University of Adelaide

What you'll study

This double-specialisation brings together core commerce studies with applied analytics and professional financial planning. Study begins with foundational commerce units—microeconomics, macroeconomics, accounting principles, business law and organisational behaviour—before moving into specialist streams.

• Business Analytics stream: statistics and probability, econometrics, data management and databases, programming for analytics (commonly R or Python), data visualisation, predictive modelling and machine learning fundamentals, optimisation and decision analytics. Students typically complete a capstone analytics project using real datasets to solve business problems.
• Financial Planning stream: financial markets and institutions, investment analysis, retirement and superannuation planning, taxation for advisers, insurance and risk management, estate planning, behavioural finance, ethics and professional standards for financial advisers. The program emphasises practical advice skills and regulatory compliance.
• Integrated experience: work-integrated learning options, industry projects, and an advisory practicum or capstone combining analytics and client-focused financial planning. Electives allow focus on corporate finance, wealth management or further analytics topics like big data and cloud-based analytics.

Entry requirements

Admission is based on successful completion of an Australian Year 12 qualification or an equivalent international qualification. Applicants normally need a strong background in mathematics (or mathematical methods) and satisfactory English proficiency. The University of Adelaide also accepts tertiary transfer students, recognised prior learning and mature-age applicants through alternative admission pathways.

• Domestic applicants: an appropriate secondary school certificate or equivalent; selection rank or alternative entry pathways apply.
• International applicants: equivalent secondary qualification plus evidence of English language proficiency (for example, IELTS, TOEFL or equivalent accepted tests).
• Prerequisites and assumed knowledge: mathematical methods or equivalent numeracy is strongly recommended because of the quantitative nature of the analytics stream.

Career prospects

Graduates are prepared for roles that combine data-driven decision making and financial advice. Typical positions include:

• Financial planner or paraplanner (subject to meeting licensing and regulatory requirements)
• Data analyst, business intelligence analyst or analytics consultant in banking, wealth management and corporate sectors
• Investment analyst, risk analyst or portfolio analyst
• Retirement and superannuation specialist, compliance officer, or client services roles within financial institutions
• Further professional accreditation and postgraduate study paths (for example, accounting, finance or applied data science) that lead to specialist roles or industry registration.

Why study at University of Adelaide

The University of Adelaide is a research-led institution offering a commerce degree that blends rigorous quantitative training with applied industry engagement. Students benefit from experienced teaching staff, access to analytics tools and computing facilities, and opportunities for internships and industry projects with financial services firms in Adelaide and nationally.

The programme’s structure supports professional development through practical assessment, capstone projects and advice-focused learning, helping graduates to move quickly into advisory, analytics or corporate finance roles. Support services for career development and industry connections help translate academic skills into workplace outcomes.