The value of prerequisites: a link between understanding and progression

This paper contributes to the debate about the value of discipline-specific prerequisites. The study compared the results of students from 2003 to 2006 completing the subject Principles of Finance and who had completed the subject Business Statistics, to students who had not. This comparison indicated that the students who completed Business Statistics performed significantly better overall than those students who had not. The findings imply that discipline-specific prerequisites provide students with a minimum level of understanding required to undertake advanced subjects, and can improve their chance of success.