3 May 2004 Commerce Graduates Win Employer Approval

Lincoln University continues to stamp its mark on commerce and business education in New Zealand through its highly regarded degree, diploma and certificate programmes.

The proof is there in consistently strong enrolment interest and the good record of graduate job placements, says Senior Lecturer Charley Lamb.

Over a third of the 684 degrees, diplomas and certificates awarded at this year's Lincoln University capping ceremony were in the Commerce area, and Lincoln graduates are employed in top positions throughout the country and beyond. Examples range from the New Zealand Treasury to the multimillion dollar international movie production business where London-based Lincoln BCM graduate Alan Harris is finance director of the company involved with movies such as the Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting and the television series The X-Files.

The two basic qualification pathways in Commerce at Lincoln are the "tagged" Bachelor of Commerce degrees and the Bachelor of Commerce and Management degree. The latter, the BCM, is the most widely studied degree at Lincoln – providing around a third of the commerce graduates at the latest graduation.

"The BCM is a degree designed with employment realities in mind," says Mr Lamb.

"It equips students with both the academic skills expected of tertiary graduates and specific industry 'know-how' which they can apply in their chosen careers."

It is a comprehensive degree and there are 11 optional streams available – accounting, business management, computing, E-Commerce, economics, finance, international business, marketing, property studies, supply chain management, plus the opportunity for an individual major.

To make up their course, students study a core of compulsory subjects to which they can add a selection of specialist elective subjects of their own choice from areas such as banking, commercial law, human resources management, business planning and the like.

The other arm of qualification avenue at Lincoln is the B.Com. programme with its six industry-tagged specialisations – Agriculture, Food Industry, Forestry, Hotel & Institutional Management, Transport & Logistics, Valuation & Property Management.

Most of the commerce and commerce and management programmes at Lincoln have been developed in liaison with industry representatives and include field work or internships so that students gain first-hand experience of the contemporary business world while they are studying.

The course work often includes campus visits by business representatives to speak on specialist subjects and class visits to businesses where students can see the theory they have learnt being applied in real situations.

"We aim to produce well-rounded graduates, well-grounded in the practicalities of the world in which they will be employed," says Mr Lamb.

"It's a formula that works for everyone – the graduates and their employers."

Courses: Bachelor of Commerce with choice of six tagged specialisations. Bachelor of Commerce and Management with choice of 11 majors. Also masters and PhD programme. Undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate certificates, and diplomas. Master of Professional Studies in various management specialisations.

Duration: Bachelors degrees 3 years (24 papers), Certificates and Diplomas from 1 year.

Cost: Fees vary according to papers studied. See Lincoln University website for details, www.lincoln.ac.nz

Location: Lincoln campus, but some Commerce papers available regionally (i.e. off-campus). Master of Professional Studies offered off-campus too.

Entry requirements: University Entrance; Special Admission; first degree or suitable equivalent for postgraduate study.