Commerce (Accounting or Finance) @ Melbourne or Business double degree @ Monash

[sdhains]

Hey guys,
i was wondering if anyone had any idea on if you would be more employable having done 4 years at monash doing a business double degree of Accounting/ Banking and Finance or 3 years doing a commerce degree at melbourne (majoring in either accounting or finance(probably accounting but a bit unsure)). I got the idea for the Accounting/Banking and Finance double degree from the VTAC guide. When i looked further into it i realised it is actually a double bachelor of business: Is it silly to do 2 bachelor's of business even though they are majoring in two completely different fields? Would i be more employable/ desirable/versatile having done both degrees? My guy feeling tells me that i would.

Sam

[costargh]

Hey Sam,

I will respond to your PM here for the benefit of others who may also be in your position.

Do you enjoy what your doing?

I enjoy what I am doing I guess. The core units sorta really pissed me off basically because I felt like I was either wasting my time restudying what I had already learnt (first 6 weeks of accounting) or, was learning a unit where they just tried to shove as much broad content into it as possible (management and marketing). Commercial Law was the most interesting I think, but I felt like I found it interesting but didnt wanna be assessed on it (fear of failure).

I've just started 2nd semester and it seems much more challenging and thought provoking which I like (financial accounting, HR management [2nd year]).

do you think that having a double business degree at monash will ultimately make you more desirable than a commerce degree at melbourne would have?

Hmm I'd probably say no. I think a Melbourne Uni Commerce degree will always have a certain level of prestige and superiority about it. I'm not too fussed with that. I think if I was offered a place in Melbourne now I'd probably say no for a few reasons.
1. 25% of the degree is breadth - equivalent to a semester and a half of units that you are forced to do that have (from what I know) nothing to do with your area of interest.
2. 3 year degree - for some this is a plus, for me a double degree is very exciting and offers me more from what I want from uni. I like the idea of a double degree because I am still currently unsure of what I want to do. Having a degree in management and a degree in accounting (as well as a third major which I can form which will probably be economics) really expands my skills and makes me more employable I would think.
However I still think a Melbourne Commerce degree is an excellent and probably the most sought qualification from employers when they recruit.
Double degrees are good when you really want to expand your knowledge outside what u may think is a constrained area.

is doing 2 business bachelor degrees worthwhile even though they are the same degree?

You are learning differnt areas of specialisation and that sets them apart. what you learn in business (Accounting) is differnt to Business (management). You are effectively increasing your skills and theoretical understanding of differnt areas of business.

It really depends on a number of personal factors
1. Do you want a 3 or 4 year degree/s?
2. Are you happy to do a 'general' degree where 25% of your degree is from outside your chosen course and where you are probably going to be pushed/expected to do a postgraduate course after you finish your undergraduate course?
3. What do you want from your education? Do you want a larger spread of acquired skills and theoretical understanding or a more specialised and closed off sorta path?

[sdhains]

costargh,
i cant thank you enough for that detailed reply. it really gave me a great insight into things. I am keen on doing Accounting with Banking and Finance rather than Management. Do you honestly think an employer would discriminate between melbourne and monash (even when the monash student has 2 degrees)?
Sam

[costargh]

Mmm depends on a number of things again.

How well you have done in your course - A student with a HD double degree at Monash Uni in Accounting/ B+F is IMO much better placed to get 'the job' than a Melbourne Uni student with a single degree with a credit average.

I'm not actually sure if that is the view of employers but to me it would probably seem the most likely.

A HD student at Melbourne Uni vs a HD Monash student with a double degreee... I'd probably say it gets very tough here but I still think the general view of employers (whether this is a valid view or not) is that the Melb grad is more sought after.

In saying that though, I think a double degree in two business disciplines with a strong average will place you in a VERY STRONG position when going for a job.

[AppleXY]

The Monash and Melbourne battle really only becomes apparently for positions at prestigious corporations such as IBs (Goldman Sachs, UBS, JPMorgan) and giant multinationals (chevron, shell, BHP etc).

If you're aiming to enter into Audit, I'm pretty sure you'll get an interview no matter which uni you come from.

[lacoste]

UoM has their own type of 'double degrees' right?
That is, a double major in the commerce discipline and in respect to the chosen majors.  EDIT: All in the three years of the bachelors deg.

Also, the breatdh could count as a sequence taken in 3 years, must be of the same discipline, to obtain the diplomat.

Check out the OPEN DAYS and WEBSITES for more details.

[mtwtfss]

Goto melb uni, major in both accounting and finance = win

[costargh]

UoM has their own type of 'double degrees' right?
That is, a double major in the commerce discipline and in respect to the chosen majors.  EDIT: All in the three years of the bachelors deg.

Also, the breatdh could count as a sequence taken in 3 years, must be of the same discipline, to obtain the diplomat.

Check out the OPEN DAYS and WEBSITES for more details.

That's a bit misleading...

It's really nothing like a double degree. A double major is standard within most undergraduate degrees.

[lacoste]

UoM has their own type of 'double degrees' right?
That is, a double major in the commerce discipline and in respect to the chosen majors.  EDIT: All in the three years of the bachelors deg.

Also, the breatdh could count as a sequence taken in 3 years, must be of the same discipline, to obtain the diplomat.

Check out the OPEN DAYS and WEBSITES for more details.

That's a bit misleading...

It's really nothing like a double degree. A double major is standard within most undergraduate degrees.

Ok. Take costa's word, ignore the above, yes, i agree its pretty standard in the undergrad degs. double degrees are more thorough!

[sdhains]

wow guys, thanks a lot! this has been so helpful  . I guess i probably should have mentioned that after university i want to join an accounting firm, or a bank (stock analyst etc.) although i am unsure yet which way i want to go. I want to be able to know that if i work really hard at university and get really good grades, i will be able to get a job at the firm of my choice in Melbourne in either field (i would be realistic in my selection of firm). I realize that this will require more than simply grades but i think you can understand what i mean. I think from what i have read, the double degree at monash would be more suited to me in my circumstance. Am i correct in saying this? Or does the Melbourne Commerce degree possess the same (and more) versatility?

[AppleXY]

Well if you want to work in a bank (im guessing corporate/investment based) than Melbourne is far better destination due to the wider range and more thougher fin subjects than Monash. It also has way more opportunities to network .

But if you're aiming to go to an acc firm (im guessing the middle and top tier firms) than Monash is on a level (if not better?) playing field with melb.

[excal]

At the end of the day, it's how you do in the interview and what skills you can showcase. The degree helps, but it's not the be-all-end-all.

[Kairubin]

Honestly in business (This is advice coming from ye olde dad. Who yes is a FCA from england) Your uni degree is worth pretty much jack. You need to do well in uni to get over the line for the recruiters to notice you. Then from there its how you sell yourself. Basically in a Big 4 firm the recruiters etc will look at a few things. What uni you're from Monash and Melb you're safe anyway. The degree Business or Commerce. And your results. Obviously getting a bunch of passes and credits doesn't stand out well. From there it will be lots of other factors. The 'unwritten' law of accounting and business is if you fail one unit you fail. I know heaps of friends that are having lots of trouble getting work basically cause they failed one unit. The one thing you also have to remember about going for a double is TIME. Recruiters are also looking for younger people to invest more time into them. They don't want to be investing all this money and time into someone thats say 2 years older than the average. For example. In accounting the degree is 3 years + 3 years for a CA. If you do a double that's 4 years + 3 Years = 7 Years. Doesn't seem like much but you are wasting quite a lot of time. So taking that to age. I being slightly younger than others came into uni when i was 17. So I'd hope to be working for a big firm when i'm 20 and have CA done by 23. If you're the mean AND do a double then you enter uni at 18 and will be 22 when you finish up. The other thing is no one really cares about your uni degree once you have a post uni degree. Unless of course you don't want to do one.

So I guess it comes down to whether or not you want to do a GradDipCA or not. Personally as a Business student at monash myself I choose not to do a double degree because I didnt want to waste time. It all comes down to what you want to do. You can also double major which can be done in three years. So there's lots of choices.

Sorry for the long rant that lacked spaces, punctuation and paragraphs.

[Fyrefly]

Honestly in business (This is advice coming from ye olde dad. Who yes is a FCA from england) Your uni degree is worth pretty much jack. You need to do well in uni to get over the line for the recruiters to notice you. Then from there its how you sell yourself. Basically in a Big 4 firm the recruiters etc will look at a few things. What uni you're from Monash and Melb you're safe anyway. The degree Business or Commerce. And your results. Obviously getting a bunch of passes and credits doesn't stand out well. From there it will be lots of other factors. The 'unwritten' law of accounting and business is if you fail one unit you fail. I know heaps of friends that are having lots of trouble getting work basically cause they failed one unit. The one thing you also have to remember about going for a double is TIME. Recruiters are also looking for younger people to invest more time into them. They don't want to be investing all this money and time into someone thats say 2 years older than the average. For example. In accounting the degree is 3 years + 3 years for a CA. If you do a double that's 4 years + 3 Years = 7 Years. Doesn't seem like much but you are wasting quite a lot of time. So taking that to age. I being slightly younger than others came into uni when i was 17. So I'd hope to be working for a big firm when i'm 20 and have CA done by 23. If you're the mean AND do a double then you enter uni at 18 and will be 22 when you finish up. The other thing is no one really cares about your uni degree once you have a post uni degree. Unless of course you don't want to do one.

So I guess it comes down to whether or not you want to do a GradDipCA or not. Personally as a Business student at monash myself I choose not to do a double degree because I didnt want to waste time. It all comes down to what you want to do. You can also double major which can be done in three years. So there's lots of choices.

Sorry for the long rant that lacked spaces, punctuation and paragraphs.

Ha ha... it didn't seem like a rant to me.
What you said definitely had value