University Of Otago Finance

Finance is a decision-oriented discipline that is complex, challenging and dynamic.



It is about managing money and capital expenditures in the real world—making practical financial decisions that can lead to loss or gain.

Finance at Otago covers four main areas:

  • Portfolio theory and investments
  • Corporate financial management
  • International finance
  • Institutions

How can I study Finance?

Otago offers a range of Finance study choices at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, providing interesting and challenging study opportunities for students.

Undergraduate Study in Finance

Postgraduate Study in Finance

Minor in Finance

You can minor in Finance for a BAppSc, BA, BCApSc, BSc, BTheol, or non-Finance BCom degree.

Finance papers

You can take Finance papers without making it your major or your minor.

Study Finance at Otago

Finance focuses on several main areas – investments (including portfolio theory); corporate finance (how businesses make internal financial decisions); derivatives (the study of financial securities deriving their value from other assets’ values); international finance (finance across borders) and personal finance.

An understanding of finance is essential to business and finance majors succeed in rewarding and highly-paid careers.

Two recent trends have fuelled the value of finance as a mature, globally recognised profession and underpin its relevance for the 21st century. The first is the world-wide move to deregulation and the opening of markets which has coincided with an almost universal appreciation of the importance of capital and investment for growth and prosperity. The second is the rush of theoretical developments in the discipline which has provided the tools to manage risk and return. The impact has been extreme. There are few businesses today that are not acutely aware of the significance of markets and financial planning for their viability.

Ready to enrol?

Choose a qualification

Bachelor of Arts and Commerce (BACom), Dunedin, 2021

Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), Dunedin, 2021

Bachelor of Commerce and Science (BComSc), Dunedin, 2021

Bachelor of Commerce with Honours (BCom(Hons)), Dunedin, 2021

Diploma for Graduates (DipGrad), Dunedin, 2021



Master of Commerce (MCom), Dunedin, 2020

Master of Commerce (MCom), Dunedin, 2021

Master of Finance (MFinc), Dunedin, 2020

Master of Finance (MFinc), Dunedin, 2021

Postgraduate Diploma in Commerce (PGDipCom), Dunedin, 2021

Apply

You must choose a qualification to enrol, but you can easily change it later.

Why study Finance?

Every person and organisation raises and spends money. Finance examines the theory and practice of this process, with particular attention to the measurement and management of risk. It’s about deciding how money is allocated in the real world. Finance is both a science and an art – a science because it systematically analyses information and uses it to make and test predictions; an art because these future activities are uncertain and there is frequently no “right” answer. Finance deals not only with the measurable, “quantitative” aspect but also with the unmeasurable, where intuition and experience play a strong role. Skills in these areas are invaluable in the workplace. Above all, finance is exciting. You will often have to make swift decisions concerning large amounts of money and resources.

Background required

There are no required subjects to study finance at Otago. But students who choose finance usually have an interest in making decisions about how to manage and allocate money and resources. It’s helpful if you’ve studied economics, accounting, mathematics or statistics at school, but these are not essential.

Career opportunities

The range of careers in finance is wide and varied, and well-paid. Graduates work in planning and budgeting, portfolio management, investments, securities, trading, risk management, and foreign currency trading. They are employed by government departments, the education sector, banks, insurance companies, investment banks, accounting firms, stockbroking firms, and many others. Because a finance degree is relevant to economic structures worldwide, it is highly exportable. There are many job opportunities overseas and Otago graduates compete well in many international markets.

Qualifications

Explore your study options further. Refer to enrolment information found on the following qualification pages.

Contact us

Department of Accountancy and Finance
Otago Business School



Email [email protected]
Website otago.ac.nz/accountancyfinance