Universities and Online Degrees Guide

University of the Witwatersrand

Bachelor of Commerce with Honours in Finance

The Bachelor of Commerce with Honours in Finance in Finances is offered by University of the Witwatersrand.

Program Length: 2 YEARS.

Bachelor of Commerce with Honours in Finance offered by the University of the Witwatersrand

This is a field for students who are passionately interested in business, investment and financial markets, and all the excitement and financial reward attendant thereto.

The Finance discipline teaches and conducts research in one of the most exciting and dynamic areas of business. The team comprises a good mix of highly experienced and well-published academics, and young up-and-coming talent drawn from our pool of top graduates. Finance is driven by a strong passion for ‘giving back’ and delivering high quality education in the financial field. Many of our academic staff have many years of experience consulting in the fields of business finance, investment and asset management. Such activity ensures that they remain in touch and up-to-date with the latest developments and thinking in the field.

The discipline also attracts some of the industry’s business leaders as visiting professors. These include top executives from the JSE Limited, the Reserve Bank and various blue-chip financial and banking institutions. This enriches the teaching delivered by the Finance discipline.

Finance has a strong research focus which has driven the publishing of many our postgraduate research projects. We are currently establishing research entities with specific interests in specialised fields of corporate finance and investment. These will strengthen the Finance discipline’s ability to consult with large institutions, financial markets companies, government and quasi-government institutions.

We are affiliated to the Southern African Financial Association and regularly deliver research papers at their annual conference. This conference also provides postgraduate students with the opportunity to present their research and obtain expert feedback which is particularly useful in preparing work for publication.

Our third year and honours level courses are among the flagship programmes of the School, and thoroughly prepare students to take CFA courses up to level 3.

What is Finance?

Finance is the driving engine of the economy. Financial markets are impacted by and have an impact on political, social and economic issues on a worldwide basis. The latest global financial crisis stands as testament to this fact. A constantly evolving and dynamic environment, the study of finance makes for a particularly exciting and attractive field.

Courses in finance focus on investment and corporate finance topics and include areas such as mergers and acquisitions, dividend policy, initial public offerings (IPOs), regulatory requirements and factors that impact financial decision-making.

Why Study Finance?

Students who have completed a BCom (Finance) or Honours in Finance can go on to become chief executive officers, chief investment officers, financial directors, financial risk managers, stock brokers, financial advisors, investment analysts, investment bankers, merchant bankers, portfolio managers, public sector consultants, financial journalists and financial researchers.

Wits is the only university in South Africa in which the finance course comprises 50% corporate finance and 50% investment. This is a key differentiator and provides students with broad exposure to key elements of Finance.