Upgrades and Transfers - Postgraduate Coursework Programs

FAQs Upgrades and Transfers

1. How do I apply to upgrade or transfer between programs?
2. What are the requirements to upgrade or transfer between programs?
3. Do I need to apply to transfer to the new 2 year Master of Commerce or Master of Professional for Semester 2, 2013 or can I apply to do so later?
4. I am currently enrolled in the Graduate Diploma/Graduate Certificate in Commerce - can I still apply to upgrade to the 1.5 year Master of Commerce?
5. I am currently enrolled in the Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting - can I still apply to upgrade to the 1.5 year Master of Professional Accounting?
6. Will all units I have completed be credited towards a program I upgrade/transfer to?
7. I want to satisfy the associate membership requirements for CPA Australia in the Master of Commerce - can I complete a specialisation in a second area?
8. I want to satisfy the associate membership requirements for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia in the Master of Commerce can I complete a specialisation in a second area?
9. I am considering transfer from the 1.5 year Master of Professional Accounting to the 2 year Master of Professional Accounting. Do I need to complete BUSS5000 Critical Thinking in Business in my first semester?

1. How do I apply to upgrade or transfer between programs?

To apply to upgrade or transfer in Semester 2, 2013 you will need to submit the Upgrade/Transfers - Postgraduate Coursework Programs application form. Applications to upgrade or transfer in Semester 2, 2013 will close on Friday, 5th July.

2. What are the requirements to upgrade or transfer between programs?

In order to upgrade from an embedded graduate certificate or graduate diploma to the master's degree, you must have completed at least four units of study with a minimum Credit (65%) average. If you have completed more units of study at the time of application, your average will be calculated over all units completed at that time (minimum of 65% required).

In order to transfer between programs at the same level (e.g. 1.5 year Master of Commerce or Master of Professional Accounting to the 2 year Master of Commerce or Master of Professional Accounting), a Pass (50%) average is required.

3. Do I need to apply to transfer to the new 2 year Master of Commerce or Master of Professional for Semester 2, 2013 or can I apply to do so later?

Although you can apply to transfer between master's programs up until the end of your final semester, we recommend you do so at the end of your first semester (or second semester at the latest if you are enrolled in a 1.5 year program) to give you more flexibility to plan your progression.

4. I am currently enrolled in the Graduate Diploma/Graduate Certificate in Commerce - can I still apply to upgrade to the 1.5 year Master of Commerce?

If you commenced the Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma in Commerce prior to Semester 2, 2013 you have the option to either upgrade to the 1.5 year Master of Commerce or upgrade to the new 2 year Master of Commerce. The choice is yours, as long as you complete all requirements for the Master of Commerce within six years of commencing study with us at postgraduate level and maintain continuous enrolment (with the exception of approved leave).

5. I am currently enrolled in the Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting - can I still apply to upgrade to the 1.5 year Master of Professional Accounting?

If you commenced the Graduate Diploma in Professional Accounting in Semester 1, 2013 you have the option to either upgrade to the 1.5 year Master of Professional Accounting or upgrade to the new 2 year Master of Professional Accounting. The choice is yours, as long as you complete all requirements for the Master of Professional Accounting within 6 years of six years of commencing study with us at postgraduate level and maintain continuous enrolment (with the exception of approved leave).

6. Will all units I have completed be credited towards a program I upgrade/transfer to?

If you are upgrading within an embedded sequence (e.g. Graduate Diploma in Commerce to the Master of Commerce), you complete the requirements of the higher level course as outlined in the Handbook of the year you commenced the embedded graduate certificate or graduate diploma so all units you have completed will be transferred across as credit. For example, if you commenced the Graduate Diploma in Commerce in 2012, you can upgrade to the Master of Commerce and complete your program according to the 2012 course rules.

If you are transferring between programs at the same level, as long as the units you have completed are listed for the program you wish to transfer to, they will be transferred across as credit.

We will, however make an exception for students transferring from the 1.5 year Master of Commerce to the 2 year Master of Commerce or from the 1.5 year Master of Professional Accounting to the 2 year Master of Professional Accounting where units previously listed for the courses (such as those listed in the table below) have been replaced with new units in 2013.

New Course	Completed prior to 2013	Credited upon transfer in Semester 2, 2013
Master of Commerce	IBUS5001 Strategy, Innovation and Global Business	This unit will be transferred in its current form to enable students to use it as the foundational unit for either the International Business or the Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship specialisation.
Master of Commerce or Master of Professional Accounting	ECON5003 Economics for Accountants	BUSS5001 Firms, Markets and Business Management
Master of Professional Accounting	ECMT5001 Principles of Econometrics	QBUS5002 Quantitative Methods for Accounting
	QBUS5001 Quantitative Methods for Business
Master of Professional Accounting	INFS5000 Business Information Systems	INFS5000 Accounting Information Systems
	ACCT6014 Designing Accounting Systems

Students who hold a prior qualification in business (e.g. Bachelor of Commerce) or who can demonstrate that they have at least 3 years professional work experience in business may be able to further reduce the duration of/number of units required for the Master of Commerce or Master of Professional Accounting program. If you wish to apply for a reduction in the volume of learning, you will need to fill in the second page of the application form and attach the following documents:

For RVL based on prior study - a copy of your academic transcript from your previous institution For RVL based on work experience – your CV and references from employers, duty statements etc. which demonstrate that you have a minimum of 3 years professional business experience.

7. I want to satisfy the associate membership requirements for CPA Australia in the Master of Commerce - can I complete a specialisation in a second area?

Under the new 2 year/16 unit Master of Commerce, you can complete all 10 units required for associate membership of CPA Australia* and a second specialisation in Finance, Business Law, Banking, Quantitative Business Analysis, Quantitative Finance or Econometrics as follows:

Core Units
BUSS5000 Critical Thinking in Business
BUSS6000 Succeeding in Business

Foundational units of study
ACCT5001 Accounting Principles
BUSS5001 Firms, Markets and Business Management;
CLAW5001 Legal Environment of Business
FINC5001 Capital Markets and Corporate Finance
QBUS5001 Quantitative Methods for Business OR ECMT5001 Principles of Econometrics.

Accounting specialisation units of study
ACCT5002 Managerial Accounting and Decision Making
ACCT6001 Intermediate Financial Reporting
ACCT6010 Advanced Financial Reporting
ACCT6014 Designing Accounting Systems

Elective unit of study (can be counted towards the specialisation in Business Law)
CLAW6002 Corporate Structures in Practice

2nd specialisation units of study

+ 4 advanced units listed for the second specialisation; or in the case of a second specialisation in Business Law + 3 advanced units listed for the specialisation + 1 additional elective unit. If CLAW6026 Taxation Law and Practice is completed as an elective unit under the Business Law specialisation, a total of 11 CPA core knowledge areas can be covered.*

CPA Australia allows graduates to cover auditing and taxation core knowledge areas within the elective component of their professional level CPA Program, so ACCT6007 Contemporary Issues in Auditing and CLAW6026 Taxation Law and Practice are not listed in this sequence.
An example progression plan for a student who wishes to complete CPA associate membership requirements* with a specialisation in Accounting and a second specialisation in Finance:

Semester 1	BUSS5000	ACCT5001	QBUS5001	FINC5001
Semester 2	ACCT5002	ACCT6001	CLAW5001	FINC6001
Semester 3	BUSS5001	FINCxxxx	FINCxxxx	ACCT6014
Semester 4	BUSS6000	FINCxxxx	CLAW6002	ACCT6010

Students who are considering transfer to the 2 year/16 unit Master of Commerce (with a CPA accredited Accounting specialisation* and second specialisation in Finance) but who are unsure as to whether they will do so at this time should enrol in the following units in Semester 1, 2013: BUSS5000 Critical Thinking in Business; ACCT5001 Accounting Principles; FINC5001 Capital Markets and Corporate Finance; and FINC6010 Derivative Securities. These units can all be transferred to the 2 year program and completion of these units in Semester 1 will allow for all units required for CPA associate membership* along with a Finance specialisation to be completed within 2 years should you decide to transfer.

* Subject to final confirmation of reaccreditation with CPA Australia.

8. I want to satisfy the associate membership requirements for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia in the Master of Commerce - can I complete a specialisation in a second area?

As 12 units are required to satisfy associate membership requirements of the ICAA (see below), it is only possible to complete a second specialisation in Business Law.

Core Units
BUSS5000 Critical Thinking in Business
BUSS6000 Succeeding in Business
Foundational units of study
ACCT5001 Accounting Principles
BUSS5001 Firms, Markets and Business Management
CLAW5001 Legal Environment of Business
FINC5001 Capital Markets and Corporate Finance
QBUS5001 Quantitative Methods for Business OR ECMT5001 Principles of Econometrics.
Accounting specialisation units of study
ACCT5002 Managerial Accounting and Decision Making
ACCT6001 Intermediate Financial Reporting
ACCT6007 Contemporary Issues in Auditing
ACCT6010 Advanced Financial Reporting
ACCT6014 Designing Accounting Systems
Elective unit of study (can be counted towards the specialisation in Business Law)
CLAW6002 Corporate Structures in Practice
CLAW6026 Taxation Law and Practice
2nd specialisation in Business Law
+ 2 units listed for the specialisation in Business Law

9. I am considering transfer from the 1.5 year Master of Professional Accounting to the 2 year Master of Professional Accounting. Do I need to complete BUSS5000 Critical Thinking in Business in my first semester?

If you are not certain that you want to transfer to the 2 year Master of Professional Accounting at this stage, in order to keep your options open we recommend you defer taking BUSS5000 Critical Thinking in Business until Semester 2, 2013. If you do however complete BUSS5000 and decide against transfer to the 2 year program, it can still be counted as an elective towards the 1.5 year program.