Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance

Testamur Title of Degree:	Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance
Abbreviation:	BMathFin
Home Faculty:	Informatics
Duration:	4 years full-time or part-time equivalent
Total Credit Points:	192
Delivery Mode:	On campus (Face-to-face)
Starting Session(s):	Autumn/Spring
Location:	Wollongong
UOW Course Code:	767
UAC Code:	756503
CRICOS Code:	016107B

Overview

The Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance is a degree that provides graduates with a firm foundation in both mathematics and finance.

The degree covers the basics of corporate finance, financial institutions and investments, and allows students to specialise through the choice of elective subjects.

Entry Requirements / Assumed Knowledge

Approximate ATAR: 83.5
Assumed Knowledge: Any two units of English plus HSC Mathematics (not General Mathematics).
Recommended Studies: HSC Mathematics Extension 1
For entry requirements for students 21 and over or international students, please refer to the relevant prospectus.

Course Requirements

Students who enrol in Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance shall satisfactorily complete at least 192 credit points of prescribed subjects, together with the requirements prescribed for the program.

Of the 192 credit points:

• the subjects listed in the Recommended Program are compulsory unless explicitly stated otherwise;

• no more than 66 credit points shall be for 100-level subjects;

For the non-Honours strand, at least 60 credit points shall be for 300- and/or 400-level subjects; including

• at least 24 credit points of MATH/STAT/INFO* subjects and

• at least 24 credit points of ACCY/FIN/ECON subjects;

For the Honours strand,

• 12 credit points shall be for the project INFO401 or INFO402 and

• at least 54 additional credit points shall be for 300- and/or 400-level subjects; the 54 additional credit points shall include at least:

o 18 credit points of MATH/STAT/INFO* subjects,

o 18 credit points of ACCY/FIN/ECON subjects,

o 18 credit points of 400-level subjects, and

• at least one 400-level 6 credit point MATH, STAT or INFO* subject other than MATH407.

*Refers to INFO subjects in the List of Electives.

Areas of Major Study

All Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance students wishing to qualify for one of the major studies must satisfy all the Course Rules specified above. To qualify for a major, additional requirements must be met, which are detailed below together with suggested programs of study. The possible majors are:

Quantitative Corporate Finance and Investments

This major targets those students interested in careers in the tools, analysis and making of corporate and business financial decision-making from a quantitative perspective. These decision processes may be short-term or long-term. Long-term decisions typically deal with the choice and type of corporate investments, sources of equity or debt funding and financial risk management. Short-term decisions mainly deal with working capital management of short-term assets and liabilities. There are several professional bodies covering corporate treasurers and analysts.

Mathematical Economics

The aim of this major is to provide students with a grounding in the necessary skills for the application of mathematical methods, concepts and reasoning to economic theory and problem solving in both micro-economics and macro-economics. The mathematical foundation includes econometrics, financial and linear modelling and calculus, differential equations, statistics and associated topics.

Risk Management and Insurance

This major is intended for students interested in financial risk management and the actuarial profession. Risk management is now recognised as an essential part of strategic objectives at both personal, corporate and government levels. A strong background in mathematics and statistics which this specialisation provides is essential to a career in corporate and banking risk management such as market, credit and operational risk. The profession covers a wide range of activities including the assessing, quantifying, monitoring and mitigating of financial risk exposures for projects, companies and financial institutions. It also monitors compliance with relevant financial regulations. In particular, actuaries are professionals with strong mathematical backgrounds who deal with the financial impact of risk and uncertainty. In Australia, the Institute of Actuaries of Australia is the relevant professional body.

Financial Planning

This major is particularly applicable to those who wish to pursue a career within the financial services industry by gaining professional qualifications in the areas of providing financial planning and financial advice to clients. The areas of service provision are very wide including investment and asset portfolio construction and advice, superannuation, retirement and estate planning and associated services. In Australia, the Financial Planning Association of Australia is the relevant professional body.

Quantitative and Computational Trading

On successful completion of this major, students will have a solid foundation in mathematical finance and the specialist practical skills necessary to be successful as a quantitative trader. Students will acquire mathematical, statistical, financial and computer skills to understand, implement and develop computer-driven trading strategies and be able to make informed investment decisions and evaluate portfolio risks.

Students are encouraged to look at these majors and discuss the choice of subjects with their Course Coordinator.

Course Program

The following program of study is recommended to satisfy the requirements in minimum time. The subjects listed are compulsory unless otherwise stated.

Subjects		Session	Credit Points
Year 1
ACCY111	Accounting Fundamentals in Society	Autumn/Spring	6
ACCY112	Accounting in Organisations	Autumn/Spring	6
ECON111	Introductory Microeconomics	Autumn/Spring	6
MATH187	Mathematics 1: Algebra and Differential Calculus	Autumn	6
MATH188	Mathematics 2: Series and Integral Calculus	Spring	6
MATH111	Applied Mathematical Modelling 1	Spring	6
STAT131	Understanding Variation and Uncertainty#	Autumn	6
Plus either
ISIT111	Programming Concepts	Autumn/Spring	6
or
CSCI114	Procedural Programming	Autumn/Spring	6
# Not compulsory, but highly recommended. Students may select an alternative subject from the List of Electives or enrol in a compulsory subject from a later year of the program
Year 2
FIN 222	Corporate Finance	Autumn/Spring	6
ECON101	Macroeconomic Essentials for Business	Autumn/Spring	6
MATH201	Multivariate and Vector Calculus	Autumn	6
MATH202	Differential Equations 2	Spring	6
FIN 223	Investment Analysis	Spring	6
STAT231	Probability and Random Variables	Autumn	6
STAT232	Estimation and Hypothesis Testing	Spring	6
Plus
Subject chosen from List of Electives			6
Year 3
FIN 322	Advanced Corporate Finance	Spring	6
FIN 323	Portfolio Analysis	Autumn	6
ECON331	Financial Economics	Autumn	6
MATH203	Linear Algebra	Autumn	6
MATH317	Financial Calculus	Autumn	6
STAT332	Linear and Generalised Linear Models	Spring	6
Plus
Subjects chosen from List of Electives			12
Year 4 (Non Honours)
Subjects chosen from List of Electives			48
Year 4 (Honours) Entry to this program is restricted to candidates who satisfy the prerequisite to INFO401 or INFO402
MATH407	Research Methods	Autumn	6
INFO401	Mathematics and Finance Honours Project (see Note 4)	Annual	12
or
INFO402	Mathematics and Economics Honours Project (see Note 4)
Plus
Subjects chosen from List of Electives			30
Note 4: Enrolment in INFO401 and INFO402 is restricted to those candidates who have a WAM greater than or equal to 67.5 on satisfactory completion of 144 credit points of the course.
List of Electives
Any MATH, STAT, FIN or ECON subject plus the subjects below.
ACCY200	Financial Accounting IIA	Autumn/Spring		6
ACCY201	Financial Accounting IIB	Spring		6
ACCY228	Tax Planning	Spring		6
MATH407	Research Methods	Autumn		6
CSCI103	Algorithms and Problem Solving	Autumn/Spring		6
CSCI124	Applied Programming	Autumn/Spring		6
CSCI204	Object and Generic Programming in C++	Autumn/Spring		6
CSCI235	Databases	Spring		6
IACT201	Professional Practice and Ethics	Autumn		6
INFO411	Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery	Autumn		6
INFO412	Mathematics for Cryptography	Autumn		6
ISIT112	Database	Spring		6
LAW 101	Law, Business and Society	Autumn		6
MARK101	Marketing Principles	Autumn/Spring		6
MGMT110	Introduction to Management	Autumn/Spring		6
MGMT208	Introduction to Management for Professionals A	Autumn		6

Honours

Students who enrol in the Honours program must satisfactorily complete the requirements listed in Year 4 (Honours) of the Course Program above. The classes of Honours awarded are defined in the General Course Rules Section 8. The Honours grade will be calculated in accordance with Method 2.

Professional Recognition

The Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance is accredited by the Australian Mathematical Society.

Completion of this degree provides 'points' towards membership of Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA). (Their membership system allocates points based on a person's qualifications and industry experience. See their website for more details.)

The Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance major "Financial Planning" has been placed on the Australian Securities and Investment Commission's (ASIC) training register. This means that students completing this major will satisfy Tier 1 of ASIC's training requirements relevant to a range of advisory activities. Such accreditation is very important for those wishing to pursue quantitative careers in the financial services industry.

Students who complete the "Risk Management and Insurance" major and who wish to pursue a professional actuarial qualification are eligible for entry to the Master of Actuarial Studies (1.5 years) at the University of New South Wales (minimum credit average 65% grade), the Master of Actuarial Practice (1.5 years) at Macquarie University (minimum GPA of 3), and the Master of Actuarial Statistics (1 year) or Master of Actuarial Studies (2 year) programs at the Australian National University (minimum 65% grade in last two years of study). Students may also qualify for exemptions in these courses and should contact program directors about the level of professional qualification offered in each Masters degree.

Other Information

Further information is available at http://coursefinder.uow.edu.au/ or email: informatics_studenq@uow.edu.au