Not a dumb question at all! This is really tricky and will depend on a number of factors, such as:
- what units (subjects in uni talk) you take
- whether the units you took are equivalent or have their credit transferred to your new course (some may not, but chances of success are higher if you (a) transfer internally I.e. from course to course in the same Uni and (b) transfer earlier in the course e.g. after first sem first year vs. second year second sem). You should ask Monash directly if credit transfer is possible between business and commerce. Typically the later you transfer, the more specialist you get, since you’re working towards a particular major or specialisation and the harder it is to switch or get that credit transferred.
- whether you have taken certain compulsory units or not (I’m not sure if commerce will have some, but if they do and you haven’t taken them, this might set you back a semester or two, depending on when these units are available).
- if you fail any units, both in business or commerce, this will also set you back, as you need to pass a certain number of units to graduate.
- occasionally, if you’ve taken an equivalent to prerequisites for commerce e.g. a unit equivalent to methods, though you need to ask Monash to see if that’s necessary.
- switching from a single to a double degree may also mean that you haven’t taken the right units to graduate with others who started at the same time. You will need to go back and take them.
- side note: you will also need to meet transfer conditions like getting above a certain WAM/ GPA (Uni marks), typically above 70 or 75 for WAM, which is usually a bit better than average. If there’s a lot of people applying for transfer, then you will need to have a higher WAM to be competitive enough.