UnitLevel 3Undergraduate

BEX3131 Fundamentals of investment strategy

Faculty of Business and Economics

BEX3131 Fundamentals of investment strategy is a level 3, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Business and Economics, offered in 2027 in Summer A and Semester 1 at Caulfield. It has no prerequisites.

Credit points
6
Offered in 2027
Summer A, Semester 1
Caulfield
Assessment
No exam
3 tasks
Workload
144 hours
per semester

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Requisites

Before BEX3131

Prohibitions

You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.

After BEX3131

No unit lists BEX3131 as a prerequisite in the 2027 handbook.

Enrolment rules

You must have completed 48 credit points of study to undertake this unit.

Equivalent units

The same content under another code. Only one of them counts.

Overview

This unit provides you with a unique opportunity to learn about the basics of investment management from leading local and international investment professionals. The course has a practical focus, providing knowledge and insights about the complexities of investment markets and superannuation. 

The unit aims to help you build a strong base of knowledge and confidence around personal investment and to develop your own investment philosophy – a set of principles guiding their understanding of investment and financial markets. While primarily designed for students interested in managing their own investments, the unit also offers significant value for those students aiming for careers as investment and financial professionals. 

Upon completing the unit, you will develop practical life skills in investment management and emerge with extensive theoretical and practical knowledge across the main facets of investment in financial markets, which cannot be gathered from current textbook-based units.

Through a combination of case study evaluation, lectures, and discussion with investment practitioners, you will acquire a broad understanding of capital markets, asset classes (stocks, bonds, credit, real estate, private equity, commodities, digital assets etc.), investing styles, and instruments (active and index investing, value and growth investing, activism, ESG investing, tail risk hedging, futures and swaps, etc.). The unit will also cover investing from the perspective of an asset owner, teaching modern practices in portfolio construction for personal and institutional investors and risk management.

Offerings in 2027

Teaching periodCampusMode
Summer semester ACaulfieldOn campus, block
First semesterCaulfieldOn campus

Assessment

  • Exercise
    35%
  • Quiz / Test
    40%
  • Written
    25%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Learning outcomes

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

  1. 1

    develop

    • your own investment philosophy
    • an investment strategy aligned with your personal investment goals
  2. 2

    understand 

    • the practical sides of different investment strategies 
    • simple and effective ways to manage risks and returns
    • how to transform this knowledge into practice
    • the challenges investors face
  3. 3

    improve

    • your skill of critical thinking and problem-solving 
    • communication skills

Workload and teaching

  • Seminars36 hours
  • Seminars24 hours
  • Teaching approachEnquiry-based learning
  • Teaching approachCase-based teaching
  • Teaching approachActive learning
  • Teaching approachProblem-based learning

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities. You are expected to complete all pre-class activities prior to your scheduled class, and post-class activities should be completed after your scheduled class. Learning activities may include a combination of teacher directed, peer directed and online engagement activities.

This unit engages you in enquiry-based learning, where you will be encouraged to use your own knowledge to develop and engage in a process of enquiry, study and research to identify areas to be investigated and an approach to doing so.

This unit includes case-based teaching, where you apply your knowledge and engage in analytical and reflective thinking to solve complex contextual scenarios. Activities are often designed so that there is not one clear answer, but you need to work together to examine, analyse and make decisions to resolve the situation.

This unit engages you in actively applying your knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities.

This unit includes problem-based learning approaches, where you engage in research, integrate theory and practice and apply knowledge and skills to develop viable solutions in response to a problem or set of problems.

Contacts

Chief Examiners
Dr Nga Pham
Dr Bei Cui

Common questions

What are the prerequisites for BEX3131?

BEX3131 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.

When is BEX3131 offered?

In 2027, BEX3131 runs in Summer A and Semester 1 at Caulfield.

How much work is BEX3131?

The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.

Does BEX3131 have an exam?

No. BEX3131 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.

More details

Credit points
6
Level
3
Study level
Undergraduate
Faculty
Faculty of Business and Economics
Organisational unit
Monash Centre for Financial Studies
Type
Coursework
EFTSL
0.125
Student contribution
SCA Band 4
Study abroad
Available
Handbook years
20232024202520262027