The Bachelor of Commerce Individual Major at Lincoln University is a flexible undergraduate degree that lets you design a commerce major tailored to your interests and career goals, drawing on subjects across accounting, economics, management, marketing, finance and agribusiness. It suits students who want breadth across business disciplines or a customised specialist pathway that aligns with a particular industry such as agribusiness, sustainability, or international trade.
The Individual Major pathway enables you to build a coherent programme of study from Lincoln's suite of commerce subjects. All students typically begin with foundational courses in business and economics before moving into more specialised papers. Core first-year topics usually cover business principles, microeconomics, introductory accounting, quantitative methods or business statistics, and academic skills for commerce.
In later years you select advanced papers to form your major. Common subject areas available include:
The degree structure allows for elective choices and cross-disciplinary papers, enabling combinations such as economics with environmental management or marketing with data analytics. Optional capstone projects, internships or research papers give practical experience and an opportunity to apply theory to real-world problems.
Entry is typically at undergraduate level and requires a recognised secondary school qualification or equivalent tertiary study. For domestic applicants this commonly means successful completion of national secondary qualifications; international applicants must demonstrate an equivalent standard of secondary attainment.
Lincoln also expects proficiency in English; applicants whose prior study was not in English will usually need to meet the university's English-language requirements. Some papers may have specific prerequisites (for example, introductory maths or statistics for quantitative subjects), so you should check prerequisite rules when planning your programme.
The university considers mature applicants and those with relevant work experience through alternative admission pathways. Meeting minimum entry does not guarantee a place in specific high-demand papers, so early planning and consultation with an academic adviser is recommended.
Graduates with an Individual Major in Commerce have a versatile qualification valued across the public and private sectors. Common career destinations include:
Employers value the flexible, multidisciplinary skillset graduates develop — analytical thinking, quantitative literacy, commercial awareness and project experience — which supports career mobility and postgraduate study options in specialist masters programmes or professional accounting qualifications.
Lincoln University is well regarded for its connections to the primary industries and for teaching that links business principles with real-world agribusiness and environmental contexts. The campus community is relatively small, which promotes close contact with academic staff and personalised academic support.
Studying at Lincoln offers practical learning opportunities including work-integrated learning, industry projects and local business partnerships. The university's location in Canterbury provides strong regional ties to food production, logistics and export industries, which can be an advantage when seeking internships and employment in sectors that combine commerce with resource and environmental considerations.
The Individual Major lets you tailor your degree to match your ambitions — whether you aim to enter mainstream commerce roles or specialise at the intersection of business with agriculture, sustainability or international trade.
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