The inception of Commerce Department at St. Xavier’s College Vaikom, Kothavara dates back to 1981 as a junior college with a student strength of 80. The department was fortunate to commence the Degree course with specialization in Costing from 1995 with a strength of 32 students and 4 faculty members. Prof. P.J Johny was the First Head of the Department. In 1998, the specialisation was changed to Co-operation and later in 2012 it was B.Com with Taxation (sanctioned student strength with marginal increase upto 40). The department was upgraded to the Post Graduate Department in 2013 with M.Com programme specialised in Finance and Taxation and student strength of 15 (with marginal increase upto 18). The students over the years have brought laurels to the institution by securing Top University Ranks, Commendable Placements and Outstanding Performance in Arts & Sports.
The Department consists of 7 full time permanent faculty members. Four of them holds Ph.D. degree and one with a PDF. In order to keep a pace with recent developments and updates, faculty members of the department participate in training programmes, workshops and seminars. The faculties of the department are authors of research articles and recognized reviewers for reputed International Journals. They have presented research papers in National and International seminars, workshops and conferences. They have also served as Resource Persons in various institutions in and around the State. UGC sponsored National seminars and workshops were organised by the Department.
The Department of Commerce at St. Xavier's College provides an enabling atmosphere to assist its students to stand out academically and in developing them to an overall balanced personality in terms of the college's vision and today's competitive environment. The Department strives for its students' holistic and integral development, instilling in them a spirit of academic achievement, character building, and social awareness. The Department Association 'COMAX' also encourages students to participate in extracurricular activities. It activelyorganizes various programmes like management fests, presentations, competitions, day celebrations, debates and group discussions. The Department's most valuable asset is its alumni, who have achieved distinguished positions in various public and private sector enterprises around the world.