Accounting and Taxation

This double major is designed for students who wish to extend their knowledge of taxation and work for a government tax department or an accounting or auditing firm.

In the Accounting major, you will gain a sound foundation in accounting, auditing, taxation and relevant areas of business law and financial management, and be able to apply this knowledge across a range of accounting contexts.

You’ll learn how to develop and communicate information relating to the financial performance of organisations, and use your accounting knowledge to support business decision-making.

The Taxation major provides in-depth understanding of taxation laws and practice in Australia and overseas.

You’ll specialise in areas such as income tax, goods and services tax, fringe benefits tax, international tax, tax administration, tax implications of tax structures and state taxes.

There are a variety of rewarding job opportunities that exist within the taxation profession.

This double major sits within the Bachelor of Commerce degree. To apply for this major, you will apply for the Bachelor of Commerce.

Please refer to the handbook for additional course overview information.

Why study

• You can gain experience at the Curtin Tax Clinic, which aims to assist unrepresented taxpayers in meeting or complying with their taxation affairs. It is the first clinic of its kind in Australia offering students, under the supervision of experienced tax practitioners, the opportunity to engage in case work directly relevant to their chosen career in taxation.
• Taxation industry professionals have direct input into the course curriculum, ensuring you will graduate industry-ready.
• Attend employer presentations. In the past, organisations have included Google, Coca-Cola Amatil, EY and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
• You’ll have the opportunity to attend several CPA events, including professional connection mentoring days, employability boot camps and career information sessions.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia has partnered with Curtin to offer internships to students who have completed 200 credits or more of their commerce degree. These internships will give you credit towards your degree, increase your industry experience and put you in direct contact with leading professionals.

How this course will make you industry ready

• Maintaining strong links with industry is critical to ensuring that we are serving the needs of our students and the workforce. We have established a network of advisory boards - groups of industry representatives who support the school by providing invaluable business knowledge. These industry professionals have direct input into the curriculum of the taxation course, ensuring our students are industry-ready on graduation.
• This degree may incorporate guest lectures from tax professionals, real-life practical assignments and case studies, and industry networking opportunities

Student profile

View our student profile table to get an indication of the likely peer cohort for new students at Curtin University. This table provides data on students that commenced undergraduate study and passed the census date in the most relevant recent intake period for which data are available. It includes those admitted through all offer rounds and international students studying in Australia.

Professional recognition

• This course is recognised by the Association of Taxation and Management Accountants
• This course is accredited by:
  • CPA Australia
  • Institute of Public Accountants (IPA)
  • Tax Practitioners Board
  • Tax Institute
• Graduates may be eligible for associate membership of CPA Australia and IPA. You may also be eligible to enter into the program of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Career information

• International taxation specialist
• Tax agent
• Taxation accountant
• Taxation lawyer
• Taxation officer
• Taxation specialist indirect taxes
• Treasurer

What you'll learn

• Refer to Course Learning Outcomes of the B-COMRCE