Bachelor of Commerce in Law

Purpose

This Qualification is aimed at promoting access to higher education and equiping learners with appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes attuned to the demands of business and industry. Learners will gain a critical understanding of the interplay between the disciplines of modern business management, strategic financial planning and the governing rules of our law.

The qualification design reflects the logical progression of learning by introducing learners to the foundational and fundamental aspects of their learning areas in the first year and then progressing to the higher-order skills of analysing, interpreting and applying the principles and theories of focus areas in the second and third years of study.

This Bachelor of Commerce in Law is designed to develop the learner's ability to think and act strategically and professionally and to contribute meaningfully to the organisations they will be serving. Consequently, it facilitates the development of a well-rounded strategic business knowledge base in conjunction with substantial legal skills, knowledge and insight to allow for professional practice entry into a broad range of business enterprises as well as further studies in law or commerce.

Rationale

The Bachelor of Commerce in Law provides learners with a basic grounding in the key disciplines of Economics, Business Management, Strategic Financial Planning, Financial Management and Law, to enable them to enter into a career in business which requires a good grounding in law. Alternatively, those who wish to pursue a career in law will do so with a sound foundation in business management and strategic financial planning.

The design for this Degree has been informed by a demand identified in industry as a business and law combination that will enable graduates to contribute to a business by providing legal direction and support within the context of the objectives to which modern businesses generally aspire. In keeping with the purpose of Bachelor Degrees, this qualification will therefore enable learners to apply a well-rounded strategic knowledge base to professional entry practice across a broad range of enterprise types and industries.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

• RPL can be used to grant learners who do not initially meet the full entry requirements admission to the qualification.
• Learners may apply for credits or exemptions for modules already passed in-house or at any other recognised institution.
• The qualification may be achieved in part by the assessment of competencies acquired through informal and non-formal learning.

The RPL process is be applied on a case-by-case basis, using a structured range of assessment tools, procedures and techniques, to assess the leaner's competences against the Exit Level Outcomes of the qualification. The Independent Institute of Education (IIE) RPL Policy and the IIE Academic Credit and Qualification Completion Policy guide this process.

Entry Requirements

To gain access to this qualification, an applicant is required to have one of the following

• National Senior Certificate at NQF Level 4, granting entry to Degree studies.
• Higher Certificate, Advanced Certificate, Diploma or Advanced Diploma in a related discipline.
• Senior Certificate with matriculation exemption.
• National Certificate (Vocational), at NQF Level 4, granting entry to Degree studies.

The Bachelor of Commerce in Law comprises 28 compulsory modules, totalling 376 Credits, at the following NQF Levels

Modules at NQF Level 5

• Accounting 1A, 12 Credits.
• Business Management 1A, 12 Credits.
• Law of Persons 1A, 12 Credits.
• Law of Enterprise Structures 1A, 12 Credits.
• Accounting 1B, 12 Credits.
• Business Management 1B, 12 Credits.
• Family Law 1B, 12 Credits.

Total Credits at NQF Level 5 = 84.

Modules at NQF Level 6

• Economics 1A, 12 Credits.
• Economics 1B, 12 Credits.
• Law of Succession 1B, 12 Credits.
• Business management 2A, 12 Credits.
• Financial Management 1A, 18 Credits.
• Financial Planning Law 2A, 14 Credits.
• Insolvency Law 2A, 12 Credits.
• Structure of SA Financial Markets 2A, 12 Credits.
• Business management 2B, 12 Credits.
• Financial Management 1B, 18 Credits.
• Financial Planning Law 2B, 14 Credits.
• Labour Law 2B, 12 Credits.
• Introduction to Taxation 2B, 12 Credits.

Total Credits at NQF Level 6 = 172.

Modules at NQF Level 7

• Business Management 3A, 18 Credits.
• Law of Property 3A, 14 Credits.
• Law of Contract 3A, 14 Credits.
• E-Commerce Law 3A, 12 Credits.
• Business Management 3B, 18 Credits.
• Methods of Payment Law 3B, 14 Credits.
• Corporate Governance 3B, 16 Credits.
• Specific Contracts 3B, 14 Credits.

Total Credits at NQF Level 7 = 120.

1. Demonstrate well-rounded and systematic knowledge of the structure of the South African legal system and the relationship between the various sub-disciplines of law that comprise our legal system.
2. Identify and evaluate the basic principles and norms of the modern South African Private and Mercantile Law.
3. Engage with advanced legal texts pertaining to legislation, court precedent and academic articles to source, identify and select appropriate and relevant information to support and inform statements, recommendations and decisions related to legal and corporate financial position.
4. Interpret, analyse and solve questions of law of an advanced nature, including legal problems encountered in financial planning.
5. Articulate, contextualise and communicate a legal conundrum and its likely solution in a professional and academically appropriate manner.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• The relationship between the various sub-disciplines of the South African legal system is understood.
• The ability and insight to identify a legal issue as falling predominantly within a particular sub-discipline of the South African law is displayed.
• The legal principles and norms applying in an identified sub-discipline are identified and understood.
• The insight and ability to apply the legal norms of a particular sub-discipline to a question of law is demonstrated.
• The relationship between the three central disciplines for this Degree, namely Law, Financial Planning and Business Management are identified and interrogated.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• A critical understanding of the relationship between Mercantile Law, Private Law and the other branches of the SA legal system is demonstrated.
• Knowledge of the basic principles, language and terminology of the major areas of Private and Mercantile Law is covered and displayed.
• Knowledge of advanced principles, language and terminology of selected areas of Private and Mercantile Law, including the principles and norms of Financial Planning Law is demonstrated.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Knowledge, insight and competencies required to solve legal questions and problems commonly encountered in the legal and business environments are displayed.
• Relevant case law, legislation and other legal texts are critically analysed and practically applied.
• Legal text is appropriately classified according to its origin and the hierarchy of authoritative South African sources of law.
• The relevant sources where our law may be found: both electronic and hardcopy collections of legislation, precedent and academic texts are identified, explored and utilised.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• A thorough knowledge of the common law, statutory law (legislation) and case law pertaining to relevant areas of private and mercantile law is demonstrated.
• The ability to correctly analyse the legal problem, identify the relevant area of law applicable, understand the legal question, locate the resources, do the research and develop a cogent and articulate response is displayed.
• The law is applied in conjunction with the relevant considerations of financial planning and business management.
• The ability to coherently, cogently and in clear language articulate - both verbally and in writing - a legal question and its likely solution is demonstrated.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• A basic independent inquiry into any field of the South African Private and Mercantile Law is conducted.
• A legal question or problem is confronted and correctly analysed, the applicable area of law identified, the legal question understood, the resources identified, the research done and a cogent and articulate response developed.
• The ability to apply the law in conjunction with the relevant considerations of Financial Planning and Business Management is displayed.
• The ability to coherently, cogently and in clear language articulate - both verbally and in writing - a legal question and its likely solution is demonstrated.

Integrated Assessment

Formative assessment

Learning and assessment are integrated. Continuing formative assessment is required so that learners are given feedback on their progress in the achievement of learning outcomes. The scheme of work includes assignments based on the learning material and learners are given feedback. The process is continuous and focuses on smaller sections of the work and limited numbers of outcomes.

Summative assessment

Summative assessment is concerned with the judgement of the learning in relation to the Exit Level Outcomes of the qualification. Such judgement must include integrated assessments which test the learner's ability to integrate the larger body of knowledge, skills and attitudes that are represented by the Exit Level Outcomes as a whole. Examinations, projects, reports or equivalent assessments, such as a portfolio of evidence, assess a representative selection of the outcomes practised and assessed. Summative assessment also tests the learner's ability to manage and integrate a large body of knowledge to achieve the stated outcomes of a module.

Integrated assessments will be designed to achieve

• An integration of the achievement of Exit Level Outcomes in a way which demonstrates that the purpose of the qualification as a whole has been achieved.
• The evaluation of learner performance which can provide evidence of applied competence.
• Criterion-referenced assessment which is clearly explained to, and understood by, the learners and which can be applied in the recognition of prior learning.