Program Overview

Programme: BComHons specialising in Business Management

The BComHons (Business Management) degree is a postgraduate programme that aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of students in the field of business management.

Admission requirements

• General Admission Regulations: Refer to the UP Institutional Admissions Policy as well as the General Academic Regulations and Student Rules.
• All applications must be accompanied by the following documents:
  • Certified full academic transcripts from undergraduate to current level
  • Certified copy of ID or passport
  • A research concept note (not applicable to honours or coursework master's degrees)
• All applicants with international qualifications must submit the following documents:
  • A SAQA evaluation of the completed qualification or a comprehensive Foreign Qualification Report
  • TOEFL or IELTS or Pearson Test of English or Oxford Test of English test results (if applicable)
  • Certified copy of passport
• All postgraduate applications are subject to departmental admissions processes
• Admissions is based on the content of and performance in the prior degree, bridging arrangements (where required), academic merit and prior work experience (if applicable)
• Admission to all qualifications is subject to supervisory capacity and/or research projects in the field of specialisation in a department
• Complying with the minimum admissions requirements does not automatically guarantee admission to the degree
• Proposed research studies for masters and doctoral applicants should align with the research focus of the relevant department
• All postgraduate applicants must be proficient in English as English is the official language of tuition, communication and correspondence at the University of Pretoria
• All applicants must be computer literate
• All students need to have access to an internet enabled device, as well as consistent email and internet access

Minimum admissions requirements

• Relevant Bachelor of Commerce degree
• An average of at least 65% for each of the Strategic Management modules at final-year level

Additional requirements

• The Department can only admit 30 students to the honours programme per year
• Current University of Pretoria students who comply with the entry requirements will get preference to fill the first 20 openings based on their OBS 320 mark
• The remaining 10 places will be filled by the 10 candidates who scored the highest marks in the entrance examination
• The entrance examination will be written by applicants from other universities as well as current University of Pretoria students that were not successful in the first round of selection and who would like a second opportunity to be considered for selection

Registration for a second field of study

• A student who has already completed a bachelor of honours degree at this or another university, may, with the permission of the Dean, register for another degree, subject to the regulations applicable to the field of study in question and to any other stipulations the Dean may prescribe on the condition that there shall be no overlap in the course content of the first degree and the second degree

Recognition of modules

• Subject to the stipulations of General Academic Regulation G23 and the Joint Statute, a dean may acknowledge modules passed at another tertiary institution or at this university in a department other than that in which the honours study is undertaken for the honours degree provided that at least half of the required modules for the degree in question are attended and passed at this university
• If there is overlap in the course content of the degree for which the student wishes to enrol or is enrolled and a degree already conferred, the Dean may not acknowledge any modules that form part of the degree already conferred

Other programme-specific information

• All the modules are compulsory and a minimum of 120 credits must be obtained
• Only students registered for the BComHons (Business Management) degree programme may register for SBE 780, INR 780, OBS 780, OBS 782 and OBS 785
• A semester mark of 40% is required to be admitted to the examination
• The semester mark will be compiled from assignments, group projects and written tests
• Final examinations will take place during May/June and October/November annually
• A final mark of 50% is required to pass a module
• There are no supplementary examinations for any of the modules
• A maximum of two (2) years will be allowed for the completion of the honours degree

Examinations and pass requirements

• Subject to the provisions of General Academic Regulation G26, a head of department determines, in consultation with the Dean when the honours examinations in his/her department will take place
• The head of the department determines whether a candidate will be admitted to a supplementary examination, provided that a supplementary examination is granted, only once in a maximum of two prescribed semester modules or once in one year module
• The head of the department determines the manner in which research reports are prepared and examined in his/her department
• Supplementary examinations (if granted) cover the same subject matter as was the case for the examinations
• A student may not enrol for the same module more than once, unless the dean has approved a second enrolment based on an application supported by a valid reason or motivation

Pass with distinction

• In order to be awarded the BComHons (Business Management) degree with distinction, a student must meet the following criteria:
  • Obtain a Grade Point Average of at least 75% including at least 75% for the research component
  • Complete the degree within the minimum period prescribed
  • Only the final mark of the first attempt to pass the modules or research report will be considered
  • The GPA will not be rounded up to a whole number

Core modules

• INR 780: International business management 780
  • Credits: 15.00
  • Module content: The purpose of this module is to enhance the international perspective of South African business people and other interested parties in order to increase the competitiveness of local businesses
• OBS 780: Strategic finance 780
  • Credits: 15.00
  • Module content: This module builds on the basic financial management and costing skills acquired at undergraduate level
• OBS 782: Strategic operations management 782
  • Credits: 20.00
  • Module content: The module focuses on the design, implementation and analysis of an operations management strategy
• OBS 785: Analytical decision-making 785
  • Credits: 15.00
  • Module content: The module aims to inform future managers, consultants, and advisors on the psychological processes and biases underlying the decisions made by customers, competitors, colleagues, and themselves
• OBS 790: Research report 790
  • Credits: 40.00
  • Module content: The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the nature and the role of research in a business enterprise so that they will be able to conduct and utilise research
• SBE 780: Strategic management 780
  • Credits: 15.00
  • Module content: This module, Strategic management, analyses the combination of competitive moves and business approaches that organisations can employ to please customers, achieve organisational objectives and compete successfully in a dynamic business environment