Program Overview

University Program Information

The university offers a range of programs, including undergraduate and honors qualifications, master's and doctoral degrees, and short learning programs.

Undergraduate and Honors Qualifications

• The Bachelor of Commerce in Economics is a qualification stream with a quantitative economics focus.
• Qualification code: 98305 - QEC
• NQF level: 7
• Total credits: 360
• APS/AS: 21

Rules and Requirements

• Students are only allowed to register for a maximum of 10 modules or 120 credits per academic year.
• The remaining modules will be registered in the following year.
• Students should note that during the course of their studies, they would be required to have access to a computer, printer, and the internet.
• Some of the pre-requisites and/or co-requisites outlined in this qualification may not apply as they do not form part of the curriculum.

Purpose Statement

• The primary purpose of the qualification is to provide qualifiers with graduate-level knowledge, specific skills, applied competence, and the necessary attitudes in the fields associated with commerce and industry.
• The qualification prepares students to be lifelong learners, employable workers/entrepreneurs, and contributors to society and the business community.
• A further purpose of the qualification is to provide graduates with a self-sustaining understanding of the process whereby productive resources are mobilized and utilized with a view to being gainfully employed in serving the material needs of society in a globalized world.

Registration and Eligibility

• Applicants (new applicants and Unisa students who applied for admission to a new qualification) may only register if they have received an offer of placement from Unisa and have accepted the offer online.
• Re-registering students may register for the 2026 academic year once the registration period opens.

Curriculum for this Qualification

• The curriculum is structured into three levels, with compulsory and elective modules.
• Level 1:
  • APM1513 - Applied Linear Algebra
  • DSC1520 - Quantitative Modelling I
  • ECS1501 - Economics IA
  • FAC1502 - Financial Accounting Principles, Concepts, and Procedures
  • MAT1512 - Calculus A
  • MNB1501 - Business Management IA
  • STA1501 - Descriptive Statistics and Probability
  • STA1502 - Statistical Inference I
  • SUS1501 - Sustainability and Greed
• Level 2:
  • DSC2605 - Linear Mathematical Programming
  • DSC2606 - Nonlinear Mathematical Programming
  • DSC2608 - Applied Quantitative Modelling
  • ECS1601 - Economics IB (Macroeconomics I)
  • ECS2601 - Intermediate Microeconomics
  • ECS2602 - Intermediate Macroeconomics
  • ECS2603 - South African Economic Indicators
  • ECS2605 - South African Financial System
  • FAC1601 - Financial Accounting and Reporting
  • MAT1613 - Calculus B
  • STA2601 - Applied Statistics II
• Level 3:
  • Compulsory modules:
    • DSC3707 - Mathematical Modelling
    • ECS3705 - History of Economic Thought
    • ECS3706 - Econometrics
    • ECS3708 - Applied Microeconomics
    • ECS3709 - Applied Macroeconomics
    • ECS3711 - Research Methods in Economics
  • Elective modules (choose 4):
    • ECS3701 - Monetary Economics
    • ECS3702 - International Trade
    • ECS3703 - International Finance
    • ECS3704 - Public Economics
    • ECS3707 - Development Economics
    • ECS3710 - Applied Health Economics
    • ECS3712 - Game Theory

Research Areas

The university has various research areas and initiatives, including:

• Problem-solving research with relevance and impact
• People in research
• Research and innovation initiatives
• Directorate of Innovation, Technology Transfer, and Commercialisation
• Research support
• Research ethics

Colleges and Schools

The university has several colleges, including:

• College of Accounting Sciences
• College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
• College of Economic and Management Sciences
• College of Education
• College of Human Sciences
• College of Law
• College of Science, Engineering, and Technology
• College of Graduate Studies