skills to apply to strategy, international business, project and operations management, and entrepreneurial approaches that will stand you in good stead if you want to start your own business.

Marketing

You’ll learn essential marketing content – from understanding consumers and conducting market research, through launching product and service innovations, to formulating communication strategies to build long-term customer relationships and create value for customers, stakeholders and businesses. When you study marketing at Charles Sturt, you'll integrate contemporary topics such as digital and social media marketing, as well as social and sustainable marketing, into your learning.

Strategic Planning

Help define the direction of an organisation and make decisions to enable it to reach its goals. From planning and budgeting and operations management, to leading both people and processes, this major gives you the skills to create and deliver a business strategy to drive results, boost performance, and provide far-reaching benefits to any type of organisation.

Exit points

Associate Degree in Business [Exit point only]

To graduate students must satisfactorily complete 128 points.

Diploma of Business [Exit point only]

To graduate students must satisfactorily complete 64 points.

Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.

Indicative total fee $43,872

The amount shown here is indicative for an Australian citizen studying full-time, which is typically 8 subjects per year.

Fees may vary depending on:

• the subjects you choose
• credit from previous work experience
• your eligibility for government funding loans or subsidies such as HECS-HELP or a Commonwealth supported place.

To learn more, go to Fees or contact a student advisor.

Charles Sturt University is Australia’s most experienced online uni, and has the country’s highest graduate employment rate. From agriculture, arts, healthcare and IT, to business, law, social work and teaching—you’ll get the latest skills in your field, and learn from academics who are connected to industry. Add in 24/7 IT support, scholarships and a vibrant student community, and you can take your next, or first, career step with confidence.

Learn more about CSU.

Explore CSU courses.

QS World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:

34

Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:

37

Successful completion of at least two Bachelor degree level subjects (or Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) equivalent) or higher in any discipline.

A completed High School Certificate (or equivalent) with an ATAR of at least 60 (including adjustment factors).

• A completed Vocational Education and Training (VET) Certificate III or higher, studied at a TAFE or Registered Training Organisation (RTO), or equivalent ; OR
• A completed Tertiary Preparation Certificate (TPC) or bridging program studied at a TAFE, Registered Training Organisation (RTO) or University, or equivalent ; OR
• Partial completion of a Vocational Education and Training (VET) Diploma, of at least 50% from a TAFE or Registered Training Organisation (RTO), or equivalent.

Work experience of at least two years full time equivalence duration with some elements of management or supervision demonstrated by a detailed resume.

OR

Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) with an equivalent ranking to the currently listed ATAR.

Recognition of prior learning (RPL) and credit for current competencies may be granted to eligible applicants.

Please note that the following subjects have a Workplace Learning component:

• BUS223 Work Placement 1
• BUS385 Work Placement 2