Commerce/Business differences (2 Viewers)

[vbored]

Hello

Long story short I was studying a Bachelor of Business online but transferred to a local uni in Perth (Curtin) so I could undertake a Commerce degree (majoring in Human Resources and Industrial Relations) which was my ideal degree and the fact that I wanted to do a Commerce degree over Business as I was told by many people it was more “worthwhile”.

I moved to Sydney so again had to transfer unis (even though Curtin was offered online, I wanted to go on campus) and after thorough research of universities in Sydney and reading this wonderful post (thishttps://boredofstudies.org/threads/human-resources-a-guide-to-the-profession.334547/) I have ended up back where I was studying a Bachelor of Business majoring in Human Resource Management at Western Sydney.

There were a few factors in this decision:

- I am now mature aged with a bit of work experience under my belt so I wasn’t too concerned about the “prestige” of university
- HR is very much a tick the box item so the university didn’t matter too much
- Proximity to my house and ease of getting there was a big factor (I live in the inner west)
- How much credit I was able to obtain from each uni
- The actual content on the units (USYD was very heavy on the theoretical side of HR)
- Cost of the degree
- Degree title

WSU won out on all fronts except the degree title. They changed to a Business degree from a Commerce degree a few years ago (I think) but I didn’t want to just attend another university just for this. If it’s not a Business degree there can’t be MUCH difference?

I know that this probably doesn’t really matter but it’s something I have always wondered about. I am happy with WSU, they are fantastic and the course content is amazing, I got credit for every unit I had taken, the campus is lovely etc etc this is just something I had been thinking of for a bit!

Thanks in advance for any insight.

 

[jimmysmith560]

Western Sydney University is actually a very good uni for HR specifically. I’m currently in my second year in the Bachelor of Business (Advanced Business Leadership) and am majoring in HRM. My degree has a requirement to maintain at least a 5.0 GPA to remain enrolled in the degree (basically a credit is a pass for me). My initial plan was to study commerce at USyd, but the convenience Western offered me in terms of campus and transport (I live in Western Sydney so pretty far from USyd) and the fact that the degree itself is comparable to USyd’s Bachelor of Commerce, made me choose WSU.

Throughout my first year, I thought about whether WSU was the right option for me. It wasn’t until this semester that I decided that I was going to stay at WSU. The quality I was exposed to this semester was just splendid:

- Great lecturers/tutors with decades of experience in the field, so highly knowledgeable people.
- Got to meet and work alongside an executive in a multi billion dollar company for a group presentation. This is a big deal to me as this was the first executive I’ve ever met.
- Been doing great academically so far this semester (3 credits, 2 distinctions and 2 high distinctions).

There isn’t much difference between commerce and business degrees. What matters is that you’re specialising in HR, which would be the same regardless of whether it’s a business/commerce degree. The thread you linked explains HR very well, and I believe it also mentions the difference between WSU and USyd in terms of being highly theoretical vs highly practical?

Which campus do you go to if you don’t mind me asking?

I hope this helps!

 

[vbored]

Western Sydney University is actually a very good uni for HR specifically. I’m currently in my second year in the Bachelor of Business (Advanced Business Leadership) and am majoring in HRM. My degree has a requirement to maintain at least a 5.0 GPA to remain enrolled in the degree (basically a credit is a pass for me). My initial plan was to study commerce at USyd, but the convenience Western offered me in terms of campus and transport (I live in Western Sydney so pretty far from USyd) and the fact that the degree itself is comparable to USyd’s Bachelor of Commerce, made me choose WSU.

Throughout my first year, I thought about whether WSU was the right option for me. It wasn’t until this semester that I decided that I was going to stay at WSU. The quality I was exposed to this semester was just splendid:

- Great lecturers/tutors with decades of experience in the field, so highly knowledgeable people.
- Got to meet and work alongside an executive in a multi billion dollar company for a group presentation. This is a big deal to me as this was the first executive I’ve ever met.
- Been doing great academically so far this semester (3 credits, 2 distinctions and 2 high distinctions).

There isn’t much difference between commerce and business degrees. What matters is that you’re specialising in HR, which would be the same regardless of whether it’s a business/commerce degree. The thread you linked explains HR very well, and I believe it also mentions the difference between WSU and USyd in terms of being highly theoretical vs highly practical?

Which campus do you go to if you don’t mind me asking?

I hope this helps!

Thanks so much! I also agree that WSU is fantastic for HR, my tutors are top notch and compared to the other 3 unis I have experienced, WSU is miles ahead.

I didn’t think there was much difference, so thanks for confirming. I just wasn’t sure if there was one that was looked at more favourably over the other but I would expect connections, networking, experience etc would count for more than just the degree title with none of the above.

I am also in second year though! I graduate end of 2022. I am at Parra City, assuming the same for you?

Congrats on the grades also, they are some amazing marks what units are you taking?

I had to take some first year units to fill a gap from my previous uni so I am taking:

- Management Analytics
- Enterprise Innovations and Markets
- Financing Enterprises
- Enterprise Industrial Relations

 

[jimmysmith560]

Thanks so much! I also agree that WSU is fantastic for HR, my tutors are top notch and compared to the other 3 unis I have experienced, WSU is miles ahead.

That's great to hear!

I didn’t think there was much difference, so thanks for confirming. I just wasn’t sure if there was one that was looked at more favourably over the other but I would expect connections, networking, experience etc would count for more than just the degree title with none of the above.

I don't think employers will distinguish between business/commerce. They care more about the candidate having an actual degree and of course their experience.

I am also in second year though! I graduate end of 2022. I am at Parra City, assuming the same for you?

Congrats on the grades also, they are some amazing marks what units are you taking?

I had to take some first year units to fill a gap from my previous uni so I am taking:

- Management Analytics
- Enterprise Innovations and Markets
- Financing Enterprises
- Enterprise Industrial Relations

Yep, Parramatta City too! Oh that's pretty good you get to graduate earlier than me. I finish all my units at the end of 2022, so I believe I will graduate at the start of 2023.

Thank you, same to you!

I'm currently taking:

- Advanced Business Seminars
- International Human Resource Management
- People, Work and Society
- Enterprise Industrial Relations

I took Enterprise Innovation and Markets and Financing Enterprises in my first year first semester and Management Analytics in my first year second semester.

Nice we got one in common! How are you finding EIR? I hate this unit hahaha.

 

[vbored]

Omg so cool! I’m so glad I have found someone in one of my classes or who understands the ones I have done.

I don’t mind EIR but it is very poorly run. That almost 5 week period to return the essays was a joke, modules are uploaded late. I think it would have been fine if it was better run as I find the content slightly interesting!

Management Analytics might be the death of me. It’s also not run very well and the average grade is very low (like 8/25 for the mid term). Finance is great and my teacher is amazing, I am sitting on a Distinction so pretty happy with that. EIM is so so, definitely harder than it first appears!

How are you liking your units? I have got credit for PWS but will have to do International Human Resource Management next year

 

[jimmysmith560]

I don't find the content interesting tbh, but in terms of difficulty, the concepts aren't hard to understand. I just need to study hard so I can make sure I end up with a good mark overall. And yeah, quite poorly run, thanks to the merciful (not) Terri Mylett. In my opinion, this unit is given more emphasis than it needs. Are you doing your exam on 23 June as well?

As someone who hates maths/stats, I actually thoroughly enjoyed Management Analytics. So far it's the only unit in which I received an HD overall. But I'm still glad I won't have to do maths for the rest of my life!

Financing Enterprises was nice too! Ended up with a distinction overall. Congratulations on your marks! Also got a distinction overall for EIM. The exam wasn't bad, studying the textbook will definitely allow you to get good marks.

PWS is great! Easily one of the units I enjoyed the most, so much knowledge on psychology and sociology so I'm grateful! Got a distinction for my first assessment and an HD for my second, hopefully I can get a good mark in my final assessment to achieve a distinction overall.

I was pretty excited when I started IHRM (I speak 3 languages and have dealt with many cultures so I felt I could relate to this unit), but I didn't enjoy the theory part of it tbh. Doing okay so far, a credit in my first assessment and a distinction in my second assessment. Good luck with IHRM next year!

Advanced Business Seminars is a tough one, mainly because it's part of the ABL programme. In fact, there's only one class of 15 students doing it in the whole School of Business this semester. Despite this, it was a pretty enjoyable subject! I hope I can get a distinction overall for this subject too!

 

[vbored]

Totally agree with your sentiments around EIR, thankfully I believe I will pass with most likely a distinction (dependant on the group assignment mark). Terri is pretty merciful, but I do enjoy a good unit rating so that will be a nice way to end the unit lol. I am sitting it on 23 June, what are your thoughts around it? I feel it will be quite simple if you use the buzz words and concepts they seem to love.

I was part of the average that bombed the mid term. The other two tests I got a Distinction so that’s really dragged my grade down, I am hoping to end up with a credit for MA for realistically probably a Pass. But great work on the HD, that’s a mammoth effort as I understand as I hate maths also.

A few people have said PWS is great, I really wish I got to do it! It does sound super interesting.

I don’t know much about the Advanced Bus Leadership degree. What does it entail? Is it kind of like a management / leadership major?

Do you mind me asking what you’re enrolled in next sem? I have the following:

- Managing and Developing Careers
- HR Development
- Reward and Performance Management
- Organisational Behaviour

 

[jimmysmith560]

Wow you're really smashing it it seems, good job! My minimum aim for EIR is a credit, although I will try to work hard to see if I can reach a distinction overall. We'll see how that goes haha.

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that! At least you did well in your 2 other tests so hopefully with the final exam you can make a difference.

I just realised I misread your earlier post, I thought you meant that you did PWS and ended up with a credit overall oops. But it's great that you already got credit for it, that's one less unit you have to worry about.

The ABL programme adds 4 extra units to those you'd normally do in the standard BBus at the expense of 4 of your electives, meaning I get to do 4 electives in my entire degree whereas a standard BBus student gets to do 8. Advanced Business Seminars is the first ABL unit I'm doing. The seminars go for 3 hours each. The unit is mainly about:

- Diversity (very similar to the stuff we learn in HR)
- Strategy, including concepts such as strategic management, open strategy and strategic cognition (which I believe are emphasised in the management major).
- Corporate Governance (including ethics and different models of corporate governance).

ABL emphasises leadership (it's in the name haha), so there will be a lot of presentations, discussions and papers we will have to complete. Advanced Business Seminars is the unit for which we had to bring in a guest speaker from outside the university to deliver part of our group presentation. We ended up contacting and bringing in an executive from Bingo Industries and received a distinction for the presentation. What a great day it was!

Sure! Next semester I'll be doing:

- Business Leadership (2nd ABL unit)
- Elective (I haven't decided yet)
- Managing and Developing Careers
- Reward and Performance Management

Nice, 2 in common! I did HRD and OB in my first year second semester, pretty good units! Got a distinction overall for both. OB was my first elective.

 

[vbored]

Haha all good. I got credit for PWS, the Law one and Leadership then 5 general electives so I don’t get a second major (unfortunately) I just have to pick 3 electives which I think will be OB, Managing in the Global Environment and Business Society and Policy - purely because they have no exams / seem like ok units.

ABL sounds so good! Thanks for the explanation, it seems like a good major to really get some good skills and knowledge under your belt and meeting that executive must have been awesome! Definitely something I would have done if I had known about it haha.

Totally crazy I have posted on here and found someone in some of my units! I am actually prettt excited for Reward and Performance Management. Did you have Nadine for OB? She seems so nice!

 

[jimmysmith560]

You didn't have to do Enterprise Law and Enterprise Leadership? That's so lucky! Definitely the worst 2 units I've done (apart from EIR). I'm also looking for an elective that doesn't have a final exam! Thanks for mentioning those units hahaha.

It is indeed! So much knowledge I can acquire next to HR. The ATAR requirement for this degree is 95, although I'm not entirely sure what the required GPA would be for transferring uni students. But yeah, extremely happy to be part of that elite group of students tbh.

Same here, sick stuff! I've been told that RPM will be like a walk in the park, so hopefully it will be enjoyable. And yep, I had Nadine for OB, she's pretty nice! She's also one of those academics that happens to have a tonne of degrees haha.

 

[vbored]

You didn't have to do Enterprise Law and Enterprise Leadership? That's so lucky! Definitely the worst 2 units I've done (apart from EIR). I'm also looking for an elective that doesn't have a final exam! Thanks for mentioning those units hahaha.

It is indeed! So much knowledge I can acquire next to HR. The ATAR requirement for this degree is 95, although I'm not entirely sure what the required GPA would be for transferring uni students. But yeah, extremely happy to be part of that elite group of students tbh.

Same here, sick stuff! I've been told that RPM will be like a walk in the park, so hopefully it will be enjoyable. And yep, I had Nadine for OB, she's pretty nice! She's also one of those academics that happens to have a tonne of degrees haha.

Yes I completed a year at my other university which include a Leadership type unit and Law (it was called Business Law and it was absolute hell) so I was really glad I didn’t have to redo them. I got the entire year I had completed so walked into second year here at WSU which was such a relief. I am always on the hunt for units with no exams so if I find any others I’ll let you know

That’s such a high ATAR! You must have worked so hard to get in from high school, well done. I had a pretty low GPA from transferring but it was purely online and I’m definitely getting better grades being on campus and being immersed in uni. I think I also care more because I gave up full time work to study full time haha. Do you have an idea of what sort of work you want to do when you finish? There is so many options with HR!

When I enrolled Nadine called me to sort my schedule and units out because I had credit and couldn’t enrol in some units because those units were pre requisites etc and she was so helpful and sat on the phone with me until it was all sorted then sent me a schedule of what to complete each sem till I finish, then ended it with a “Welcome to Western Sydney!”. Made me feel so special haha.

 

[jimmysmith560]

Yes I completed a year at my other university which include a Leadership type unit and Law (it was called Business Law and it was absolute hell) so I was really glad I didn’t have to redo them. I got the entire year I had completed so walked into second year here at WSU which was such a relief. I am always on the hunt for units with no exams so if I find any others I’ll let you know

That’s such a high ATAR! You must have worked so hard to get in from high school, well done. I had a pretty low GPA from transferring but it was purely online and I’m definitely getting better grades being on campus and being immersed in uni. I think I also care more because I gave up full time work to study full time haha. Do you have an idea of what sort of work you want to do when you finish? There is so many options with HR!

When I enrolled Nadine called me to sort my schedule and units out because I had credit and couldn’t enrol in some units because those units were pre requisites etc and she was so helpful and sat on the phone with me until it was all sorted then sent me a schedule of what to complete each sem till I finish, then ended it with a “Welcome to Western Sydney!”. Made me feel so special haha.

Yes please do hahaha

Thank you! Yeah it was a lot of work indeed. It's great to hear that your grades have been getting better and that you're enjoying your time at uni! As a graduate, I hope to work in recruitment as a start, then hopefully with time and experience work in more senior positions. What about you?

Oh yeah, she's the academic course advisor for HR isn't she? I once emailed her thinking she was my course advisor, but she told me that ABL people have their own course advisor, even if I major in HR, then forwarded my email to my course advisor, who ended up helping me. But yeah, she's so dedicated and professional! I hope you enjoy OB!

 

[vbored]

Yeah, sometimes I hate saying I love university because people are always shocked like everyone should hate university and not enjoy the experience but I really do enjoy it

I am currently working as a HR Assistant so I am hoping to potentially get a HR Advisor role when I finish uni. It might be a stretch though... ideally I would like to work in a university environment (I think) so I might aim towards that.

Yes shes the ACA for HR, definitely dedicated and professional! Excited to meet her in OB next sem. Some people have said it is a little dry but I dont mind OB stuff so hopefully it will be fine.

 

[jimmysmith560]

I think it's very normal for someone to love uni! It's great that you do! (although sometimes I hate it haha).

It's great that you already have industry experience, that'll make it much easier for you to get a job once you graduate. I will soon start working at PwC and have my first Woolworths shift today (although that's not really significant hahaha) so I'll try to balance the 2 jobs and hopefully keep studying full time.

You might find OB a bit overwhelming at the start of the semester, but it gets much better afterwards (but of course you might also not find it overwhelming at all!)

 

[vbored]

Congrats on both jobs! What will you be doing at PWC? That will look great when you go for HR jobs after uni to show you can juggle multiple priorities and competing deadlines.

I think I am most worried about the video presentation tbh haha that sort of stuff always puts me off. But thanks for the tip, I am going to be on campus for all four units in Spring (I did two online, two on campus this sem) and I seem to do better on campus so hopefully that will help with OB also.

 

[jimmysmith560]

Thank you! My work at PwC will mostly be about risk consulting, so not related to HR unfortunately, but definitely good and beneficial experience for when I'll be applying for HR jobs as you mentioned. I heard about the job through the university.

I did OB online so the presentation went pretty well haha. But regardless, it's not too hard so you should definitely do well. I'll have to see how I'll be studying my units next semester. Online definitely saves time but I'll see how things go then

 

[quickoats]

To answer the initial question, BCom vs BBus comes from the Dawkin's reforms in the 80s where non-university degree granting institutions were converted into universities (like modern day WSU and UTS). Older places maintained the BCom name whereas the newer ones used the BBus name. The name really doesn't matter, although some may think commerce sounds a bit fancier/more traditional.

 

[vbored]

Ahh the “corporate” experience will be great regardless, you will be steps ahead of other grads!

Yeah I wanted to do 2 online again next semester but that would have made it 3 days of university for me instead of 2 days and I prefer to have 2 so I can have a day off / day to work (I work 2-3 days a week).

 

[vbored]

To answer the initial question, BCom vs BBus comes from the Dawkin's reforms in the 80s where non-university degree granting institutions were converted into universities (like modern day WSU and UTS). Older places maintained the BCom name whereas the newer ones used the BBus name. The name really doesn't matter, although some may think commerce sounds a bit fancier/more traditional.

Thank you for the response! That makes so much as sense as the BBus at WSU seemed to correlate with their name change as well. Appreciate it (and glad to hear it makes zero difference in the scheme of things!).

 

[jimmysmith560]

Ahh the “corporate” experience will be great regardless, you will be steps ahead of other grads!

Yeah I wanted to do 2 online again next semester but that would have made it 3 days of university for me instead of 2 days and I prefer to have 2 so I can have a day off / day to work (I work 2-3 days a week).

What really got my attention today is the fact that the “Business Leadership” unit I mentioned I’ll be doing next semester is actually connected to WSU’s MBA Leadership unit. I’m really hoping it gives me an idea of what it might be like to study an MBA because that’s what I want to study after graduating and gaining some experience. I’ll probably do it at USyd though.

I actually had 4 days of uni last semester and I was working in a different job so it was a bit of a challenge to manage my time despite all my units being online at the time.

Just finished my first shift at Woolworths. It was good but a bit new because I never worked in retail haha.

How is HR? Are you finding the field fun?