A student who has completed all the requirements of the Bachelor of Commerce, or another qualification which the Faculty Board agrees is equivalent, may be accepted as a candidate for the honours degree providing a sufficiently high standard has been achieved in fulfilling the requirements for the bachelors degree.

Course Aims

The course aims to develop students’ ability to conduct research including preparing aresearch proposal, writing an ethics application, conducting a literature review, selecting and using appropriate research methods, and writing up a research thesis at standards required for academic publication. The course also aims to improve students’ skills to become independent thinkers and researchers and to effectively present their research orally and in writing.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the Honours Program students will be able to:

  • Identify and discuss, at an advanced level, the underlying principles and concepts of a business-related discipline and apply knowledge in solving authentic business related problems while working both independently and in a group
  • Explain the research principles and methods applicable to a range of business-related research
  • Identify, analyse, consolidate and synthesise existing academic knowledge and apply it to a business-related area of study
  • Use modern qualitative and/or quantitative research methods to analyse data
  • Conduct independent and original research using research principles and methods applicable to business research and critically evaluate and analyse research results
  • Communicate research findings clearly, in both oral and written form

Program of study

In order to qualify for the award of BCom (Honours) all requirements of the Bachelor of Commerce (or other qualification deemed equivalent) must be met and the BCom (Hons) program must have been satisfactorily completed.

The Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) program consists of 36 units of study as follows:

Core - Year 1 topics

31.5 units comprising:

 BUSN7020  Business Research Methods  (4.5 units)
 BUSN7016  Special Honours Topic A  (4.5 units)
 BUSN8005  Quantitative Research Methods (4.5 units)
 BUSN7200  Honours Thesis (18 units) OR 
 BUSN7200A  Honours Thesis (4.5/18 units) AND
 BUSN7200B  Honours Thesis (4.5/18 units) AND
 BUSN7200C  Honours Thesis (4.5/18 units) AND
 BUSN7200D  Honours Thesis (4.5/18 units) 

Option - Year 1 topics  

Select 4.5 units from:

 BUSN7018  Business Research: Theoretical Foundations  (4.5 units)*
 BUSN7019  Critical Readings in Business  (4.5 units)**

or other relevant Honours topics offered by the University and approved by the Flinders Business School Honours Coordinator

* Readings topic where the student works independently with a supervisor. The topic will be designed to give students an in-depth knowledge/analysis of a series of business theories, with a major project on a theory to be used in their thesis.

**Readings topic where the student works independently with a supervisor. The topic will be designed to give students an in-depth knowledge/analysis of a series of business issues, with a major project on an issue related to their thesis.