School of Financial Services

Bachelor of Commerce with a Major in Credit

Do you want to increase and enhance your knowledge about the ins and outs of credit?

Are you interested in specialising in the different areas of credit, risk and financial management?

Or, are you wanting to complete a degree recognised by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority for FAIS Fit and Proper purposes?

If you answered yes to any of the questions, then you should consider completing Milpark Education’s Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Credit.

Offered via Distance Learning (DL) and Distance Learning Online (DLO) - Click here to find out more about our Ways to study

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NQF Level

7

SAQA

90509

Min Credits

360

DESCRIPTION AND PROGRAMME PURPOSE

Credit is a subject that affects many industries. It comes into play when someone extends credit terms to a business customer in an industrial corporation or to an individual customer in a retail environment. It could affect whether a financial institution grants a loan to an individual or to a business customer, or whether a government or corporation issues and sells bonds to the public as a way of financing a project. 

The purpose of the Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree is to provide a broad but solid educational foundation to students in the field of commerce, including various key discipline areas such as business management, accounting and economics. The qualification has been designed to provide the knowledge base, practical competence and application skills that would enable students either to enter the labour market or to pursue further studies in this field.

The BCom degree with a major in Credit will provide a solid base from which graduates can operate at specialist or firstlevel management in an environment that deals with credit transactions. If a student is career-orientated and seeking a more senior management position, a BCom with a major in Credit can also function as articulation into a BCom Honours or a Postgraduate Diploma in Banking, Credit, Finance or even Business Administration.

The BCom degree appears on the Financial Sector Conduct Authority’s (FSCA) list of recognised qualifications for FAIS Fit and Proper purposes.

WHO SHOULD ENROL

The programme would be suitable for:

  • An employed person who wants to enhance his or her knowledge of the core areas of competence related to credit granting and the maintenance thereof in the financial services industry.
  • A person employed in a junior position in the banking, financial services or micro-loans industry.
  • A person who wants to gain the relevant specialised knowledge in the different areas of credit, risk and financial management, required to pursue a career in that field.
  • A person working in the non-financial sector, planning to add skills and improve career options in the
  • Finance/Credit/Collections area of the business.
  • A person wanting to complete a degree that appears on the Financial Sector Conduct Authority’s (FSCA) list of recognised qualifications for FAIS Fit and Proper purposes.

PROGRAMME OUTCOMES

Successful completion of this qualification should enable the student to:

  1. Demonstrate awareness of the management and leadership competences necessary to operate in the local or international business environment.
  2. Demonstrate awareness of the essential components of an effective operations strategy in a business environment.
  3. Demonstrate awareness of essential economic theory and its managerial and business implications.
  4. Conduct business research with appropriate supervision in a business environment.

Kindly note that there is an overview factsheet available that provides information on all the different BCom majors offered by Milpark.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

MAJOR: CREDIT: MINIMUM 393 CREDITS

In the table below, the "Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3" columns correspond with the complexity of the coursework and progression of the academic levels. These labels align with international BCom standards. The columns do not represent the time it takes for a student to complete the qualification at Milpark. Students have a minimum of four (4) years, and a maximum of nine (9) years, to complete the qualification. This allows for flexibility on the learning journey, at a pace that enables students the best possible opportunity for successful outcomes.

Semester 1  Year 1  Year 2 Year 3
Compulsory (all) 

Induction to Business Studies*
Business Numeracy*
Principles of Microeconomics
Principles of Accounting 
Introduction to Business Management
Regulation and Compliance in the
Banking Industry**
Personal and Small Business Credit**
Intermediate
Macroeconomics 
Financial Management 1
General Management
International Economics
Financial Management 2
Entrepreneurship
Risk Management**
Semester 2  Year 1  Year 2 Year 3
Compulsory (all) 


Principles of Macroeconomics**
Applied Financial Accounting**
Business Law**
Marketing Management
Practice 
Management and
Leadership 
Business Credit**
Credit 2B**
Business Research
Methods 
Monetary Economics
Total credits per year  154  115 124

* Please note that Induction to Business Studies and Business Numeracy are only offered via Distance Learning Online (DLO) and should be completed in the first semester of study in year 1.

** NOTE: specialist modules relating to your chosen major may be on offer via distance learning only.

The admission criteria for the Bachelor in Commerce degree are as follows:

If the candidate matriculated in 2007 or earlier

Candidates who matriculated in 2007 or earlier require:

1. A Senior Certificate with matriculation endorsement/exemption for degree studies. Candidates who have a Senior Certificate but who do not meet the matriculation endorsement/exemption requirements stated above, may apply to Universities South Africa (USAF), for mature age exemption (https://mb.usaf.ac.za/); and

2. A symbol of E or higher for Mathematics on HG, or a symbol of D or higher for Mathematics on SG. Candidates who do not meet the Mathematics requirement may beoffered admission on condition that they successfully complete the BCom bridging programme, if they have achieved at least a symbol of E on HG or a C on SG in any two of the following subjects:

  • Economics
  • Business Economics
  • Accounting
  • Physical Science or Physics/Chemistry
  • Natural Science or Biology.

If the candidate matriculated in 2008 or later

Candidates who matriculated in 2008 or later require:

1. A National Senior Certificate (NSC) with a minimum of 50% in four NSC 20-credit subjects, including English as the language of instruction at Milpark Education, as certified by Umalusi. Candidates who have a National Senior Certificate (NSC) but who do not meet the matriculation endorsement/exemption requirements stated above, may apply to Universities South Africa (USAF), for mature age exemption (https://mb.usaf.ac.za/); and

2. A minimum mark of 50% for Mathematics or 70% for Mathematics Literacy. Candidates who do not meet the Mathematics requirement but who have achieved a minimum mark of 50% or higher in any two of the following subjects may be offered admission on condition that they successfully complete the bridging programme:

  • Economics
  • Business Economics
  • Accounting
  • Physical Science or Physics/Chemistry
  • Natural Science or Biology.

Candidates who have completed a relevant Higher Certificate (NQF 5) or Diploma (NQF 6) in the field of business or commerce, may also be admitted to the BCom degree.

Other certificates

Any applicant who has a certificate other than a South African National Senior Certificate has to provide:

  • a SAQA Certificate of Equivalence, if they want to enrol for a Higher Certificate, Advanced Certificate, Diploma or Postgraduate qualification (www.saqa.org.za)
  • or a USAF Exemption Certificate, if they want to enrol for a Bachelor’s degree (https://mb.usaf.ac.za/).

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) applications

Milpark admits a small number of students onto its programme via Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Applicants interested in applying via RPL will be considered individually by the relevant Dean.

Distance Learning Online (DLO)

Distance Learning (DL)

Cycle 1 Semester 1
Close of Registration: 12 January 2024 Close of Admission/application: 2 February 2024
  Close of Registration: 19 February 2024

 

Cycle 2 Semester 2
Close of Registration: 12 March 2024 Close of Admission/application: 28 June 2024
  Close of Registration: 29 July 2024

 

Cycle 3  
Close of Registration: 21 June 2024  

 

Cycle 4  
Close of Registration: 16 August 2024