Bachelor of Business | UTS Business School
Rachel - UTS Business School 0:00 Hi, everyone. Thanks for joining us today where we'll be talking about the Bachelor of Business here at UTS Business School. My name is Rachel and joining me is Dr. Anurag Hingorani, who is the Bachelor of Business director. Dr Anurag Hingorani 0:12 Hi, everyone. Thank you for joining this session. I'm Anurag Hingorani, as Rachel mentioned, the Bachelor of Business director, and I've been at UTS for over two decades. Well, I love UTS, that's why I'm here. I'm also a
marketing academic. So when you join the Bachelor of Business, and you decide on a marketing major, hopefully I'll see some of you, I don't expect to see all of you, but at least some of you. Rachel - UTS Business School 0:39 To kick things off, what exactly is the Bachelor of Business? Dr Anurag Hingorani 0:45 Alright, very simply, it's a Bachelor of Commerce. Now, we have retained the name
Bachelor of Business, probably because you don't 'own a commerce', you 'own a business'. And basically, it's a Bachelor of Commerce. Now, it is also one of the oldest business courses in Australia. It's highly flexible. And you'll see how flexible when we talk about the different structures in the Bachelor of Business. And it is very much professionally focused. And I think we'll talk about that a little later. Rachel - UTS Business School 1:22 Most universities offer a Bachelor of Business, why should people consider studying here at UTS? Dr Anurag Hingorani 1:30 Okay, one of the main features of the Bachelor of Business course is that it is very practical. And we have case studies and projects and connections with industries.
And it makes that a very practical course. Also, recently, we have reviewed the Bachelor of Business course, and we've taken on the feedback provided by industry, alumni, students, and have revised it, such that it meets the needs of industry in the future, and also it meets the needs of students in that there are things they would have liked to have been able to do or experience in the course. So this new version of the Bachelor of Business course is highly relevant and highly tailored to a variety of needs of students and industry. And another aspect is that the course is focused on developing socially-conscious business leaders, it's a bit of a tongue twister for me to say. But you know that deep down businesses are here to make a profit. But you cannot do that at the expense of the environment and society. So we're making sure that our students are aware of the implications
of business, the impact that they have on society at large, not just for the shareholders and customers, but society at large. So we inculcating that mindset and attitude among students in the Bachelor of Business course. The Bachelor of Business is one of the most popular courses in New South Wales. In fact, it has been the most popular course B Commerce or B
Business UTScourse in New South Wales. Rachel - UTS Business School 3:30 One of the things that UTS prides itself on is connections to industry and being industry-connected, but Anurag, what exactly does this mean for our students? Dr Anurag Hingorani 3:43 Well, Rachel, one of the key features of the Bachelor of Business course is that students have an opportunity to do an internship and internships are offered by industry. So that is one way in which we are connected to industry. Another way in which we are connected to industry is via our tutors. Most of our tutors are currently working in industry and they bring their industry experience and knowledge into the classroom. So that's another way in which we are industry-connected. Apart from our tutors, we also bring in guest lectures,
guest lecturers rather, from industry, and they impart their knowledge and experience. And of course, it goes without saying, as most of you will know, we are centrally-located, and we are located where business actually occurs. So that provides opportunities for interaction between industry and students. So in these ways, we are industry-connected.
Before I forget, and maybe I'm jumping the gun here, is that in many of our capstone subjects - this is a subject that students do pretty much in their last year or last semester (which we call a session at UTS) - in the capstone subjects, many of our students get to work on a live industry project. And since I mentioned before that I'm a marketing academic, I know some of the marketing projects that students have worked on. In the past, we've had clients like Swiss Vitamins, we've had the Powerhouse Museum, and more recently, we've had Revlon cosmetics. And I believe this semester, we had Selleys. So that's another way in which we are connected to industry. So students get to do an internship if they'd like to do one.
And they also get to do projects that are real-world industry projects. Rachel - UTS Business School 5:54 Now to ensure that students gain an understanding of all areas of business to ensure they're equipped to enter the workforce, they need to be exposed to each area of business, Anurag, are you able to run us through exactly what those areas are? Dr Anurag Hingorani 6:10 So in the first year, students are exposed to the different areas of business, and they include accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing. Now, these are the core areas of business. But as you'll see, when we talk about the different structures and majors,
students have an opportunity to also major in other areas of business, but fundamentally accounting, economics, finance, management, and marketing are the key areas of business. Rachel - UTS Business School 6:43 Anurag, you mentioned that the course has recently been refreshed, based on feedback from students and alumni and industry. What are some of the changes to the core subjects, and why have these been made? Dr Anurag Hingorani 6:57 So as mentioned, in response to feedback from industry and students and alumni, we want to prepare students for the future of business. And in response to that feedback, we have pretty much revised our first year core in the Bachelor of Business, and we made changes including the introduction of the subject 'Business and Social Impact'. As I've mentioned, businesses operate for shareholders and customers, but they need to be increasingly responsible to society at large. So the 'Business and Social Impact' subject addresses how businesses address, or rather operate, for the good of society at large, for the public good, and we look at the impact from both an ethical and social perspective. In marketing, for instance, we
look at marketing from a company's perspective, of course, but we also look at it from the perspective of the customer. Obviously, it goes without saying customers these days have a lot of influence and power, just take a look at social media, for example. So we have making students think of marketing not not just in terms of the four P's of product, price, place and promotion, but also in terms of the four C's, which include things like costs to customers rather than price, which is about communication with customers not about promoting to customers. We also have included how students could examine leadership from different viewpoints and perspectives.
It's about giving students the power, it's about empowering students to influence and advocate for change in an organisation, right from the get go, meaning right from when they start their career journey. And in accounting subjects, we've looked at accounting from multiple perspectives - from the perspective of an outsider looking in, as well as an internal perspective. So essentially, we are covering the basic fundamentals, the business fundamentals, but covered in quite a - dare I say it - radically different or unique way. So this is again in response to feedback we received from industry and that includes our alumni who are working in industry. Rachel - UTS Business School 9:42 So Anurag, as you mentioned, flexibility is a core feature of our Bachelor of Business. And we'll go through the specific ways students can tailor their degree in just a little moment, but what are some of the benefits to students of having such a flexible structure. Dr Anurag Hingorani 9:59
It goes without saying flexibility means choice. So, by having a flexible structure, students can choose subjects that they are interested in, they can choose a structure that best meets their needs or passions, if you will. When we talk about the different ways in which the Bachelor of Business is structured, students will see that it is flexible, and maybe I might leave the answer to this question when we go into the details, because then you will indeed see how flexible the Bachelor of Business is. Rachel - UTS Business School 10:45 Anurag, one compulsory element of our degree is a major - but what exactly is a major? And what are some of the options available to choose from? Dr Anurag Hingorani 10:57 A major is an area of specialisation. So in the first year, students are exposed to all the different facets of business. But then from the second year, they commence a major, they choose a specialisation. And a major is typically an area of specialisation in one of
the areas of business that students have covered in the core, so you can specialise in accounting, so you have an accounting major, you can do an economics major, you can do a finance major, marketing, management. And I'd mentioned that there are some other areas of business that students can specialise in earlier. Those include majors such as human resource management, international business, and advertising and marketing communications. So in summary, we have eight different types of majors or areas of specialisation for students to choose from.
Rachel - UTS Business School 12:01 So after first year, students can essentially tailor their degree depending on what they're interested in. Anurag, are you able to talk us through the six ways that students could potentially tailor their degree? Dr Anurag Hingorani 12:15 Sure, Rachel. So we've mentioned at the beginning that the Bachelor of Business is a very flexible course. And I'd said earlier that, let me get to this point in the presentation, and I'll
tell you how flexible it is. And yes, there are six different ways in which students can tailor their Bachelor of Business course. So all students do the first year core of eight subjects. And then they commence a major in their second year. So all students have to do a core and a major. However, there are six different ways in which you can structure your Bachelor of Business course.
Option one, students do a second major. So for example, someone might choose marketing as their first major, then in this structure, they might perhaps choose management as a second nature. So this is one option. Another option, which is new for 2022, is students
do the core, they do one major, and then they can choose eight free, or unspecified, electives. And this could be from the Business faculty. So you might pick and choose, you might do one subject from accounting, beyond what is in the core, of course, three from finance, two from management, so on and so forth, to make up these eight unspecified electives. Of course, you need to meet the prerequisites of subjects that you decide as free electives. Apart from
the Bachelor of Business, you could also choose free or unspecified electives from throughout the university. If visual design is your interest, you could choose the subject in visual design, but providing of course you meet the prerequisites for the subject. So this is a new way of structuring your Bachelor of Business course. And that's going to be introduced from 2022. Another way of structuring the Bachelor of Business is that apart from doing the core and one major, students can choose to choose to do two sub majors. These are minors. A sub major is four subjects. The next option is where a student decides to do a sub major and
four free or unspecified electives. Apart from the standard major of eight subjects, there are two options available to students. And those options are options to do with an extended major. Remember, I said that a major was eight subjects. So in this option that I'm about to talk to you about, students don't do the eight subject major, but they do an extended major, which comprises of 12 subjects. So if students realise or know that all they want to do is marketing, then they choose
all the marketing subjects that we offer. However, with an extended major, students might choose to do a sub major, which is a minor and four subjects. So someone could do an extended major in marketing, and then do a sub major in accounting, for example. And the final way of structuring the Bachelor of Business is again, where students do an extended major, and choose four free electives. Now, I've told you the different ways of structuring the Bachelor of Business, you might feel overwhelmed, don't be! Please note that you do not have to make any any decision about the structure of the Bachelor of Business when you join us.
And you don't have to make any such decision, even in the first year. Why? Because in the first year, all students, regardless of what majors and sub majors they end up doing, all students have to do the same set of eight core subjects. And when you're exposed to the different areas of business in the first year, you might get some idea as to what you'd like to specialise in. That decision about the structure of the Bachelor of Business is to be made at the end of the first year. So please don't get overwhelmed. The point we're
trying to make is that there's, you know, so many different ways in which you can structure the Bachelor of Business, there is so much flexibility. And I'd also like to say is that maybe you start out with a structure where you're doing two majors, let's say you're doing marketing and management. And then let's say you started a marketing major, and then decided that's not something you'd like to pursue. Depending on what marketing subjects you have completed, you can opt for a structure where you can start another major apart from marketing, but there's still marketing subjects of the four marketing subjects that you have chosen, don't go to waste, those could then become your four free electives. So there's a lot of ways in which you can structure your Bachelor of Business course also based on your evolving interests and passions.
Rachel - UTS Business School 17:57 Anurag, there's often confusion as to whether maths is a prerequisite for the Bachelor of Business is this the case for UTS? Dr Anurag Hingorani 18:06 Maths is not a prerequisite for the Bachelor of Business. However, there is assumed knowledge, it goes without saying that there are maths components and elements in a Bachelor of Business course anywhere. So although maths is not a prerequisite, there is assumed knowledge of maths. However, once you join us, if you find that you have a bit of difficulty understanding maths concepts, which we teach you anyway, there are opportunities for you to engage in bridging courses via U:Pass, which is free to students at UTS. U:Pass classes are classes that are run by students who have completed subjects that are deemed difficult, including math subjects, and these are students who have received HDs - high distinctions and distinctions - in the very subjects that you are completing. So students who are high performers in the subjects are then mentoring you, tutoring you, if you will, giving you tips and strategies for engaging with subjects that you might find difficult, for example, including maths types of subjects. Rachel - UTS Business School 19:41
Many students choose to do a combined degree because either they're interested in separate fields of study or, you know, they want to widen their potential career paths. Anurag, what are some of the combined degrees that that you can do with a Bachelor of Business? Dr Anurag Hingorani 19:58 Rachel, there's a variety of combined degrees and what that highlights is that even though there are different disciplines out there, such as law, engineering and science, there is always a need to have an understanding of business. So as a result, we currently have about 10 combined degrees. So you have a Bachelor of Business with Bachelor of Law, we have combined degrees with engineering, science, and biotechnology, information science, and creative intelligence and innovation, and so there's a myriad of combined degrees available. And basically, it's addressing the different passions of students and also industries. One thing you need to be aware of is that when you do a combined degree, not all combined degrees allow you to avail of the different options in the Bachelor of Business course. By that I mean,
I've talked about the different ways in which you can structure the Bachelor of Business. So for example, you could do two majors as one way of structuring the Bachelor of Business course. So depending on the combined degree you've chosen, you might not be able to do two majors, such as management and marketing. And that's something you need to bear in mind when you're looking at a combined degree. Namely, that not all the different ways of structuring the Bachelor of Business course, are available to you when you do a combined degree. So for example, with law, you might, not might, you can only do one B Bus major.
Rachel - UTS Business School 21:48 Now there are other ways to add to your degree other than doing a combined degree. What are some of the add-ons available to Bachelor of Business students? Dr Anurag Hingorani 21:58 Rachel, there's some options available here. So there is a Diploma of Innovation. I mentioned a combined degree with Creative Intelligence and Innovation course. So students who do the Diploma of Innovation will be doing subjects from this BCII course - the Bachelor of Creative intelligence and Innovation. Another option is a Diploma of Languages, and it prepares students for working in international environments, preparing them for their international careers. There are a range of language options that are available, including French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and students can of course, also go on Global Exchange. So this is an opportunity to explore the world and gain skills and experiences to make you
confident and adaptable citizens by studying overseas. So you could do that for one session, one semester at one of UT S's partner universities. So these add-ons again, is a point of difference that you can bring to bear when you're looking for employment, for example. Rachel - UTS Business School 23:29 What would be your number one tip for someone considering doing the Bachelor of Business at UTS? Dr Anurag Hingorani 23:35 Rachel, this might seem very obvious, but it's an important point to make.
You need to make university a priority. Keep in mind that you're at university for a very short period of time in your life, you'll have other priorities in your life, but you're at university for a limited time period. So make the most of your time at university, make university a priority. And I'm not saying this just about the academic aspect of university, which of course you will need to make a priority. You need to do well in your academic studies. But at university you have the opportunity to meet with students,
your fellow students from different backgrounds, different cultures, there are a variety of associations and societies that you can join. So enrich not only your academic knowledge, business knowledge, but also enrich your personal - what's the word I'm looking for? - develop self confidence, and it's about personal growth as well. So when you join these clubs and societies, you're developing other skills which you can bring to bear in your future place or environment. Keep in mind that employers of course, they look at your academic performance, your grades and marks, but they're also looking at how well-rounded an individual you are. And they're also interested to see what else you've done at university besides just studying at HDs and Ds. So by participating in a myriad of co-curricular, extracurricular activities, clubs and societies, you're indicating to them that you're not just a bookworm, you're someone who's adaptable, flexible, can work with people from different backgrounds, different personalities, and that will definitely hold you in good stead at the end of your degree.
Rachel - UTS Business School 25:45 Anurag, thank you so much for your time. And thank you everyone for tuning in. Please feel free to explore our other videos detailing our other undergraduate courses. If you've got any questions, you can reach out to us via our social channels, or you can contact us by email at business@uts.edu.au or by phone on 02 9514 3074.
Thank you so much.
2021-09-04 05:52
