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World awaits SU’s first-ever International Business graduates
Author: Corporate Communication/Korporatiewe Kommunikasie [Rozanne Engel]
Published: 10/12/2019

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A special group of students will be honoured at Stellenbosch University's (SU) second December graduation ceremony tonight, when the first group of 22 students from the BCom (International Business) class receive their degrees.

In 2016, SU's Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences launched this new innovate programme, the four-year BCom (International Business) degree aimed at delivering graduates that will be equipped at being role-players in the international knowledge economy. This was in line with SU's vision to be a world-class university creating opportunities for students to be more connected to the world.

The degrees will be conferred upon the 22 successful trailblazer students at the second graduation ceremony on Monday night, 09 December 2019.

According to Programme Coordinator Prof Pierre Erasmus, this programme is the first of its kind in South Africa and a pioneer in business education at undergraduate level in the country.

“The four-year Bachelor programme addresses a need to deliver graduates that are equipped to be role players in the international knowledge economy. It gives students exposure to different settings and develops their global mind-set through a comprehensive and internationally oriented curriculum."

During the four-year programme, students are exposed to a multicultural experience and the opportunity to create a long-lasting network with students in different parts of the world through a structured exchange programme.

“I met a lot of great people over the last four years, built relationships and learnt a lot about myself in the process. The idea of being the first to graduate and enter the job market with this degree is very exciting," says Alexandra Haines, one of the graduates from the programme.

According to Haines, being the first graduates of this programme also gave her and her classmates a lot of opportunity to provide feedback and input on the programme, which she hopes will help with the development and future growth of the course.

As part of the degree, students had the opportunity do an exchange semester in the third year of their studies, which is something Irmilee Uys really looked forward to.

“It has always been my dream to work for an international company. The moment I heard about this exclusive course that would provide exposure to many different aspects of business and had an international flavour, I immediately knew that it was exactly what I wanted to do."

During her third year of the course, Uys went to the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany, which she describes as a life-changing experience.

“I feel so privileged to have been able to study at TUM, which is rated one of the best universities in the world. During my exchange, I also learned a lot about the 'real life' business world, as I was able to do an internship at an international company, Siemens, in Germany. I worked many long hours during the internship, but every minute was rewarding, and at the end of my internship I was able to speak German fluently."

Both Haines and Uys have plans to complete their Master degrees abroad.

Here is a brief description of the programme and admission requirements:

The BCom (International Business) degree:

  • is a 4-year programme;
  • includes an exchange semester in the third year of study (students enrol at a partner university abroad);
  • comprises BCom, Law and Social Sciences modules;
  • includes a foreign language (Chinese, German or French) in the first year;
  • is a selection programme as only 30 places are available; and
  • is presented in English medium only.

Admission requirements include:

  • Overall NSC average of at least 60% (excluding Life Orientation)
  • Mathematics 60%
  • English Home Language 60% OR English First Additional Language 70%

For more detailed information about the BCom (International Business) programme, click here.​

Photo by Stefan Els.