Finance
Improve your financial knowledge and make your mark in business.
Overview
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.
Curriculum
- Research Paper in Business Sciences
- Theory of Corporate Finance
- Theory of Investment
- Advanced Financial Risk Management
- Advanced Financial Modelling in Excel
- International Finance
Entry Requirements
- A Bachelors degree or equivalent (NQF level 7)
- Corporate Finance and Investment courses from a recognised university
Applicants are expected to have achieved at least 65% in the Investment and Corporate Finance major
University Application Process
- Applications are handled centrally by the Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC). Once your application is complete in terms of requested documentation, your application will be referred to the relevant School for assessment. Click here to see an overview of the Wits applications process. Refer to Wits Postgraduate Online Applications Guide for detailed guidelines.
- Please apply online. Upload your supporting documents at the time of application, or via the Self Service Portal.
- Applicants can monitor the progress of their applications via the Self Service Portal.
- Selections for programmes that have a limited intake but attract a large number of applications may only finalise the application at the end of the application cycle.
Please note that the Entry Requirements are a guide. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee a place. Final selection is made subject to the availability of places, academic results and other entry requirements where applicable.
International students, please check this section.
For more information, contact the Student Call Centre +27 (0)11 717 1888, or log a query at www.wits.ac.za/askwits.
University Fees and Funding
Click here to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees site also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.
For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, click here. Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities. NRF bursaries: The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies. External bursaries portal: The Bursaries South Africa website provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.