FAS Information

Monash Degrees and Financial Adviser Standards Requirements for Financial Advisers

Monash University teaches a wide range of business, commerce and economics subject areas in the Faculty of Business and Economics.

Monash graduates have used their degrees as a springboard to many interesting and professionally-focused careers. Many graduates have leveraged their studies in accounting, banking and finance, economics and business law to become financial advisers or financial planners. The accreditation process changed in 2021, when the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA) ceased operations.

Enquiries about the Financial Advisor Standards (FAS), including education standards, assessment of qualifications and approved courses should now be directed to the Australian Government Treasury.

Enquiries about financial advisor exams should be directed to ASIC’s Financial Advisers Hub.

No. Monash does not offer accredited courses in financial advising and planning. While individual units in financial planning have been offered from time to time, Monash does not offer any full degrees which cover the curriculum requirements necessary for FAS accreditation.
New students who are interested in a career as a financial adviser or financial planner should refer to the website of the Australian Government Treasury.
Yes. If you are an ‘existing adviser’ and hold a Monash degree from Monash Business School prior to 2019, your degree is likely to be considered relevant under the Relevant Providers Degrees, Qualifications and Courses Standard. Please note that this depends on the units you studied while at Monash. For your degree to be considered relevant, it must have included at least eight units across the following ten subject areas listed in the Standard.
- Financial planning (includes financial advice areas of superannuation, retirement, insurance or estate planning)
- Investments (includes all types of investments eg. shares, derivatives, foreign exchange, options etc.)
- Finance
- Finance law
- Business law or commercial law (as approved by the Tax Practitioners Board)
- Taxation/tax law (as approved by the Tax Practitioners Board)
- Accounting
- Estate Law
- Banking
- Economics.
No. Please visit the Australian Government Treasury website for information about the FAS accreditation process.
Existing financial advisers with a Monash degree will have until 1 January 2026 to complete the Education requirements, which will be either a Bridging Course (if the degree is recognised as ‘relevant’ under the legislation's definition) or undertake an Approved Graduate Diploma (if the degree is considered ‘non-relevant’) through another Higher Education Provider.
The Australian Government Treasury website has detailed information for new entrants wanting to commence a career as a financial adviser.
Yes. Units AFC2440 and AFC3440 are compliant with RG 146, Licensing: Training of financial product advisers, if they were successfully completed before 25 September 2012 and you are an existing financial adviser. Further information for existing advisers and new entrants is available in the question above.
The ASIC Training Register was reviewed in 2012 and units that were registered as compliant to RG 146 are no longer certified. Since, the professional standards reforms were introduced on 1 January 2019, some aspects of RG 146 no longer apply.
More information is available from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission here.