Varsity College Bcom
Bachelor of Commerce (BCom)
The IIE Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree provides graduates with a broad-based business qualification that is invaluable in forging a career within the world of business. The BCom degree offers students a quality learning experience in the contemporary, dynamic and interesting field of Business with the opportunity to choose a core discipline in Strategic Management, Marketing Management or Financial Management. This Bachelor’s degree is designed to prepare students for the increasingly complex demands that they will face in the professional business environment. Graduates will enter the business world with solid theoretical knowledge; supported by strong problem solving, critical thinking, decision-making and strategic skills. This degree gives students a highly marketable balance of knowledge, practical application and skills.
What is this Degree’s accreditation status?
The IIE Bachelor of Commerce degree is accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and is registered with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) as a 366-credit qualification on level 7 (SAQA ID: 84706).
WHO IS THIS DEGREE AIMED AT?
This BCom degree is aimed at students who are keen to study a broad-based commerce degree along with the opportunity to choose one of the following core disciplines: Strategic Management, Marketing Management or Financial Management. This choice is made after having received a solid foundation in the theoretical knowledge associated with key management and business disciplines in the first year.
WHO IS THIS DEGREE AIMED AT?
Open University
The Open University (OU), United Kingdom (UK), recognises The IIE as a degree awarding body. Specifically, The IIE BCom degree has been given a General Credit Exemption rating of up to 240 credit points of a credit transfer towards The OU Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BSc) Open degrees with Honours. The IIE BCom degree therefore provides you with a pathway towards studying an internationally recognised BA or BSc Open degree with Honours from The Open University. These Open degrees can also be studied online through The Open University.
For more information please visit:http://www.ouworldwide.com/varsity_college_about.asp
Marketing Management Core Discipline
If Marketing Management is selected as the core discipline in your degree, your qualification is endorsed by the Marketing Association of South Africa (MASA), which is the only SAQA registered and recognised professional body for Marketing. Their endorsement of this qualification is a stamp of approval of the curriculum and the teaching and assessment strategy and an indicator that the qualification provides the skills and knowledge marketing professionals will need to succeed in their field. Student membership of MASA while you are registered will give you unique exposure to the industry and other professionals and set you up for a solid start to your career. The IIE’s marketing related qualifications are the first full qualifications endorsed by MASA. For more information please visit http://marketingsa.co.za/About/Partners
Financial Management Core Discipline
Should you choose Financial Management as the core discipline; your degree will be endorsed by CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants). CIMA formally accredits programmes and awards exemption so as to recognise students’ prior academic success and enable them to progress through the CIMA professional qualification without being re-assessed in subjects in which they have already demonstrated an appropriate level of competence. More specifically, once a student has successfully completed The IIE BCom degree with the Financial Management core discipline, CIMA will award exemptions for certain modules onto specific CIMA qualifications, subject to the student having met all CIMA requirements. For more information please visit:
http://www.cimaglobal.com/Our-locations/Africa/South-Africa/
http://www.cimaglobal.com/Study-with-us/2015-syllabus/
WHAT ENTRY REQUIREMENTS WILL I NEED TO STUDY THIS DEGREE?
If you are an international student, you must ensure that:
If you have not met these minimum entry requirements but have an NSC with higher certificate or diploma entry into higher education, you may wish to consider registering for The IIE’s Higher Certificate in Business Principles & Practice (HCBPP) first as a pathway to this degree. Further information on this qualification is available from our student advisor team.
Other considerations
Mature Age Exemption:
Recognition of prior learning (RPL)
Candidates can demonstrate suitability for admission in terms of Senate’s resolution 6.6 of 20 October 2005 which allows for Senate’s discretionary conditional admission (if applicable).
NATIONAL BENCHMARK TESTS (NBT)
All applicants for The IIE undergraduate degree studies, including international students, are required to write the Academic and Quantitative Literacy (AQL) – National Benchmark Test (NBT), unless they have attained the age of 23 by the time they register. The AL – NBT score is used for placement in student support programmes and does not replace the admission requirements for a specific degree programme. Applicants who achieve an AL -NBT score of 50% and below will have additional timetabled lectures in the two IIE Developmental Modules Introduction to Scholarship (ITSA and ITSB) at an additional cost.
Applicants who do not write the AQL – NBT test prior to admission will automatically be registered for the ITSA and ITSB modules whether or not these are credit bearing modules in their qualifications. These applicants may, on provision of an AL – NBT score of 51% or above, be exempted from one or both the ITSA and ITSB modules if and only if these are not credit bearing modules in their qualifications. For applicants who are completing the ITSA and ITSB modules as a result of the low AL – NBT score or who did not provide an AL – NBT score at registration, successful completion of ITSA and ITSB modules is a pre-requisite for registering for any third year modules and thus any student who has not successfully completed the ITSA and ITSB modules in their first year of study will be required to do so in their second year. Where the ITSA or ITSB modules is credit bearing in the qualification concerned, successful completion of one or both of these modules (depending on the curriculum structure) is also a graduation requirement.
What must I pass in order to graduate with this Bachelor’s degree?
You need to pass all the compulsory and elective modules which comprise this degree.
With what qualification will I graduate?
You will graduate with The IIE Bachelor of Commerce degree.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES: WHAT CAREER AREAS CAN I PURSUE AFTER I HAVE COMPLETED THIS DEGREE?
This degree will open up an attractive range of career options; this degree is a perfect stepping stone to a diverse and exciting range of business related career opportunities, depending on which core discipline you choose.
Marketing Management Core Discipline:
Financial Management Core Discipline
Strategic Management Core Discipline
Would it be possible to study further to obtain a postgraduate qualification once I have completed The IIE BCom degree?
The IIE BCom degree is accredited by the Council on Higher Education and registered on the South African National Qualifications Framework (NQF) at level 7 – the same level as other equivalent undergraduate degrees at South African universities. The opportunity to apply for a postgraduate certificate/diploma or honours degree at any South African university exists subject to specific programme entrance requirements.
After my degree, how can I study further with the Open University?
Varsity College is offering alumni of The IIE BCom degree the opportunity to count their IIE Bachelor’s degree toward a UK Honours degree with the Open University. The Open University (OU), United Kingdom, recognises the IIE as a degree awarding body. Specifically, The IIE BCom degree has been given a General Credit Exemption rating of up to 240 credit points of credit transfer towards The OU Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BSc) Open degrees with Honours. The IIE BCom degree therefore provides you with a pathway towards studying a BA or BSc Open degree with Honours from the Open University.
For more information please visit: http://www.ouworldwide.com/varsity_college_about.asp
How do I find out more about these further study opportunities?
As a registered student at Varsity College, we will support you to explore the possible postgraduate options that align to your chosen career area. Each year we also provide our students with a postgraduate information pack. It is important to remember that your academic results remain a key factor when applying for further studies.
How is this Bachelor’s degree structured at Varsity College?
The IIE BCom degree is a three year degree. The academic year runs from February to November. The modules are delivered on a full-time basis with lectures and tutorials being scheduled during the day from Monday to Friday.
In addition to attending lectures, you will be expected to spend time conducting your own study plan as well as research and work on assignments. Learning material is of the highest quality and offers students a blended learning experience where the face-to-face teaching sessions are supplemented with specific online learning activities, digital content/study material, relevant current textbooks and assessments.
To gain the most from the blended learning experience and VC’s Wireless classrooms and campuses, students are required to BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) mobile device – netbook, laptop or tablet – to develop the necessary academic and digital literacies over the three years of this degree.
The curriculum below is correct at the time of print. Please note that in line with academic practice, The IIE’s curriculum is annually reviewed thus changes may occur in module structure and sequence in order to ensure that the qualification remains relevant. The exit level outcomes of the programme do not change. Registered students receive updated programme curriculum on an annual basis.
Documents detailing specific module outcomes per core discipline are available from the campus should you require these details.
What about timetables?
Our full-time programmes are aimed at students wishing to dedicate themselves to full-time face-to-face studies for the duration of their qualification. This means that students are expected to be available for classes during the morning and/or afternoon throughout the academic year depending on how the timetable is structured. Unfortunately, students are not necessarily able to select a morning or afternoon format to suit their personal circumstances.
We absolutely encourage students to take up part-time employment outside of class time, weekends and in the evenings. Full-time students must prioritise their studies and avoid committing to work schedules until after they have received their timetables and academic calendar from the institution, to ensure that the two do not clash. Students are reminded that their studies must take priority over work, and that timetables remain subject to change throughout the year.
While we strive to offer time efficient timetables (where classes are grouped together into the morning and/or the afternoon), we cannot guarantee that either format will necessarily be available for all programmes every semester. Where students are repeating modules, these modules may be offered in the evenings or Saturdays.
Students are required to attend classes or, should the module be offered online or via distance, workshops may be provided. Students may also be required to write assessments or submit coursework or assignments outside of normal class time.
Click here to view the factsheet for this programme.
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