Business management courses requirements depend on which rung of the qualification ladder you are aiming for. South African business management courses run from TVET college N4 to N6 programmes and university higher certificates, through diplomas and a BCom degree, to advanced certificates and postgraduate study, and each level has its own entry point.
A business management course teaches how organisations are planned, run and controlled: management principles, marketing, finance, human resources and operations. This page sorts the options by level and provider so you can see which one your current results or experience already open to you.
Entry Requirements at a Glance
- TVET Business Management N4 to N6 (Report 191): Grade 12 or equivalent; the college sets any subject minimums
- Higher Certificate (NQF 5, 120 credits): a National Senior Certificate with at least 30% in the language of teaching and learning, plus any subject minimums the institution adds
- Diploma (NQF 6): an NSC with diploma endorsement, or a higher certificate in a related field
- Bachelor’s degree such as a BCom or BBA (NQF 7, 360 credits): an NSC with bachelor’s endorsement, usually with Mathematics
- Advanced Certificate (NQF 6, 120 credits): a higher certificate in an appropriate field
- Honours or postgraduate diploma (NQF 8): an appropriate bachelor’s degree or advanced diploma
Academic and Minimum Admission Requirements
The Council on Higher Education’s Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework fixes the qualification types and their minimum entry points. A higher certificate is the entry-level university qualification and needs only the basic NSC admission minimum. An advanced certificate sits one level up and requires a higher certificate in an appropriate field. A diploma and a bachelor’s degree require the NSC admission levels set by the Minister, or a cognate higher certificate as an alternative route in.
The TVET route works differently. Business Management N4 to N6 is a Report 191 (NATED) programme at public TVET colleges. Port Elizabeth TVET College, for example, asks for Grade 12 or an equivalent qualification with an average of 45% or more in Business Studies and English, and runs each level over six months, with January and July intakes. Passing N6 does not give you the National N Diploma on its own: the Department of Higher Education and Training requires documented proof of at least 18 months or 2,000 hours of relevant workplace experience before it issues the diploma, and you apply through the college where you studied.
Private higher education institutions offer many business and management courses too. They must be registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training, and their programmes accredited by the Council on Higher Education, before the qualification counts.
Subjects, APS and Qualification Requirements
How the requirements tighten as you move up is easiest to see at a single provider. Unisa’s College of Economic and Management Sciences publishes these entry points:
- Higher Certificate in Supervisory Management: NSC with at least 30% in the language of teaching and learning and 30% in Mathematics or 70% in Mathematical Literacy; APS 15
- Diploma in Small Business Management: NSC with diploma endorsement, at least 50% in the language of teaching and learning, and 40% in Mathematics or 70% in Mathematical Literacy; APS 17
- BCom in Business Management: NSC with degree endorsement, at least 50% in the language of teaching and learning and 50% in Mathematics; APS 21
- Bachelor of Business Administration: the same NSC, language and Mathematics minimums as the BCom; APS 21
The pattern holds at other institutions even where the numbers differ: Mathematical Literacy is more often accepted for certificates and diplomas, while a BCom degree normally requires Mathematics. Each Unisa undergraduate qualification in this list also accepts a completed higher certificate from its College of Economic and Management Sciences as an alternative to the school-leaving route.
At the advanced certificate level, entry is based on your earlier qualification, not on school results. The Durban University of Technology’s Advanced Certificate in Business Management asks for a Higher Certificate in Business Administration or a recognised equivalent, and ranks applicants on their marks in major modules and their managerial experience.
Documents and Application Requirements
What you submit changes with the level of the course:
- School-leaver courses: a certified copy of your ID and your NSC or latest Grade 12 results
- TVET N4 entry: your Grade 12 certificate or equivalent, as the college specifies
- Advanced certificates and postgraduate courses: certified copies of previous qualifications and academic records, plus a CV showing work experience (DUT, for example, asks for a three-page CV)
- Foreign qualifications: a SAQA evaluation, where the institution requires it
- Courses you apply for through recognition of prior learning: a portfolio or CV proving your years of relevant work experience
Apply directly through the institution’s own admissions page. For a TVET course, apply to the public college you plan to attend.
Selection, Intake and Eligibility Considerations
Before choosing between courses, check three things on official registers:
- The qualification is registered on the National Qualifications Framework. The South African Qualifications Authority records each qualification’s NQF level and SAQA ID.
- A private provider appears on the Department of Higher Education and Training’s register of private higher education institutions.
- The programme is accredited by the Council on Higher Education if it is a higher education qualification.
Funding can decide the provider for you. NSFAS bursaries cover qualifying students at public universities and public TVET colleges, including Report 191 programmes, so the TVET and public university routes above are the ones NSFAS can fund.
Meeting the minimum does not guarantee a place. Unisa states that some of its qualifications have limited space, and selective programmes such as DUT’s advanced certificate rank applicants rather than admitting everyone who qualifies. DUT runs that course part-time over one year, which suits applicants who are already working.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a business management course?
It is a programme that teaches how to plan, organise, lead and control an organisation. It can be a TVET N4 to N6 programme, a higher certificate, a diploma, a BCom degree or a postgraduate qualification, and the entry requirements differ at each level.
Which business management courses can I do with Mathematical Literacy?
Many certificates and diplomas accept it, often at a higher percentage than they ask for in Mathematics. Unisa, for example, accepts 70% in Mathematical Literacy for its Higher Certificate in Supervisory Management and its Diploma in Small Business Management. Its BCom in Business Management requires 50% in Mathematics.
What are the BCom degree requirements for business management?
Expect a National Senior Certificate with bachelor’s endorsement, a minimum in the language of teaching and learning, and usually a Mathematics minimum and an APS set by each university. At Unisa that means 50% in both, with APS 21.
Can I do a business management course without matric?
Higher certificates, diplomas and degrees require an NSC or an equivalent. Unisa’s recognition of prior learning route is an exception for applicants who are at least 30, have completed at least Grade 10 and have five years’ relevant work experience.
Is Business Management N6 the same as a diploma?
No. N6 is a certificate. The National N Diploma needs the N4 to N6 theory plus 18 months or 2,000 hours of documented workplace experience, confirmed by the Department of Higher Education and Training.
Which course should I choose if I don’t meet degree requirements?
Start with a higher certificate or a diploma in the field and progress upward. For how admission is assessed at each level, see business management requirements.
Entry requirements, APS scores and intakes change each admissions cycle. Confirm the current requirements for your intake year with the institution offering the course, and check a private provider’s registration with the Department of Higher Education and Training.
See admission requirements and browse all education requirements.