Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Economics

The Honours programme is the first year of postgraduate study in Economics. The programme is designed to provide the opportunity for further intensive study in macro and microeconomics as well as specialised fields of economics. It will include training in concepts and research methods designed to equip the candidate with the skills necessary either for employment in public or private sector organisations concerned with the analysis of economic and related issues including economic policy. It will also prepare students for further study, locally or internationally, at Masters level in Economics or a related subject area.

Proven understanding of Economics and the applications thereof which can be tested.

Senior certificate with Matriculation Exemption or Equivalent university qualification

First degree

BCom (Economics)

Recognition of Prior Learning (e.g. Work or field experience (if applicable)

Non-Honours graduates who have shown by examination or publication or a record of appropriate training that they have reached a level in the subject or a cognate subject equivalent to an Honours bachelor 's degree may be permitted to register for the degree.

State specific additional requirements (e.g. matric subjects).

None.

(a) Cross-critical outcomes

The Honours graduate is competent to

(i) Understand and manipulate qualitative and quantitative data within an area of specialisation.

(ii) Design and conduct research in his or her area of specialisation

(iii) Produce academic papers that reflect an ability to interrogate the professional literature and engage in critical debate;

(iv) Find information of professional relevance efficiently and independently;

(v) Use information-technology efficiently and independently;

(vi) Embark on Masters level research study under supervision.

(b) General outcomes (contextually demonstrated general knowledge, skills and values of the programme)

The BCom (Hons) graduate is competent to

(i) Articulate an understanding of an area of specialisation at a high level of abstraction

(ii) Independently apply discipline-based knowledge and practices to an understanding of conceptual and practical problems;

(iii) Design and conduct research utilising the methods of the discipline

(iv) Apply the theory and research methods of the discipline to the development of research questions

(v) Produce theoretical and research communications that draw on a range of information bases.

The BCom (Honours) graduate will have

• Acquired a broad, specialist knowledge of their discipline in accordance with internationally accepted norms for an Honours degree
• Demonstrated a capacity for studying aspects of the discipline in depth which indicate the ability to undertake further post-graduate study in the discipline
• Mastered relevant techniques of analysis, research and problem-solving in the discipline which will be of special practical usefulness in future professional employment
• Reflected on and absorbed appropriate moral values - especially humility- relating to the acquisition, dissemination and application of knowledge with special reference to the world of commerce

(c) Specific Outcomes, including professional outcomes, contextually demonstrated)

The Honours Economics graduate is able to

Formulate a sophisticated argument drawing on appropriate theory and research,

• Critically analyse the literature in the discipline
• Produce critiques of economic research;

Design a limited scope research project to answer an economic question;

Utilise advanced quantitative and qualitative methods to address research questions.

Represent hypothetical economic situations using formal models.

The learner 's achievement of critical cross-field outcomes is assessed formatively during the course through a range of activities, and summative in the capstone activity outlined.

The learner's achievement of general programme outcomes is assessed through a range of formative and summative assessments throughout the course and particularly in the capstone activity outlined.

The Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) graduate will

• Demonstrate knowledge of the most important recent findings and discoveries in the discipline they are studying
• Demonstrate an understanding of the principal academic issues and controversies being debated by academics in their field of study
• Demonstrate appropriate levels of technical competence in the application of quantitative and computer assisted problem solving
• Have the ability to read and discuss some of the important articles that appears in the relevant academic journals
• Be able to conduct a literature search and construct a catalogue raisonne of the principal academic works relating to a particular subject matter
• Be able to apply their specialist knowledge of real life commercial situations in South Africa and globally
• Be able to participate in discussion of normative issues relevant to the conduct of research and the conduct of business.

Integrated assessment

The integration of skills learned in Economics Honours is assessed by means of the 'Honours long paper,' a piece of supervised economic research targeted at a specific academic journal chosen in consultation with the supervisor. An economic problem of clearly constrained scope will be chosen and formally modelled. Alternatively, a problem in normative analysis will be selected for discursive treatment. The student will initially produce a proposal reviewing the literature and outlining the methodology and objectives. Following further consultation with the supervisor, the research project will be completed and written up according to the style and tradition of the student's selected journal. Drafts of the work will be presented at a student seminar moderated by the supervisor and other staff members. Following final assessment, the student may be advised on tactics for seeking to have the work published.

The Honours Long Paper will be assessed on the basis of competence in reviewing the literature and on the depth of knowledge of problem-setting and problem-solving techniques it deploys. Formative assessment will occur continuously through the supervisor's feedback and through responses at the student's seminar. Summative assessment will involve assignment of an overall grade to the completed project.

Where the student intends to continue into the Masters programme, the Long Paper could constitute analysis of a problem that can subsequently be generalised to form the basis for a Master's dissertation.

Successful candidates for the B.Com (Honours) degree, in addition to being examined on specialist areas of their subject, are also required to write a dissertation or mini-thesis. In this they identify a suitable research topic and explore it independently, demonstrating its relevance to either the advancement of academic knowledge or to the resolution of problems in an area of practical concern.