School of Commerce

Economic growth is essential to address issues of poverty and unemployment within a developing economy such as South Africa. As such, there is an increasing need for graduates to obtain in depth and specialised skills within the discipline of Economics. Both the public and the private sectors demand graduates with a solid theoretical foundation of how the economy works and with specialised analytical and quantitative skills in the various fields of Economics. In addition, the marketplace expects graduates who have developed both analytical and research skills, and the ability to work and think logically and independently. This programme is intended for students wishing to specialise in Economics as a specific field of study. Learners are equipped with appropriate knowledge and skills in intermediate level macroeconomics and microeconomics, and econometrics, and are also able to experience economics applications through elective offerings. The skills graduates will develop on the programme are those that will facilitate their potential to work as an Economist in a specialised field. In addition, grounding in research is provided through a mentored research project, which together with their formal courses provides learners with the foundation required to successfully advance to Masters level study.