at Otago - School of Business, University of Otago, New Zealand ...

Useful Terms
Explained
Audacious
Audacious is a support service for students
who wish to develop their own business while
they are students at the University of Otago.
Audacious consists of a Business Coach
Service, Entrepreneurial Business Challenge,
and Student Lounge.
Business Case Competition
A business case competition is an event
where teams of four students are given a real
business problem to solve. They then present
their solution to a panel of judges. Case
Competitions tests a team’s ability to consider
many business and non-business disciplines.
Degree
A degree is the qualification that most students
complete while at University. If you are
completing your first business qualification
then you will complete a Bachelor of
Commerce degree (BCom). The BCom is an
undergraduate degree that usually takes three
years to complete when studied full-time.
More advanced business qualifications
are referred to as postgraduate degrees.
Essentially this means you will need to have
already graduated with a BCom degree
before undertaking advanced study – hence
postgraduate.
Double Degree
A programme of study leading towards
completing two degrees, e.g. a BA and BCom.
Two full-time three-year degrees would
normally take a total of six years if you studied
them consecutively. By studying the two
degrees as a double degree you can cross-credit
points and complete both of them in four and
a half or five years (full-time).
Double Major
Two subjects chosen as main areas of study in
the same degree. Choosing two specialty areas
instead of one does not increase the amount
of time it will take to complete the degree.
Eg: You complete a BCom and you major in
Accounting and also Finance.
Internship
An internship is a period of practical work
experience in an industry related to your field
of study.
Honours
The honours programme is a one year degree
for students who excelled in their Bachelor
of Commerce. The BCom(Hons) is a more
specialised degree than the bachelor’s degree,
usually involving more papers in the major
subject and a research report or dissertation
(completed at 400-level).
Major
A subject chosen as the main area of study for
your bachelor’s degree (i.e. your chosen area
of specialty such as Accounting). A major is
studied up to 300-level.
Minor
A selection of papers in a particular subject
area (normally involving approved papers
studied at 200- and 300-level). You complete
less papers in this subject when compared
to those who are majoring in it, yet it can be
acknowledged on your academic record in
addition to your major.
Papers
The building blocks of your degree are called
papers. A paper is a fixed course of work in
certain aspects of a subject at a particular
level. The first courses you take are called
100-level papers, for example, BSNS 107 –
Understanding Accounting. You then move
on to 200-level and 300-level papers. You will
generally study seven papers a year (three to
four papers a semester).
Paper Code
Each University paper is identified by its
subject code, a three-digit number and a
subject name. For example, there is a first-level
Tourism paper called TOUR 101 Principles
and Business of Tourism Management. This
paper is referred to as TOUR 101. Second-level
papers are numbered in the 200s (e.g. TOUR
211, TOUR 212 etc.) and third-level papers in
the 300s.