Up Your Business Acumen With This Wits Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration
Why study this programme?
This is the pathway to an MBA which can accelerate your business career.
Number of modules:
Duration per module: 7 weeks
Total programme duration: 18 months
Cost per module: R9,840
Total programme cost: R88,560
Admission requirements
3-year degree or Bachelor’s degree, and 2 years’ work experience.
Why study through Wits online?
The Wits online learning experience provides you with the opportunity to advance your career with occupationally relevant online offerings that equip you with skills and knowledge that can be applied at work immediately.
These online offerings are designed to fit into your lifestyle, so that you can study within your schedule, no matter where you are. You learn from the best, receiving expert guidance from lecturers who are committed to academic and teaching excellence that is contextually relevant.
Study Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (PDBA)
Ambitious graduates looking to accelerate their management careers can now apply to complete the Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (PDBA) fully online. This allows you to balance work and study but still allows you to benefit from the same level of content and support as the contact programme.
The PDBA is aimed at giving you, the student, a broad understanding of the world of business, providing you with information that you can leverage for rapid career and personal growth. Whether you are in a specialist field or are interested in pursuing a change in career, the PDBA will enable you to enhance your business management and leadership skills.
If you enrol on a part-time online study basis, the PDBA is an 18-month programme. If you wish to enrol for a full-time online study, completing two modules at a time, this programme will take only 10 months.
The PDBA programme has the added advantage of preparing you to complete the Wits Business School’s part-time MBA in one year, as opposed to the usual 18-months.
Admission requirements
A three-year degree OR a Bachelor’s degree (NQF Level 7).
A minimum of two years’ work experience.
Students who have completed the Fundamentals of Business Administration (FBA) suite of courses are eligible to apply for entrance into the Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (PDBA) programme and may receive credits, if all other criteria are met. Interested students will have to complete a new application for the PDBA as a completed FBA suite of courses does NOT guarantee entrance into the PDBA programme.
Modules
BUSA5200O – Critical Business Skills
This module aims to equip candidates with critical business skills at an advanced level, to enable effective managerial outcomes in the workplace. The module comprises three core areas, namely written and oral communications, project management skills, and business-relevant quantitative skills. In each of these areas, candidates will be expected to demonstrate competencies at a postgraduate level, which are appropriate to the business environment. This module blends real-world experience with academic excellence by having candidates acquire research and academic literacy, project management and quantitative skills as well as experience in business writing, presentation, project management, and quantitative methods, in some cases through the evaluation of business case studies.
BUSA5205O – Business Law
This module is intended to provide the candidate with a basic introduction to the elements of Commercial Law as it pertains to doing business in both South Africa and Africa. It is intended that this module will capture the imagination of the candidates and cultivate a deepened respect and interest in the practicality and applicability of law to all aspects of business. Hopefully, it will encourage further study in the field of business and the law and result in the candidate nurturing a lifelong interest in the law.
BUSA5206O – Marketing and Sales
This module is focused on creating and disseminating theoretical and practical knowledge and skills which translate into the steps in the development of a marketing plan, an understanding of the environment in which the marketing function operates and the role of marketing management. In addition, business models are taught in order to provide an in-depth understanding of the strategic portion of the marketing plan, including a customer-driven marketing strategy (STP) and the ability to construct an integrated marketing programme that delivers superior value. The main outcome of this module is to manage profitable customer relationships using Relationship Marketing and CRM thinking in an emerging market/African context.
BUSA5207O – People Management
This module examines the aspect of people management within the South African context and takes into account the complexity of a changing business environment in an emerging market economy. A particular emphasis is placed on the critical engagement of the socio-psychological elements of human performance in organisations. In addition, candidates are made aware of the ethical and responsible elements of good people management.
BUSA5208O – Entrepreneurship
The module is designed to provide a rigorous introduction to the theoretical and practical issues associated with entrepreneurship. A research evidence-based critical learning approach is used to dispel myths surrounding entrepreneurship to ensure sustainable enterprises. The module relies on case material to critically evaluate best practices underpinning entrepreneurship theories. The module provides a critical appreciation of entrepreneurship in the SA and African contexts and is focused on conducting a business model thought canvas for a start-up.
BUSA5201O – Management & Financial Accounting
This is a module that teaches students the principles that underpin the distinctions between financial and management accounting, emphasising the focus of their target audience – that is, the external stakeholders of the firm, and the internal management team of the firm respectively. The emphasis is on an understanding of how each form of these disparate accounting processes is utilised for decision-making purposes. This module also explores the generally accepted principles that govern an entity’s financial accounting system, the income statement and balance sheet that are the principal end products of the system. Students learn how accounting information is used to evaluate the performance and financial status of an organisation, both by managers within the organisation and by shareholders, lenders, and other outside parties. This module also undertakes a foundational understanding of the elements of corporate finance and how to use financial instruments to arrive at basic finance evaluations.
BUSA5203O – Technology & Operations Management
This module expands students’ knowledge in the principles of operation management and information systems management in a South African, emerging, evolving, transiting world environment or context. It presents core operational management theories and techniques and an overview of operational project management. It also encompasses operations in a service environment. Operations research approach to modelling is illustrated through case studies and practical examples. Information systems management and information technology are also introduced at a foundational level, exploring the topics of planning, execution, and perspectives. Under planning, the module extends to the strategic context of information systems, IT strategy, and architecture and planning. Execution takes a closer look at key concepts and challenges around the delivery of information systems, building information systems (software development), buying/sourcing information systems (packages), outsourcing information systems or services, managing information systems projects, and the maintenance burden. Perspectives will examine the key dynamics and trends of the information technology industry, as well as the organisational effects of informational technology.
BUSA5202O – Economics for Business
The module comprises two fundamental structural components:
Microeconomics – this sub-set is concerned with the individual components of an economy, notably consumers and producers, and the way in which their decisions and resultant actions and reactions are brought together in a series of inter-related markets to form the price system. The failure of those markets to bring about the desired social conditions, and concerns about the balance of power between business, labour, and government, have given rise to the regulation of various kinds.
Macroeconomics – this sub-set examines the economy in aggregate, rather than its internal divergences, and it attempts to measure the overall activity in the economy and to relate that performance, modified by fiscal and monetary policy, to preferred objectives such as full employment and low inflation. It is both a tool and a point of reference for policymakers.
BUSA5204O – Strategy
This is an introductory module that teaches students the principles of strategy; through this module, they gain an understanding of thinking approaches and actions that allow for the creation and execution of strategic change in an organisation. It will assist students to identify the variables that lead to organisations gaining a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Students will explore the vital importance of integration among the activities of an organisation, to ensure both sustainability and long-term success. They will also utilise the basics tools of strategic analysis of the external and internal environment of an organisation. This module also applies analytical thinking and decision frameworks to generate sustainable performance in competitive local and global environments.
Students will be engaged in leading-edge strategic thinking and case study analysis with practical application derived from management theorists, practitioners and business leaders. The module delivers competencies in the conception, formulation, implementation, and management of enterprise strategies with a broad perspective.
Fees
Fees are payable in advance of the start date for each module and must be received before the payment deadline in order for students to register successfully.
Payment can be made via EFT through our self-service portal. Please ensure you capture your student number accurately in the reference field to limit delays in registration. Do not include unnecessary alphanumeric characters or punctuation in the reference. Certain banks may take up to three days for funds to reflect in your student account. If the payment does not reflect by the fourth working day, please contact your Enrolment Specialist to follow up.
