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Commerce Courses


Degree Courses

B.Com/BAF/BBI/BFM - Bachelor of Commerce

Course Preview:

B.Com. is the most common course taken up by students after doing Commerce in the 12th (HSC). It is also the most obvious accession, as you study more of what you have been studying for the past two years, albeit on a more complex level. Another reason could be that it's perhaps the easiest way to obtaining a Bachelor's Degree. Well you can expect a LOT of accounts, if you plan to do B.Com. No need to be afraid of it, though – accounts is easy once you get the hang of it. Other subjects are pretty straightforward commerce subjects like Economics, Secretarial Practice, Mathematics, Organization of Commerce, etc. - most of which just being more detailed versions of what you've already studied up till now, unless of course you are science student.

So that commerce graduates do not fall behind their engineering comrades, Mumbai University introduced specializations in B.Com. just the way engineers have branches. Although the first year is nearly the same for all of them, the next two years have a more rigorous course structure stressing on minutes of the chosen specialization:

B.Com. in Accounting & Finance (BAF) : You may end up spending countless hours studying various accounting subjects. It also borrows a few subjects from the Chartered Accountancy course.
B.Com. in Banking and Insurance (BBI) : As the name suggests, it stresses on the way banks and insurance firms work, but frankly a lot more about banking than insurance.
B.Com. in Financial Markets (BFM) : Stock Market lovers this one's for you !

 

Side-Options:

A vast majority of students take their CA (Chartered Accountancy) exams while pursuing pure B.Com. Of course, this also means that they have to complete a stipulated number of hours of their Articleship, so as to fulfill eligibility criteria, but this is normally very manageable.
Many also study for CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst), a globally recognized course which entitles you to, well, a lot of money.
There are some other common exams and courses that students take up such as CIMA, NCFM, ICWA, etc.
If you plan to pursue a career in Accountancy (CA/CFA), BCom is perhaps the best degree to choose. It gives you enough time to study/intern, while also helping out a bit, thanks to the common subjects with CA.

 

Future Options:

Well, there are millions. Although the expected step-up would be an MCom (Master of Commerce), you would be surprised to find that not too many people tread this path. Most students carry on with their CA or CFA preparations in search of high-paying jobs, and many others start studying for MBA entrance exams like CAT and CET. Some others join their "Pappa ka Business"

 

Best When Done From:

 

BCom (H) - Bachelor of Commerce (Honours)

Course Preview:

First of all this course is available only in colleges under Delhi University, so Mumbai-ites and Pune-ites can skip reading this unless they plan to move to New Delhi anytime soon. Well, the basic difference between a B.Com. and a B.Com.(H) is that the latter has more subjects in each semester and each subject is covered in a slightly more detailed way. You can certainly expect more intensive studies, more hardwork, a more stressful life and in the end better placements (hurray!)

 

Future Options:

Well, future options remain the same as those for the B.Com. guys, perhaps even adding one or two but certainly nothing that's taken away.

 

Best When Done From:

 

BBA/BMS/BBM(IB) - Business & Management Courses

Course Preview:

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is said to be a career oriented course with more stress on seminars and project work than theoretical subjects. There are a lot of interesting subjects and it is meant for those people who love business management. Many first year subjects like accounts, economics, business maths, business communication, laws etc. are common with B.Com. In the second and third year you have more of management subjects like marketing management, strategic management, Human resource management etc. There will also be 2 projects in the last year, one in each semester. Fondly known as the "younger brother of MBA", if you're up for this course, get ready to make scores of presentations - as communication and presentation skills form the heart of this course.

So that the commerce graduates don't fall behind their engineering comrades, IP University in Delhi which offers the BBA course, has introduced the following specializations just the way engineers have - a common first year, more diversified second and third years.

  • BBA - Computer Aided Management (CAM)
  • BBA - Banking and Insurance (B&I)
  • BBA - Travel and Tourism Management (TTM)

Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS), offered only in Mumbai, is exactly the same as BBA with just the subjects being shuffled or renamed by another fancy name (which easily fools Mumbai-ites into believing that this is a completely different course)

Bachelor of Business Management - International Business (BBM-IB), another ornamental name embellished with the word "International" to disguise the parent course - BBA; nicely comes as a different course in Pune. Although there a plethora of subjects relating to International commerce and also a foreign language to learn, the BBM-IB graduates finally don't feel any different from their BBA counterparts.

 

Side-Options:

Although one can do CA or CFA along with BBA/BMS/BBM-IB, no one really does that as all of them are very demanding courses.

 

Future Options:

Most of the people prepare for MBA entrance exams like CAT, XAT, CET, NMAT or the newly introduced (or have they still haven't implemented?) CMAT in their final year, those who can’t get through them take up a job. You can easily find a job either on-campus or off-campus provided you aren't too greedy. BBA/BMS/BBM are a good choice for those who want an early employment or want to pursue an MBA.

 

Best Done From:

 

BA Econ(H) - Bachelor of Arts, Economics (Honours)

Course Preview:

This extremely boring course is offered only to Delhi-ites (perhaps because only they can tolerate it); so the others can skip this section and go to the next, even if you are planning to move in to Delhi.

So now that we've scared away the rest of the world (and perhaps some fellow Delhi-ites as well), you may thank us for increasing your chances of getting into this wonderful and highly sought after course. What you'll be studying has a lot in common with the B.Com. & B.Com(H) courses, except that there's more stress on the theoretical dimension of each aspect. Economics, which forms the base of this course, can perhaps be best studied that way. So expect less practical examples within the syllabus, but try relating theory to everyday happenings and you should soon be a die-hard lover of economics.

 

Future Options:

Everything from Delhi School of Economics to London School of Economics is at your disposal, and if you harness your potential well, who knows, maybe you turn out to be the next Gordon Gekko (go on, Google it). Or if economics starts getting to your nerves just switch to a MBA. Of course, job offers will always be at hand should you want to gain some experience before studying further. If you're going to join your "Pappa ka Business" after graduation, we sincerely request you to opt for a simple B.Com and clear out a few seats for the more ambitious lot.

 

Best When Done From:

  • Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), New Delhi
  • St. Stephen's College, New Delhi

 
 

 

Certificate Courses

CA - Chartered Accountancy

Course Preview:

Definitely one of the most, if not THE most, popular field of study once you take up Commerce. Although CA isn’t a ‘degree’, the certificate itself entitles you to a good amount of respect, and a great amount of money. Just like the name suggests, CA is about a lot of accounting. Audit, law, tax, accounts, costing (management accounting) and financial management are some of the major subjects you’ll study. Moreover, if you're scared of hardwork, this one's not for you. Expect to put in anything between 6-10 hours of studies everyday; add another few hours of articleship and that'll be your daily schedule for about 3 and a half years provided you clear everything in your first attempt (which only a handful manage). The portion is so vast that your excellent rote-learning skills wouldn't take you anywhere.

 

Future Options:

Students often go for their MBA, ICWA, CIMA, CPA (Equivalent of US's CA) or CA of any other country like the U.K, for instance once they’re done with CA. The institute (ICAI) has MoU's with other countries for CA in those countries.

 

Best When Done From:

ICAI is the only option in India, of course.

 

CFA - Chartered Financial Analyst

Course Preview:

CFA is fast becoming one of the most sought after certificates in the field of commerce. Although it is an extremely difficult course, it becomes completely worth the time, effort and money once you get done with it. The investment isn’t tiny - you'll have to shell out a minimum of Rs. 1.75 lakh assuming you clear all levels in the first attempt, if not each reattempt costs anything between 35k to 50k depending on which level you're appearing for. 
A little briefing about the structure of the course:

3 Levels of Exams (L1, L2, L3)
Multiple Choice Questions (3 options, no negative marking)
Subjective Answers in Level 3
Exams in June (L1, L2, L3) and December (L1)
One Day – Two Sessions for Exams

Eligibility Criteria:
For Exams: Last year of Graduation.
For Practice: Min. requirement of Work-Ex prescribed

Subjects to Expect:
Financial Instruments (Equity, Debt, Alternate Investments), Ethics, Financial Reporting

 

Future Options:

After getting your CFA certificate, you’re instantly entitled to big bucks, so you can pursue a career in Equity Research, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corprate Finance, Portfolio Management, Valuations.

 

Best When Done From:

You don’t really have a choice – CFA Institute, USA (Singular body conducting exams globally as well as regulating members). Another Indian version conducted by the ICFAI, isn't considered to be anywhere equivalent to the former.