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Kickstart your career by gaining skills that are in demand in top companies and the public sector. The Bachelor of Commerce isn’t just another degree—it’s your pathway to a successful career in the worlds of business, finance, and government.

The Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) is a three-year degree that will teach you the skills and knowledge you need to excel in the job market.

During your study, you’ll:

  • connect with organisations through real-world projects, internships, and guest lectures
  • develop critical thinking, teamwork, and problem-solving skills
  • gain unique insights into the interplay between commerce, policy, and society in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond.

New Zealand’s most flexible Bachelor of Commerce

Our BCom offers the widest range of commerce majors in the country, giving you the flexibility to customise your study to match your goals.

You’ll start your study with two foundational courses, BCOM 101 and BCOM 102, that give you a solid grounding in commerce. You’ll complement those core courses with a major subject that adds the specialised knowledge you need for your chosen career path.

If you want to take a second major, you can choose from over 90 options offered across the University. You could combine business with psychology, or marketing with computer science, or public policy with space science—the choice is yours.

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You can easily pair the BCom with any other undergrad degree at the University. This opens doors to a wide range of exciting career options. As someone studying a conjoint BA/BCom degree, I love the flexibility. (While) enrolled in the BCom core courses, I have time to decide where I go from here.

Joshua Paterson

BA/BCom student

Bachelor of Commerce quiz

Take this short quiz to discover your personality type and which business majors and minors might be right for you.

International recognition

Wellington School of Business and Government is among a select group of fewer than 130 business schools worldwide that hold the ‘Triple Crown’ of international business education accreditations. By studying here, you can be confident your qualification will be recognised globally for its quality.

Find out more about university accreditations and what they mean for you.

Explore the Bachelor of Commerce

Important information

  • To get into advanced-level courses, you need to have already completed the relevant prerequisite courses at 100 level. Keep this in mind when planning your courses.
  • If you’re new to Victoria University of Wellington, contact the Future Student Advisers for advice about what to study. If you’re already a student here, contact a Student Success Adviser.
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I thoroughly enjoyed studying in a collegial, enriching, and stimulating learning environment. This led me to undertake postgraduate study to pursue my area of interest. My journey at this University has been truly inspiring, rewarding, and fulfilling.

Yana Geary

Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management and Employment Relations and Management and current Master of Commerce student

New degree structure for 2025

The structure of our BCom is changing. This page explains the new structure of the degree, which will come into effect from 2025.

First year

In your first year of the BCom, you’ll take two compulsory core courses along with your choice of three 100-level elective courses. Depending on your major, you may also need to take further 100-level courses.

Core courses

BCOM 101—Identifying Grand Challenges in Business and Government

Each of the six schools within the Wellington School of Business and Government will show you how their subjects help address grand challenges. You will get to see the disciplines in context. This will give you the opportunity to assess your chosen major early in your studies.

BCOM 102—Introducing Essential Tools for Study and Work in Business and Government

This course will support your transition into tertiary study by helping you develop the academic and professional skills you need to succeed. You’ll develop these skills while learning about business and government.

Elective courses

You’ll choose three of the following:
  • ACCY 130—Accounting for Accountability and Decision Making
  • COML 111—Law for Business
  • ECON 130—Microeconomic Principles
  • INFO 101—Digital Systems and Information in Business and Society
  • MARK 101—Principles of Marketing
  • MGMT 101—Introduction to Management
  • PUBL 113—Social and Public Policy: Values and Change
  • QUAN 102—Introductory Applied Statistics for Business
  • TOUR 101—Tourism in Aotearoa New Zealand.

It’s possible to do two majors in your BCom, but be careful to take courses that meet the requirements of both majors.

First-year courses are normally taught at our Kelburn campus.

Second year

You’ll be encouraged to take the core course, BCOM 201—Analysing Grand Challenges in Business and Government. In this course, you’ll gain consultancy and advisory skills and learn how to work in multi-disciplinary teams to analyse a contemporary ‘grand challenge’ case.

This is the year you start to delve into the detail of your chosen major. You’ll take a number of 200-level courses that investigate issues relevant to your area, and you’ll gain skills through research and real-world projects.

Third year

The final core course in the BCom is BCOM 301—Addressing Grand Challenges in Business, Government, and Society. In this course, you’ll work alongside members of the Wellington business community to identify a real-world grand challenge. You’ll then collaborate with peers studying different BCom majors to present a cross-disciplinary report addressing the challenge.

By the end of your third year, you’ll have completed 300-level courses in your major subject, and you’ll be taking your final steps towards graduating university. You’ll be ready to launch your career, equipped with a workplace-ready skill set.

Get a Master’s degree

At the end of your BCom, you can choose to continue your learning with postgraduate studies. Boost your career options and earning potential by choosing from a range of postgraduate programmes offered by Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

Improve your writing

Clear writing is vital to your success at university and at work. It helps you understand your subject, organise your thoughts, and communicate your message. If you want to improve your writing, consider taking the Writing (Academic and Professional) course.

Scholarships

Scholarships are awarded to hundreds of first-year students each year. They help with living costs and accommodation costs at the University's halls of residence.

Our Tangiwai, Totoweka, and Kahotea scholarships are available to school leavers, and there are several other first-year scholarships on offer in our scholarships database.

You can also apply for a TeachNZ Scholarship. These scholarships are awarded based on specific areas where teachers are needed.

We strongly recommend applying for our scholarships, as they often don’t receive enough applications.