Ready to enrol?
Apply nowStudying Business at the University of Otago is an exciting and life-changing experience. If you are new to tertiary education, you enrol in an undergraduate degree, the Bachelor of Commerce (BCom). This requires three years of full-time study to complete.
You must study at least one of the Bachelor of Commerce major subjects. This is your main area of study. There are also five compulsory papers that you must take.
Major subjects
The major subjects you can choose from are:
- Accounting
- Economics
- Finance
- Human Resource Management
- Information Science
- International Business
- Management
- Marketing
- Philosophy, Politics and Economics
- Tourism
Core papers
The five core or compulsory papers that you take are:
- BSNS 111 Business and Society
- BSNS 112 Interpreting Business Data
- BSNS 113 Economic Principles and Policy
- BSNS 114 Financial Decision Making
- BSNS 115 Accounting and Information Systems
Coco Scott-Howman
Bachelor of Commerce“I enjoyed the hands-on experience I got from my studies.
Taking a mix of subjects at Otago has been my best asset in my career, and working with a client in my final year was something I really valued.”
Aytron Tatui
Bachelor of Commerce“I decided to study Management because it can be adapted to any workplace, and the support from the Pacific Islands Centre throughout my time at Otago was tremendous.”
Lily Baird
Bachelor of Commerce“Studying at Otago you meet such a range of people from up and down the country. You are living and working with your peers, and growing so much as a person.
I love the variety of papers on offer at the Otago Business School and the lecturers work with you to help you succeed.”
Choose your Business major
We have identified some personal attributes that might help you decide which BCom major will suit your personality and academic strengths.
Ready to enrol?
Degree minors
Adding a business minor is a great choice, even if you aren't completing a Bachelor of Commerce. Minors are your opportunity to turn an interest into a qualification by completing a selection of papers in a particular subject area.
Adding a minor into your degree
If you wish to study a non-business subject as your main interest then a minor in a business subject might be a good option to provide more career pathways.
Bachelor of Commerce with a minor in another business subject
- E.g. BCom majoring in Accounting with a Marketing minor
Bachelor of Commerce with a minor in a non-business subject from the Division of Humanities or Division of Science
- E.g. BCom majoring in Marketing with a Japanese minor
- E.g. BCom majoring in Management with a Chemistry minor
Bachelor of Commerce with a minor in a non-business subject from the Division of Humanities or Division of Science
- E.g. BCom majoring in Finance with an Economics minor (complementary)
- E.g. BCom majoring in Tourism with a Food Science minor (unrelated)
If you aren't completing a BCom, but wish to add a business minor
- E.g. Bachelor of Arts (BA) majoring in Psychology with a Management minor
Business minors are available in the following subjects:
- Accounting
- Business Analytics
- Economics
- Entrepreneurship
- Finance
- Hospitality (no new enrolments are being accepted for this minor for 2024)
- Human Resource Management
- Information Science
- Management
- Marketing
- Sustainable Business
- Sustainable Finance
- Tourism
Flexible study
As a business student you not only gain a broad perspective of the business world, but most students are also able to select additional elective, or 'interest' papers relevant to their own interests.
Students can also continue to study toward a double-degree (two degrees simultaneously), a double-major (two majors simultaneously) or an endorsed minor without the required papers adding significantly to your overall workload.
For more information, please contact:
University of Otago
PO Box 56
Dunedin 9054
New Zealand
Tel 0800 80 80 98 (callers within New Zealand)
Tel +64 3 479 7000 (callers outside New Zealand)
Email university@otago.ac.nz
