Program Overview

Programme: BCom Agribusiness Management

The purpose of this degree programme is to train students in the field of Economics and Business management as applied to the agricultural and agribusiness sector. The degree prepares students for management careers in agricultural sales and marketing, brokerage, market research, international market development, finance, public relations, food manufacturing and distribution, and agricultural-input industry.

Programme Information

Students who achieved 70% and above in English Home Language (an A or a B), and 80% and above in English First Additional Language (only an A) in the NSC (or equivalent) will be exempted from ALL 124 and therefore do not have to register and pass this module to complete their degrees. Students who achieved 69% and below in English Home Language (a C and below), and 79% and below in English First Additional Language (a B and below) have to register for ALL 124 and pass this module in order to be awarded their degrees.

Admission Requirements

• The following persons will be considered for admission: candidates who are in possession of a certificate that is deemed by the University to be equivalent to the required Grade 12 certificate with university endorsement; candidates who are graduates from another tertiary institution or have been granted the status of a graduate of such an institution; and candidates who are graduates of another faculty at the University of Pretoria.
• Life Orientation is excluded when calculating the APS.
• Minimum requirements
  • Achievement level: English Home Language or English First Additional Language | Mathematics | APS
    • NSC/IEB | AS Level | NSC/IEB | AS Level
    • 5 | C | 5 | C | 30
• Cambridge A level candidates who obtained at least a D in the required subjects, will be considered for admission. International Baccalaureate (IB) HL candidates who obtained at least a 4 in the required subjects, will be considered for admission.

Additional Requirements

1. General Regulations G.1 to G.15 (with the exception of Regulation G.11.2(c)) apply to a bachelor's degree.
2. A student may not take more than the prescribed number of modules per semester unless the Dean decides otherwise.
3. A student may take a module not listed as an elective module only if the prior approval of the Dean has been obtained.
4. A student who is in possession of a bachelor's degree may not present any modules passed for that degree for another field of specialisation or degree in this Faculty.
5. A module already passed may only be repeated with the approval of the Dean.
6. A module passed may not be taken into account for more than one degree or field of specialisation.
7. It remains the student's responsibility to ascertain, prior to registration, whether all the modules he/she intends taking can be accommodated in the class, test and examination timetables.
8. The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences supports an outcomes-based education system and places a high premium on the development of specific academic competences. Class attendance in all modules and for the full duration of all programmes is therefore compulsory for all students.
9. The Dean has the right of authorisation regarding matters not provided for in the General Regulations or the Faculty Regulations.

Other Programme-Specific Information

• Note: See the alphabetical list of modules for the prerequisites for all modules.
• FRK 122 is a terminating module. Candidates will not be able to continue with Financial accounting in the second or third year.
• Specialisation modules: LEK 310, 320, 410.
• "Major subject" To be considered a "major subject" the equivalent of four 14-week modules, including two at 300-level, must be passed provided that:
  • a module passed at 300-level shall only be recognised for degree purposes if the corresponding prescribed module(s) at 200-level has/have been passed, unless the Dean decides otherwise;
  • the following modules which are offered at 300-level only, are also considered "major subjects": Labour law 311 (ABR 311), Labour relations 320 (ABV 320), and International business management 359 and 369 (OBS 359 and 369); and
  • only two 14-week modules, or the equivalent thereof, that are not preceded by the 100- and 200-level modules, may be taken for degree purposes. In other words, at least four 14-week modules must be taken at 300-level that are preceded by the 100- and 200-level, except for modules offered on 200- and 300-level only.

Promotion to Next Study Year

According to General Regulation G.3 students have to comply with certain requirements as set by the Faculty Board.

1. A student must pass at least 4 core semester or 2 core year modules to be admitted to the subsequent year of study.
2. If a student has passed less than the required minimum of 4 core semester or 2 core year modules, he/she will not be readmitted to the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Such a student may apply in writing to the Faculty's Admissions Committee to be readmitted conditionally with the proviso that the Admissions Committee may set further conditions with regards to the student's academic progress. The Faculty's Admissions Committee may deny a student's application for readmission.
3. If a student has been readmitted conditionally, his/her academic progress will be monitored after the first semester examinations to determine whether he/she has complied with the requirements set by the Admissions Committee. If not, his/her studies will be suspended.
4. A student whose studies have been suspended because of his/her poor academic performance has the right to appeal against the decision of the Faculty's Admissions Committee.
5. A student may be refused promotion to a subsequent year of study if the prescribed tuition fees are not paid.
6. A student may be refused admission to the examination, or promotion to a subsequent year of study or promotion in a module (if applicable) if he/ she fails to fulfil the attendance requirements. Class attendance in all modules and for the full duration of all programmes is compulsory for all students.

Pass with Distinction

1. A degree may be awarded with distinction provided the candidate meets the following criteria:
2. Completes the degree within three years;
3. Obtains a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 75%;
4. Repeated passed modules will not be considered. The initial pass mark of module will be used when calculating the GPA.
5. A degree will only be awarded with distinction to transferees from other degrees in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, other faculties and from other universities who still complete their bachelor degrees within three years (including the years registered for the other degree and credits transferred and recognised).
6. The GPA will be not be rounded up to a whole number.
7. Exceptional cases will be considered by the Dean.

General Information

Minimum requirements for bachelor's degrees; semester and year modules; new regulations

1. Students who commenced their studies before 2015 must complete the programme in terms of the curriculum of the year in which they commenced their studies, or in terms of the curriculum of the year in which they switched to their current field of specialisation. Students who prefer to do so may, however, apply to change over to the latest curriculum, but then they should comply with all the requirements thereof and they may not revert to the regulations of an earlier year.
2. Students who are registering for a degree programme for the first time from 2015 onward must take the modules indicated under the particular field of specialisation.

Curriculum

The curriculum consists of three years of study, with the following modules:

Year 1

• Fundamental modules
  • AIM 111: Academic information management 111
  • AIM 121: Academic information management 121
  • ALL 124: Academic literacy for Economic and Management Sciences 124
  • UPO 107: Academic orientation 107
• Core modules
  • BEM 120: Marketing management 120
  • EKN 110: Economics 110
  • EKN 120: Economics 120
  • FRK 111: Financial accounting 111
  • FRK 122: Financial accounting 122
  • INF 183: Informatics 183
  • OBS 114: Business management 114
  • OBS 124: Business management 124
  • STC 122: Statistics 122
  • STK 110: Statistics 110

Year 2

• Fundamental modules
  • FIL 251: Introduction to moral and political philosophy 251
• Core modules
  • BER 210: Business law 210
  • BER 220: Business law 220
  • EKN 224: Economics 224
  • EKN 244: Economics 244
  • KOB 282: Communication management 282
  • LEK 210: Introduction to agricultural economics 210
  • LEK 220: Agricultural economics 220
  • OBS 210: Business management 210
  • OBS 220: Business management 220
  • STK 210: Statistics 210
  • STK 220: Statistics 220

Year 3

• Core modules
  • EKN 310: Economics 310
  • EKN 320: Economics 320
  • LEK 310: Agricultural economics 310
  • LEK 320: Agricultural economics 320
  • LEK 410: Agricultural market and price analysis 410
• Elective modules
  • LEK 415: Agricultural economics 415
  • LEK 421: Agricultural economics 421
  • LEK 424: Introduction to resource economics 424