The postgraduate coursework degree that prepares you to succeed in finance and business.
Masters of Commerce is the postgraduate version of a Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Commerce. The flexible program covers the spectrum of business disciplines and offers a general education as well as specialised studies.
An online Master of Commerce (MCom) works for people from different backgrounds, including business, education, arts, and engineering. Gain valuable skills and expand your business knowledge to create new career opportunities.
You can study 100% online for this degree with Australian universities. A commerce masters is open to business graduates who want to specialise, as well as other university graduates who want to do business studies for the first time.
Why This Degree Is Useful
Explore your business options. A Masters in Commerce from Australia opens up career opportunities in fields such as finance, accounting, marketing, human resources, and management. Graduates increase their skills and earning potential across multiple business-related disciplines.
You also have the opportunity to specialise. Through choice of elective subjects, you can design an MCom program to meet specific career goals.
A further option is to do a specialist masters, such as in HR or Marketing. A specialist business masters is essentially an MCom with a strong major. Students do extra subjects in an area of concentration and fewer subjects elsewhere.
Related: Best Masters in Business Degrees in Australia
Specialised Masters Degrees
Should you do a Master of Commerce online or a more specialised business masters like the ones below? To answer this, know that an MCom spans disciplines such as commerce, accounting, management and economics. While MComs have elective subjects, you essentially graduate with a general business qualification.
Other business masters focus on particular business disciplines. If you complete a Master of Marketing program for example, you become qualified to be a marketing professional. A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is essentially a management degree.
Ultimately, earning a business masters of any kind gives you a career edge. With its breadth, an MCom may be the best choice to keep your options open and potentially remain a generalist. To develop and highlight certain professional competencies, a specialist business program may be the better path.
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a valuable degree that can lead to higher paying positions. Earning the famous qualification creates opportunities for advancement in business strategy, management, and leadership roles.
The management training is beneficial for individuals from all fields. You build the skills needed to effectively manage people and businesses. Many online MBA programs are available, allowing you to study while working.
A Master of Finance represents a high level of education attainment for financial professionals. Whether you work in the field or are looking to enter it, the degree provides a strong foundation for career success.
Online finance masters with accelerated options allow you to work full-time while studying part-time. Earn a master's degree in just 2 years by completing one subject every 2 months. Specialisations such as Applied Finance and FinTech are available.
Recruitment, training, performance management and employee relations are some of the activities human resources managers handle. The field is rewarding and people-focused and presents job opportunities in all parts of Australia. You can become a qualified HR expert with an online Masters in Human Resource Management.
HR postgraduate programs are open to experienced HR managers and newbies to the field. If you already have a business or commerce degree, you can reduce study time with a fast-track program.
Graduates in the broad logistics field have excellent career prospects. They're able to design and evaluate supply systems, analyse data, and make strategic decisions to improve operations. Companies are increasingly inter-connected and complex, making this a growth area.
A Masters in Supply Chain Management prepares students for key roles in operations management, with relevance to industries such as engineering, manufacturing, e-commerce, and transport.
Marketing is a core business discipline that features in any good Master of Commerce program. You can also specialise in the field with a Masters in Marketing or Masters in Marketing Analytics.
Modern marketing relies on you having good awareness of technology, digital marketing methods and social media. As well, marketing analytics are important so that strategies are data-driven and not reliant on guesswork or intuition.
Project management is a postgraduate field of study that focuses on the key steps involved in successfully managing a project from inception to delivery. An online Masters in Project Management provides a principles-based curriculum that applies theory to real-world examples.
Programs include commerce topics such as finance and contract management and are suitable for professionals from all backgrounds. Industries such as construction, engineering, healthcare, and software development have the highest demand.
Study Online for a Master of Commerce
Online learning is a popular and flexible choice for anyone but especially among working professionals. Courses are designed for busy people, with accelerated, part-time study the usual mode of learning.
Typically, you do one subject at a time, each taking 6-7 weeks. Assignments, quizzes, and projects are used for ongoing assessment. You can attend virtual classes and study in your free time. A Student Success Advisor is able to assist with general questions and guidance.
What this all means is that you can complete six subjects per year without time away from work. Earn a commerce masters degree without having to do any travel. You probably won't even have re-schedule a meeting at any stage. Online programs are that flexible.
FAQs
Attractive careers are available in all different directions for commerce students. Here are popular Master's degrees in the broad field of commerce.
- Commerce (M.Com). A degree spanning commerce and business fields for generalists, business managers, and those not wanting to commit to a specific career path.
- Business Administration (MBA). A general management degree covering core business subjects. Suitable for students interested in leadership, management and strategy.
- Finance (M.Fin). Designed for students interested in financial management, investment and risk management.
- Accounting (MAcc). For students aiming to be a chartered professional accountant (CPA) or similar, or otherwise pursuing a career in accounting and finance.
- Project Management (MPM). For students who are or want to be project managers.
The best postgraduate degree is that which most reliably takes you in the career direction you want to go, based on your interests and abilities. Sorry, but there's no easy answer to this question.
In Australia, a Graduate Certificate of Commerce is a four-subject postgraduate program that typically takes one semester (around four months) to complete. For online learners, you're normally looking at 8 months of part-time study.
A Graduate Certificate in Commerce often serves as a pathway into a commerce masters. The entry requirements may be more relaxed. For example, you may qualify for course admission without an undergraduate degree if you have significant professional experience. The subjects you complete count towards a masters if you choose to keep studying after successful completion of the graduate certificate.
The course is introductory and suitable for students with a bachelor's degree in a non-commerce field. Some programs are flexible in terms of course structure, allowing students to choose subjects from a large menu of electives. Subjects are usually taken from the M.Com program in which the grad cert is contained.
With a Masters in Commerce on your resume, you're in a strong position to apply for many different roles. Your professional experience and other qualifications will count as well. Here are examples of the kinds of jobs graduates are in line for potentially.
- Business consulting: Provide advice and guidance on business strategy, operations, and finance.
- Corporate finance: Do financial planning, budgeting, and raising capital for businesses.
- Entrepreneurship: Start your own business or become a venture capitalist, investing in startups.
- Financial analysis: Analyse financial data and making recommendations to businesses and other organisations.
- Investment banking: Analyse and assess investment opportunities, financial modeling and business deals.
- Management: Lead and manage teams, make strategic decisions and implement business plans.
- Marketing: Develop and run marketing strategies to promote products and services.
- Public Sector: Advise on financial and economic policy as a public officer in government agencies, such as treasury and industry departments.
As you can see from the list, the degree is versatile and useful in different roles. The qualification and skills may be ideal for jobs where you draw on complex information to support organisational decision-making.