Bachelor of Business (Financial Planning)

You’ll start with a solid foundation of business, before moving into your financial planning specialisation. You’ll develop a strong skill set in areas such as personal budgeting, superannuation and retirement planning, investment management, financial risk management, insurance planning and tax planning.

This degree has a strong focus on real-world, practical learning. As a student, you’ll learn to prepare a Statement of Advice for a client using XPlan – the most widely used financial planning software in Australia. Throughout your studies, you’ll use databases like Morningstar to research financial products, investigate real-world case studies from UniSuper, one of Australia’s largest superannuation funds and be involved in statistical analysis and ‘trading games’ using real industry data.

As a graduate, we’ll make sure you stand out from the crowd. You’ll learn contemporary career planning strategies and techniques to enhance your employability and achieve your career goals. You’ll also have opportunities to connect with the leading industry body, the Financial Planners Association (FPA) and other industry professionals.

UniSA Online's Financial Planning degree is approved by the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA) and will equip you with the essential educational requirements to practice as a financial planner under new Australian regulations.

From superannuation and tax to estate planning and risk management, this degree prepares you to navigate the complex financial planning landscape and will help you develop critical skills to work with a range of clients with short and long-term financial goals.

As one of the leading providers of accounting and finance education in Australia, you can be confident you’re gaining a high-quality university degree that equips you with in-demand knowledge and skills the financial planning industry is telling us they need.

Graduates will also meet the relevant RG146 compliance requirement of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and be eligible for membership of the Financial Planning Association of Australia’s Certified Financial Planner® Certification Program.

Recommended study pattern

Note: The program structure is subject to change at any time. (Information correct as at October 2023)

First year

• Quantitative Methods for Business (MATH 1075)
• Accounting for Business (ACCT 1011)
• Personal Finance (BANK 1010)
• Career Development in Business (BUSS 1066)
• Business and Society (BUSS 1067) or Elective
• Business Law (LAWS 1019)
• Principles of Economics (ECON 1010)
• Elective 1

Second year

• Financial Markets and Institutions (BANK 1009)
• Introduction to Financial Planning (BANK 2011)
• Marketing Principles: Trading and Exchange (MARK 1018)
• Management and Organisation (BUSS 2081)
• Macroeconomics (ECON 1011)
• Business Intelligence (INFS 2038)
• Companies and Partnership Law (COML 2020)
• International Business Environments (BUSS 3107)

Third year

• Superannuation (BANK 3019)
• Portfolio and Fund Management (BANK 3017)
• Taxation Law 1 (ACCT 3016)
• Entrepreneurship for Social and Market Impact (BUSS 2086)
• Risk Management and Insurance (BANK 3018)
• Strategic Management (BUSS 3097) or Strategic Financial Analysis (BUSS 3098)
• Applied Financial Planning (BANK 3015)
• Estate Planning (BANK 3016)

Award requirements

Students must complete 24 subjects, this includes 1 elective.

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

Indicative total fee $48,603

The amounts shown here are 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.

The University of South Australia (UniSA) is ranked as one of the best young universities in the world, and is the number one university in Australia for graduate employability. UniSA offers over 200 world-class degrees that are informed by industry and delivered with a highly practical approach to teaching and learning, and is a valuable partner with Open Universities Australia.

Learn more about UniSA.

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QS World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:

22

Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:

22

This UniSA Online degree is currently available for Commonwealth supported students.

Applicants are required to fulfil at least one of the following requirements with a competitive result and meet any other academic requirements for the program:

• successfully completed equivalent to a minimum of half a year of full-time study of a higher education program at a recognised higher education provider
• completed an award from a registered training organisation at Certificate IV level or above
• passed a UniSA Online literacy and numeracy test and have relevant work experience
• completed a secondary education qualification equivalent to SACE, such as an interstate year 12 or international qualification
• completed a UniSA Foundation Studies Program or equivalent
• qualified for Special Entry

Students who do not meet these criteria can start studying now by enrolling in the subjects below. Students will be eligible to apply upon successful completion of four subjects and all subjects will be credited towards the degree.

• BUSS1066 Career Development in Business
• MARK1018 Marketing Principles: Trading and Exchange
• BANK1010 Personal Finance
• MATH1075 Quantitative Methods for Business

UniSA Online offers four start dates throughout the year so you can apply as soon as you’re ready. As part of your application, UniSA Online will share information about the next available study period for this program.

If you have previous work experience, or have studied before, you could fast-track your studies by reducing the time it takes to complete your degree.