About Commerce Courses

The beginning of commerce can be traced back to the early days, from the barter system, the creation of currencies to the setting up of trade routes as well. In today’s time, it denotes all the transactions that are related to the sale or purchase of products and services. Commerce as a discipline involves the study of business activities (like the exchange of goods and services) and trade focuses on accounting as well as financial activities. Some of the major subjects taught in commerce courses include Accountancy, Economics, and Business Studies. It is a well-structured stream of education known for the diversity in subjects and career options. Students who are interested in data, numbers, business, statistics, finance or economics can choose commerce as a field for their higher education. Also, with the advancement of technology and increased use of the internet, most commercial transactions, buying or selling, are now available online, popularly known as e-commerce. With the availability of goods and services both online and in brick-and-mortar stores accessing them has become easier for people. The demand for individuals having knowledge of this field continues to increase. So, B.com and M.Com are viable choices of courses for commerce students.

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Who Can Opt for Commerce Course?

Students opting for commerce courses from their higher education are made familiar with subjects like Business Studies, Finance, Economics, Accountancy, etc. It is due to this diversity in the subjects, commerce courses can be opted by students of all the streams. So, students who have an interest in dealing with data or numbers and are intrigued to learn about different aspects of finance, as well as economics, may go ahead with commerce courses in India. One of the major perks of opting for commerce courses is their applicability. Be it accountancy or business studies, the knowledge of these subjects proves useful in daily life too.

Commerce Course Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility for commerce courses varies across different program levels and depends on criteria set by different partner institutes. However, general eligibility criteria for different program levels of commerce are as follows:

Eligibility for UG Commerce Courses

As commerce is an interdisciplinary field, there are three popular undergraduate courses offered under this discipline. These include B.Com (Bachelor of Commerce), B.Com (Honours) and BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration). These are full-time courses with a duration of 3 years. Students can pursue B.Com, B.Com (Honours) or BBA can pursue them after completing their 10+2 in any stream.

Eligibility for PG Commerce Courses

M.Com is the most popular post-graduate course offered under the commerce discipline in Indian institutes. It is a full-time course with a duration of 2 years wherein students learn a wide range of concepts from taxation, logistics, banking and finance to accounting. M.com courses can be opted by the students after they complete their undergraduate degree in commerce.

Eligibility for PhD Commerce Courses

PhD is a doctorate level degree and the students can pursue it after their post-graduation in commerce discipline. The research-based course covers subjects relating to business and commerce like finance, accounting, budgeting, forecast, management, etc.

**Note: The eligibility for various courses under the commerce (or related) discipline differs across institutes. Therefore, students should check the eligibility requirements at the time of applying through the ‘Courses’ tab.

Commerce Courses

The Study in India partner institutes offer commerce discipline across 3 program levels, namely - Undergraduate, Postgraduate and PhD wherein the students can pick from a bunch of courses available.

UG Level

The course of study spanning across the duration of 3 years is slightly different for Bachelor of Commerce, B.Com (Honours) and Bachelors of Business Admission.

B.Com is one of the most popular courses for commerce students. A bachelor's degree in commerce focuses on the study of multiple subjects/topics like business laws, taxation, auditing, cost accounting, financial accounting, economics, etc.
On the other hand, through the B.Com (Honours) course, students can choose to specialise in commerce subjects like Accounts and Finance, Economics, Taxation, Marketing, Human Resources, etc.
Lastly, the BBA course imparts knowledge regarding business, marketing and administration that helps the students develop entrepreneurial skills too.

Most importantly, these degrees open doors to professional courses for commerce students. For instance, CA (Chartered Accountancy) or CS (Company Secretary).

PG Level

During the 2-year full-time M.Com course (Master of Commerce) students learn about banking and money systems, economic theory, macro and micro-economics, management, etc. Furthermore, they are provided with the option to specialise in any of the fields such as Accounting & Finance, Economics, Actuarial Studies, Business Operations, Insurance, International Business, etc.

PhD Level

The doctorate-level course in commerce focuses on research-oriented knowledge of fields like business, marketing, finance and marketing. The course of study also involves learning management research, human resource management, etc.

Commerce Branches

Commerce has shaped trade and business between countries around the world. As this system of trade and business evolved over the years, different branches/specialisations kept on emerging. And, presently commerce represents a vast discipline that includes a number of branches under its umbrella. These include economics, business studies, accountancy, marketing etc. Given below is an extensive list of branches/specialisations available under the commerce discipline. It is recommended that students do should do thorough research before applying for the commerce branch of their choice

Accounting & Finance	Business Studies	Financial Services
Actuarial Management	Computer Applications	Insurance, Banking and Finance
Advanced Cost and Management Accounting	Economics	International Accounting
Auditing & Taxation	Entrepreneurship and International Trade	Investment Management
Banking and Taxation	Financial Markets	Marketing
Healthcare Economics	Human Resource	E-commerce

Commerce Subjects and Syllabus

The subjects and syllabus of different commerce courses depend on the program, branch/ specialisation, picked by students for their UG, PG or PhD degree. However, a general overview of subjects/syllabus of commerce courses followed in Indian higher education institutes is as follows:

UG Level:

B.Com & B.Com (Honors) - Major topics of study/ subjects under bachelor's degree in commerce are Taxation, Economics, Financial Accounting, Company Law, Business Management, Banking and Financial systems, etc.
BBA - Students opting for BBA course for their bachelor's study core business-related concepts like Essentials and Principles of Management, Statistics, Marketing Management, Business Economics, Security Analysis, Corporate Planning, International Marketing, Operation Research, Business Finance, Sales and Distribution, etc

PG Level:

M.Com - Some of the key concepts covered under M.com course are Economic Analysis, Financial Management and Policy, Business Environment, International Business, Marketing Management, Strategic Management, Research Methodology in Commerce, Advertising and Sales Management, Consumer Behaviour, etc

Admission Process for Commerce Course in India

The students aspiring to make a career in the field of finance/ business or want to pursue professional courses like CA or CS can pursue commerce courses across three (UG, PG and PhD) disciplines by applying to the Study in India Programme. The step by step process to apply is

Firstly students are required to register and become a part of the Study in India Programme. The registration form is simple wherein students need to fill in fundamental information such as Name, Country (name and code), Mobile Number, Email ID and Password

Followed by the registration the students are provided with the login credentials that they need to save for future reference.

Once registration is complete, students will have to fill out the SII Application. It is divided into three parts namely - Basic Information, Academic Information and Choice Filling.

Although the students have to fill all three sections carefully, it is Choice Filling that is important. Because, during counselling, the final allocation of the commerce course and institutes is done on the basis of choices filled by students.

While completing the Choice Filling form, students are required to give and rank a minimum of three preferences for commerce courses and institutes in which they want to take admission.

Lastly, students are required to fill out the declaration form and submit their respective applications. The students can find a detailed explanation for filling out the SII Application here.

Most Popular Courses in Commerce

Given below are some of the most popular branch choices of the commerce courses offered under the Study in India Programme:

A. Accounting and Finance

Accounting and Finance revolve around the study of money, management, and business. Further, the term accounting refers to information analysis of different aspects of business whereas finance is only concerned with money-related information. Accounting and finance are good choices for students who enjoy mathematics. Other specialisations related to it include financial analysis and control, financial markets, financial services, international accounting, professional accounting, etc.

B. Banking and Insurance

Banking and insurance is a fast-evolving field wherein banks support all transaction-related activities and insurance is one of the prime financial services in the modern world. The students are taught to handle or operate financial activities related to the banking and insurance sectors. In addition to it, they are also trained in bank management, investing, and public or private banking.

C. Business Studies

Business Studies is one of the main subjects of commerce discipline. It deals with the organization and operation of businesses or enterprises. Generally, the students are taught about the features, structure, functioning, marketing, and operations management of a business or a company. Other specialisations related to it include business analytics and business process services.

D. Computer Application

Computer Application (under commerce discipline) involves the study of software technology applications and their usage. The students are taught a wide range of subjects such as Introduction to Programming, Operating System, Programming in Java, Database Management Systems, Computer Networks, etc. Other specialisations related to Computer Applications include information systems and information technology.

E. Economics

Economics is one of the popular subjects of commerce. It is broadly classified into two categories, microeconomics, and macroeconomics. Microeconomics is concerned with how companies, buyers, and sellers operate, macroeconomics is concerned with the analysis of global economies, economic growth, monetary policies, inflation, unemployment, etc. Other specialisations related to it are applied economics, financial economics, health economics, etc.

F. Marketing

Generally, marketing refers to the process of telling the value of products or services to the customers. The students are taught to analyze the demand for the products or services of an organisation and ways to popularize their unique selling points by understanding the target audience.

G. Actuarial Science

Actuarial Science has gained popularity in recent years and it involves the study of methods used to assess the risks in the finance and insurance sectors. The students are taught quantitative and non-quantitative methods of risk management, ways to conduct computer-assisted research as well as data analysis in the field of finance and insurance.

Popular UG Commerce Courses in India

Undergraduate commerce courses focus on a number of areas like marketing, management, finance or economics and it opens up a plethora of rewarding career opportunities. Students can either work in a global enterprise, a non-profit organisation, a start-up or even start their own business. Furthermore, one of the important perks of doing UG in commerce courses in India is the availability of diverse branches (such as accounting, economics, banking and finance, human resource, management, statistics, marketing, etc) offered by top institutes. Given below are the popular options of undergraduate commerce courses offered in India.

Accounting and Finance	Auditing and Taxation	Banking and Insurance
Business Analytics	E-commerce	Finance and Accounting
Marketing	Applied Economics	Professional Accounting

Popular PG Commerce Courses in India

Students who want to make a career in the field of financial services, banking and insurance can opt for M.Com courses. The course curriculum delves deeper into fundamental principles covered during the bachelors degree in commerce. For instance, students are taught concepts such as Organizational Theory and Behavior, Quantitative Techniques of Business Decisions, Financial Management and Policy, Managerial Accounting, Accounting Theory and Practice Marketing Management, Human Resource Management, etc. Given below is a list of popular PG commerce courses offered in India.

Business Studies	Finance and Computer Application	Accounting
Financial Analysis	Health Economics	Insurance and Banking Management
Marketing	Taxation	Finance and Accounting

**Note: Before applying to the SII Programme, students must confirm if the concerned commerce course of their choice is offered in the current academic year or not.

Career Options

After pursuing a degree in the field of commerce the students can choose from a mixed bag of career options. Some of them are mentioned in the table below.

Chartered Accountant	Company Secretary	Financial Manager
Human Resource Executive/ Manager	Banker	Business Development Executive
Auditor	Accountant	Insurance Consultant
Finance Consultant	Operations Manager	Teacher
Sales Executive/Manager	Market Research Analyst	Business Consultants

Commerce Courses: Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the advantages of pursuing a Commerce degree?

A commerce degree helps the students to gain an understanding of major functions of the country’s economy like industry, business, finance, banking and trade. Major fields of study under commerce courses include structure and functioning of business organization, the principle of marketing, principles of management, operations management, human resource management, finance and banking, and the impact of national and international agencies on business.

2. What is the eligibility for taking admission in commerce courses?

The minimum eligibility requirement for pursuing an undergraduate degree in commerce is 10+2, for a postgraduate degree, it is a bachelor's and for a PhD degree, it is a master's. However, you should check the specific eligibility criteria at the time of applying.

3. Top 10 career options after pursuing B.com / M.Com course for commerce students?

Investment Banker
Cost Accountant
Financial Analyst
Business Consultant
Operations Manager
Sales Executive/Manager
Insurance Consultant
Market Research Analyst
Chartered Accountant
Tax Consultant

4. How can I get admission to the commerce courses in India?

International students looking to apply for Commerce courses in India can register themselves with the Study in India Programme and follow the application process.

5. What are the specializations that I can opt for, under Commerce?

Some popular branches of Commerce include:

Accounting & Finance
Business Studies
Insurance, Banking, Finance
Economics
Auditing & Taxation
Entrepreneurship & International trade
Marketing
E-commerce
Human Resource
Advanced Cost & Management Accounting

6. What is the duration of B.Com, M.Com, BBA, MBA?

The duration of Commerce courses depends on different program levels. For B.Com, B.Com (Honours) and BBA it is 3 years whereas for M.Com and MBA it ranges between 1-2 years.

7. Full form of B.Com, BBA, M.Com?

A. The full form of B.Com is Bachelors of Commerce

B. The full form of M.Com is Masters of Commerce

C. The full form of BBA is Bachelors of Business Administration

8. Can I pursue an MBA after pursuing a bachelor's degree in commerce?

Yes, you can pursue an MBA course after obtaining a B.Com degree.

9. What are the specializations in BBA?

Accounting
Entrepreneurship
Finance
International Business
Marketing
Organizational Management
Tourism & Hospitality

10. What does B.Com mostly cover?

The three-year B.Com course mainly focuses on the study of areas related to economics, business law, commerce, accountancy, taxation as well as finance.

11. Is B.Com a professional course for commerce students?

No, B.Com is not a professional course but a bachelor’s degree.

12. Which course is better, B.Com or BBA?

Both B.Com and BBA are three-year bachelor's degrees. Students interested in studying subjects like finance, taxation or accountancy can pursue B.Com whereas students who are interested to gain knowledge about entrepreneurship or business management can pursue BBA.