Bachelor of Business with a Major in Financial Planning

Financial Planner

Assist individuals and companies to reach their long-term financial goals. Provide expert advice on investing, retirement planning, superannuation and other key financial aspects of people's lives.

Financial Adviser

Create tailored advice and education to help individuals reach their financial goals. Use your expert knowledge to help develop plans for investments as well as savings, budget, insurance, and tax strategies.

Paraplanner

Work with financial planners to prepare documents and data for clients. You'll use financial management software, such as Xplan, to keep track and play an important role in the financial planning process.

Business Analyst

In this dynamic role, you'll use data analytics to assess processes, determine requirements and deliver data-driven recommendations and reports to key stakeholders.

Business Development Manager

Your role is all about the future - new customers, new markets, new products and new processes. You'll plan and strategise development, helping your company to reach their business goals.

Commercial Analyst

Working within the finance team of a company, you'll prepare budgets, forecasts and use financial data to guide decision making.

Accountant

Help clients manage their finances and give expert advice on financial reporting, forecasting and analysis.

Finance Manager

Play a crucial role in supporting organisations to make informed financial decisions. You'll be able to find ways to improve profitability, a key aspect of financial leadership.

Professional recognition

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International

Swinburne business degrees are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International, and are a part of the five per cent of business schools worldwide accredited by AACSB. The alumni of AACSB accredited business schools are among the world’s most influential leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs impacting business, government, and non-profit sectors.

Financial Adviser Standards (FAS)

From January 2022, the Financial Adviser Standards (FAS), which forms part of the Treasury Department of the Australian Government, sets the education and training standards and the Code of Ethics for licensed financial advisers in Australia. Prior to FAS, this was managed by the Financial Advisers Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA).

FAS has approved Swinburne Online’s undergraduate and post graduate courses in Financial Planning. This includes the Bachelor of Business – Financial Planning and the Bachelor of Business – Accounting and Financial Planning. It also includes the Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning.

Graduates of a FAS approved Swinburne course will satisfy the education standards and requirements prescribed by FAS to provide financial advice in Australia.

Financial Planning Australia's CFP Certified Program

Graduates are eligible for entry into the Financial Planning Association of Australia’s CFP (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER) certified program. Students who hold a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning from Swinburne Online will receive recognised prior learning for CFP1 – 4, and will only need to complete the CFP Capstone unit to become a CFP.

Higher education

Completion or partial completion of an approved tertiary qualification (including diplomas, advanced diplomas, associate degrees and degrees). Additional performance criteria and prerequisite requirements may also apply.

Diploma entry pathways

Pathways allow students to progress from one qualification to another where the first course is recognised as an entry requirement and provides advanced standing to the second.

Credit available may vary depending on the major selected within any given degree but in most instances you may receive up to 8 unit credits.

Our Course Consultants will step you through the process of entry and credit using previous study.

Secondary education

2022 Guaranteed Entry ATAR: 60

Successful completion of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or its equivalent, such as an interstate or international Year 12 qualification.

VCE prerequisites:

Units 3 and 4: a minimum study score of 25 in English (or equivalent) or 30 in English (EAL).

Work and Life

Applicants without a formal qualification but with significant and relevant work experience and appropriate English language skills, or a suitable Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) result, will be considered if they can demonstrate that they can undertake the course with a reasonable prospect of success.

Credit transfer

Credit is granted in recognition of previous study and/or experience and allows students to gain advanced standing towards their course. Applicants are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Speak to a Course Consultant about applying for credit.

Applicants who have completed a Diploma in a related discipline may be eligible for credit of up to 8 units; the equivalent of a third of the course. Students admitted to the course with prior tertiary studies that satisfy part of the academic requirements of this course may be eligible for academic credit of up to 16 units.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) allows students to gain credit (advanced standing) towards their course in recognition of skills and knowledge gained through work experience, life experience and/or formal training. Applicants are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Speak to a Course Consultant about applying for RPL.

With a degree in Financial Planning, you’ll become the trusted expert people turn to for important advice throughout their lives. By sharing your expertise, you’ll enable your clients to reach their financial goals and make a real difference by doing so.

Taught by experienced professionals, you’ll use the latest financial software and collaborate with your peers on a consulting project for a live client, meaning you’ll be able to step into the workplace with confidence.

This course meets the educational requirements of the Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA). It is approved by the Financial Adviser Standards (FAS), ensuring you’ll learn the skills necessary to enter the financial planning industry with confidence.

Recommended Study Pattern

A total of 24 units are taken to complete the Bachelor of Business with a major in Financial Planning, including six core business units, two capstone units, eight financial planning major units and eight electives. In capstone units you combine the skills you'll learn throughout your degree and apply them to practical scenarios to solidify your knowledge. You'll collaborate with your peers and solve real business problems, giving you the confidence to step into the workforce with practical experience.

Core Business units

Learning and Communicating for Innovative Business Practice (COM10011)

Financial Information for Decision Making (ACC10007)

Economic Principles (ECO10004)

Introduction to Business Information Systems (INF10003)

Introduction to Management (MGT10001)

Fundamentals of Marketing (MKT10007)

Capstone units

Industry Consulting Project (BUS30009)

Advanced Innovative Business Practice (BUS30024)

Financial Planning major units

Taxation (ACC30005)

Principles of Financial Planning (FIN10003)

Ethics and Client Relationships (FIN20015)

Investment and Financial Planning Project (FIN30017)

Law of Commerce (LAW20019)

Finance and Behavioural Bias (FIN20017)

Retirement Planning (FIN30023)

Personal Financial Risk and Estate Planning (FIN30022)

Elective options can be viewed on the Swinburne Online website.

Professional Placements are subject to a competitive selection process. Students who undertake a 12-month professional placement are subject to the following course rules and must complete 375 credit points comprising:

• eight core Bachelor of Business units of study (100 credit points);
• eight units of study from a Business discipline major (100 credit points) or
• sixteen units from the Accounting and Finance Professional Program or the Accounting and Financial Planning Professional major (200 credit points)
• four units of study from the Professional Placement co-major (100 credit points) and
• six units of study comprising an advanced minor, minor or electives (75 credit points) Note: not required if you have completed the Accounting and Finance Professional Program or the Accounting and Financial Planning Professional major

Please note: if a student completes the Accounting and Finance Professional Program they would complete 400 credit points.

Students who elect to undertake a six-month professional placement are subject to the following course rules and must complete 337.5-350 credit points comprising:

• eight core Bachelor of Business units of study (100 credit points)
• eight units of study from a Business discipline major (100 credit points) or
• sixteen [16] units from the Accounting and Finance Professional Program or the Accounting and Financial Planning Professional major (200 credit points)
• two units of study from the Professional Placement minor (50 credit points); and
• seven units of study comprising an advanced minor, minor or electives (87.5 credit points) Note: not required if you have completed the Accounting and Finance Professional Program or the Accounting and Financial Planning Professional major.

Award Requirements

To qualify for the award of Bachelor of Business students must complete 300 credit points comprising of:

• eight prescribed Bachelor of Business core units (100 credit points)
• eight units of study from a business discipline major in one of the following: Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Finance, Financial Planning, Health Management and Communication, Human Resource Management, International Business, Information Systems, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Management, Marketing or Sports Management (Swinburne Online) (100 credit points)

OR sixteen units from the Accounting and Finance Professional Program or the Accounting and Financial Planning Professional major (200 credit points)

• eight units of Secondary studies (100 credit points) comprising of a second major, minor/s, or electives (NOTE: Students undertaking the Accounting and Finance Professional Program or the Accounting and Financial Planning Professional major will not need to undertake secondary studies).

Students also have an opportunity to undertake a Work Integrated Learning professional placement. Students complete no more than 150 credit points (normally 12 units) at Introductory Level (i.e. Stage 1). A unit of study can only be counted once. Where units are shared between majors and/or minors, students must choose an approved alternative unit.