Which Finance Units to pick for university?

[TheGun]

Hi,
I am a double degree student studying Eng and Comm at Monash University.
I have the following options. I am probably going to get a job in engineering and I am not entirely sure what sort of job I would want if I were to go into finance (something that will make me money). I am interested in stocks and possibly entrepreneurship. It would be good if you could tell me what sort of career the units would help me in.

BFC3140 Corporate finance 2
BFC3170 Management of financial intermediaries
BFC3240 International finance
BFC3340 Derivatives 2
BFC3341 Debt markets and fixed income securities
BFC3540 Modelling in finance
BFX3301 Treasury and financial markets
BFX3355 Property investment
BFX3871 International study program in banking and finance
BTC3200 Finance law
ETC3460 Financial econometrics
Source: https://handbook.monash.edu/current/aos/FINANCE05

Thank you so much.

[Springyboy]

Hi,
I am a double degree student studying Eng and Comm at Monash University.
I have the following options. I am probably going to get a job in engineering and I am not entirely sure what sort of job I would want if I were to go into finance (something that will make me money). I am interested in stocks and possibly entrepreneurship. It would be good if you could tell me what sort of career the units would help me in.

BFC3140 Corporate finance 2
BFC3170 Management of financial intermediaries
BFC3240 International finance
BFC3340 Derivatives 2
BFC3341 Debt markets and fixed income securities
BFC3540 Modelling in finance
BFX3301 Treasury and financial markets
BFX3355 Property investment
BFX3871 International study program in banking and finance
BTC3200 Finance law
ETC3460 Financial econometrics
Source: https://handbook.monash.edu/current/aos/FINANCE05

Thank you so much.

Hey TheGun, you've come to the right place!

I've done all of these units except for treasury & financial markets and property investment.

Most of them are pretty good except for debt markets. However, the content of debt markets is valued by employers, as the bond market is used just as much as the stock market so may be something to consider. I had a few issues with the teaching though, which from what I know have yet to be fixed.

Two that I would say are must do's are derivatives 2 and modelling in finance. In derivatives 2 you trade stocks in a trading game. This isn't any old simulation. You are given a system that allows you to trade as much as you can on the US stock market! You start with $1M and then trade from there. So based on your stock interest I'd definitely say pick that to start off with. Out of all the units above, it was easily the best taught.

Modelling in finance is also great because you are coding in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) the whole time. It also has a nice overlap with BFC3241 - equities & investment analysis, so starting off with that is quite valuable for any future job prospects. Having VBA knowledge will also put you at an advantage in the finance world or even the engineering world as a lot of employers love someone with experience in VBA.

In terms of your last 2 options this is trickier. I would say do international finance, just because the content is really relevant if you want to become a financial trader. Foreign exchange is the bread and butter of any finance company, so definitely pick that (in S2 2021 if you can) and then you'll be able to maximise your opportunities.

I went on the study tour in early 2020 and loved it. But with the current situation it might be fully virtual which ain't the best.
So maybe pick something else out of the list.
Did you like ETC2410? If you did, have a look at ETC3460: Financial Econometrics. You are basically working with financial models in an econometric world, but I'm not exactly sure if that's so job relevant.

None of the units here focus on entrepreneurship. The only one that I know does is BEX3411. But I would say a close fit to your preferences is BFX3355 : property investment. Jason is an absolute legend so I would say give it a shot just because it is the most applied unit that you could get in terms of buying houses and managing property, which is something that you would likely do in your work.

tldr - this is how I would structure your units:

S1 2021 - BFC3540, BFX3355

S2 2021 - BFC3240, BFC3340

Good luck!

[TheGun]

Hey Springyboy,

Thank you so much for this! It was really helpful.

Would you recommend corporate finance 2 at all? I found that to be more enjoyable than derivatives 2 (but I think derivatives is important).

Thanks again!

[Springyboy]

Hey Springyboy,

Thank you so much for this! It was really helpful.

Would you recommend corporate finance 2 at all? I found that to be more enjoyable than derivatives 2 (but I think derivatives is important).

Thanks again!

If you like Corp Fi 2, then definitely consider taking it. It is relatively straightforward, and probably has the easiest content out of all the finance level 3's. If you want to work as a manager of a company, and are interested in takeovers / corporate merger knowledge then have a look. It also helps with honours preparation. Out of all the finance units offered, it is definitely geared towards honours preparation. Again it's a tough call, and I think I got the same mark in both derivatives 2 and corp fi 2 so I am split. The math in derivatives 2 can be a bit intense, but with your eng background it shouldn't be an issue.

[TheGun]

Thank you!