Study Business Management
BCom General, Business Management, Marketing Management or Human Resource Management, 3 years (NQF 7)
R53 730 to R94 030 first-year fees9 bursaries list Business Management
- School subjects
- Maths required at some universitiesMaths Literacy accepted at some institutions
Entry details and typical minimums
Business Studies, Economics or Accounting help. Most mainstream BCom degrees we cover require Mathematics, but at UJ the 3-year Bachelor of Human Resource Management and Industrial Psychology degrees accept Mathematical Literacy at level 5 (60%) and the BCom in Information Management at level 6 (70%), each with an APS of 28; UJ's 4-year extended BCom in Business Management accepts Mathematical Literacy at 70% with an APS of 28. NWU's 4-year extended BCom in Management Sciences with Business Management accepts Mathematical Literacy at level 4 with an APS of 20.
Typical minimums: Varies widely. Many BCom General and Business Management programmes accept NSC Mathematics around 50%, and some accept Mathematical Literacy at a higher percentage.
Sources: UK ENIC - comparing international qualifications · World Education Services (WES) · UJ 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus, p.43 (extended BCom Business Management: Mathematical Literacy 6, APS 28) · UJ 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus, p.40 (Human Resource Management B34HRQ and Industrial Psychology B34I7Q: Mathematical Literacy 5, APS 28) · UJ 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus, p.42 (BCom Information Management B34IMQ: Mathematical Literacy 6, APS 28) · NWU Fields of Study - Economic and Management Sciences 2027 (admission table: extended BCom Business Management)
Pay
Yearly gross pay, turned into rand at the exchange rate. The dot is the typical figure. How pay is measured
- IrelandR1.0–2.4m~
- GermanyR1.1–1.8m
- USAR1.0–1.9m
- NetherlandsR1.0–1.8m
- UAER1.1–1.5m~
- UKR930k–1.6m
- AustraliaR620k–1.4m
- CanadaR710k–1.2m
- New ZealandR690k–1.4m
- South AfricaR330–440k~
~ limited evidence
Working abroad 2.8 of 5
Score out of 5. Tap a country for steps and visas.
AI outlook
Unlicensed office work built on documents, communication and analysis: the kind of work AI tools already help with most. Expect the role to evolve quickly and new kinds of roles to appear alongside it.
Hands-on In-person care Licensed & accountable
Careers
Where to study 8
First-year tuition, as published. My Matric Map can check your results against each of these. Tap a university for its entry requirements and dates. Compare study costs
- UCTBachelor of Commerce in the field of Management Studies · 2027 intakeR94 030
- WitsBachelor of Commerce (BCom) General · 2027 intakeR62 830–
R85 260 - UPBachelor of Commerce specialising in Business Management · 2027 intakeR61 000–
R70 000 - StellenboschBCom (Management Sciences) · 2027 intakeR59 587
- UJBachelor of Commerce in Business Management (B34BMQ) · 2027 intakeR53 730–
R81 550 - UKZNBachelor of Commerce (General) (KN-P-BC1 Pietermaritzburg / KN-W-BC1 Westville) · 2027 intakeR57 836
- NWUBachelor of Commerce (BCom) in Management Sciences with Business Management · 2027 intakeR60 015
- UFSBCom with specialisation in Business Management (BC630012); general BCom is BC630000 · 2027 intakeR60 380
Country by country: steps, exams, visas and pay sources
Broad, unregulated business degrees. Nothing stops you working abroad, but nothing helps either: these are the weakest commerce degrees for skilled-visa purposes because the job titles often miss occupation and salary rules.
Where it can take you
- 3 United KingdomOpen door · low demand
- 3 IrelandOpen door · low demand
- 3 NetherlandsRecognised, paperwork only · low demand
- 3 United StatesOpen door · low demand
- 3 CanadaOpen door · low demand
- 3 AustraliaOpen door · low demand
- 3 New ZealandOpen door · low demand
- 3 United Arab EmiratesOpen door · low demand
- 2 GermanyExams or bridging · low demand
Business Management → New Zealand
Overall 3/5 · ModerateNo licence required, but general business roles are not on the Green List and the market is small.
- Recognition
- 5/5 · Open door. Unregulated there, or the South African qualification is accepted as it is.
- Demand
- Low demand
Sources: Immigration New Zealand · NZQA - International Qualifications Assessment fees · Immigration NZ - Accredited Employer Work Visa
Pay, in rand at the exchange rate
Typical gross pay in each country, turned into rand at the exchange rate. Compare salaries switches between the exchange rate, buying power and after tax, and says how each works.
South Africa · line: the South African figure · pay range · starting pay · hover or tap a bar for details · gross pay a year, low to high estimate; the bar ends at the typical figure · * weaker figure
| Country | Typical gross pay | Range and starting pay | Occupation and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | ZAR 384 000 Middle of the advertised range 2026 |
ZAR 330 000 to 438 000 salary survey range, 2026 · Pnet 2026 Job Market Trends Report salary guide (via BusinessTech) · low confidence · PRIVATE, advertised monthly CTC R27,500-R36,500 x12 for Marketing Specialist. Mktg Mgr R35,000-R68,163/mth. No official starting figure. |
Marketing Specialist (Pnet Marketing sector) Pnet 2026 Job Market Trends Report salary guide, as published by BusinessTech · PRIVATE-SECTOR. Advertised monthly CTC R27,500-R36,500 x12. Brand Manager R30,000-R44,999; Business Development Mgr R30,000-R46,808; Marketing Mgr R35,000-R68,163. |
| United Kingdom | GBP 51 125 Median 2025 |
GBP 39 332 to 67 425 25th to 75th percentile, 2025 · ONS ASHE 2025 (provisional), Table 14.7a Annual pay - Gross, full-time · SOC 243 Business, research and administrative professionals (minor group), full-time, April 2025. Starting GBP 27 000 Graduate entry, first job after the degree, 2026 · National Careers Service job profile: management-consultant ('Starter' salary) · low confidence, not shown on the chart · Occupation group is broad; management consultant starter used. NCS business analyst starter is 23,000. |
SOC2020 243 Business, research and administrative professionals (minor group) ONS ASHE 2025 (provisional), Table 14.7a Annual pay - Gross, full-time · Median gross annual, full-time, April 2025. Closest generic graduate-business grouping; 2432 Marketing and commercial managers is 53,703. |
| Ireland | EUR 71 667 Middle of the advertised range 2026 |
EUR 50 000 to 120 000 salary survey range, 2026 · Morgan McKinley Ireland Salary Guide 2026 (permanent salaries) · low confidence · Marketing Manager range (same as typical); a manager title, so overstates a generic business graduate role. CSO HEO12 BAL 10 yrs on P25-P75: 44,720-89,960. Starting EUR 29 640 First year after an L8 business degree, 2023 · CSO Higher Education Outcomes, table HEO12 Graduate Earnings (NFQ Level 8, 2022 graduates, year 1): Business, Administration and Law · EUR570/wk x52. Median, earned 2023. Broad field of study; includes part-time workers, so understates full-time pay. |
Marketing Manager (General Marketing) Morgan McKinley Ireland Salary Guide 2026 (permanent salaries) · Midpoint of each published band (0-3/3-5/5+ yrs) averaged over bands and the 5 listed cities. Range EUR50,000-120,000. A manager-level title, so it overstates a generic graduate business role. |
| Netherlands | EUR 68 640 Median 2025 |
EUR 51 584 to 89 856 25th to 75th percentile, 2025 · CBS StatLine 86355NED Werknemers; uurloon en beroep (p25/p75 gross hourly) · BRC 2014 0311 Adviseurs marketing, PR en sales, employees, 2025: p25 24.80/h, p75 43.20/h x2080, excl. holiday pay (as typical). Bedrijfskundigen (0413): 29.80-48.70/h. Starting EUR 49 109 New wo-master graduate, 1 year after leaving university, 2024 · CBS StatLine 83815NED Uitstromers ho; uurloon na verlaten onderwijs (median, cohort 2022/'23, 1 yr after leaving) · Wo-master 'Economie': median 23.61/h x2080, Oct 2024, employees. Hbo-bachelor Economie: 20.29/h (42,203). |
BRC 2014 0311 Adviseurs marketing, public relations en sales CBS StatLine 86355NED Werknemers; uurloon en beroep · Median gross hourly x2080 (40h x52). Hourly excl. holiday pay, NL full-time ~36-38h; errors largely offset. Closest generic graduate business group. Bedrijfskundigen (0413) higher at 38.70/h. |
| Germany | EUR 71 112 Median 2025 |
EUR 55 260 to 89 292 25th to 75th percentile, 2025 · BA Entgeltatlas (Beschaeftigungsstatistik), Stichtag 31.12.2025, Vollzeit, all ages, Germany · KldB 71303, monthly p25-p75 x12. No official starting figure published for business graduates. |
KldB 2010 71303 Berufe in der kaufmännischen & technischen Betriebswirtschaft (ohne Spezialisierung) - komplexe Spezialistentätigkeiten BA Entgeltatlas (Beschäftigungsstatistik), Stichtag 31.12.2025 · Median monthly gross full-time x12. Employees in social insurance only (no self-employed/Beamte); capped at 8,050 EUR/mo. Bachelor BWL code, n=40,736; master level 71304 is 7,958/mo. |
| United States | USD 78 760 Median 2025 |
USD 58 350 to 108 310 25th to 75th percentile, 2025 · BLS OEWS May 2025 national (via BLS Public Data API) · OEWS May 2025 national annual 25th/75th percentile for SOC 13-1161; p10 $43,390, p90 $155,480; not top-coded. Starting USD 47 700 1 year after a bachelor's in marketing (CIP 52.14), 2022 · College Scorecard field-of-study data (Jun 2026 release), EARN_MDN_1YR · Grad-weighted median of program medians, earnings 1 yr after completion (2018-20 grads, CY2020-21, 2022 $; working & not enrolled, incl. part-time). Matches the marketing occupation used for the typical figure. Business administration bachelor's (52.02): $55,001. |
13-1161 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 national · OEWS national median annual wage, May 2025. Closest generic graduate business/marketing code. |
| Canada | CAD 74 006 Median 2024 |
CAD 55 474 to 94 994 25th to 75th percentile, 2024 · Job Bank wage data 2025 release (LFS 2023-2024), national quartiles · Job Bank Q1/Q3 hourly C$26.67/C$45.67 x2080, NOC 11202, LFS 2023-24. Low/high (~p10/p90): C$42,640/C$119,475. Starting CAD 64 000 2 years after a bachelor's in business, management and marketing (CIP 52), 2024 · Statistics Canada Table 37-10-0281 (ELMLP), graduates two years after graduation · Median employment income 2 yrs after graduation (2022 grads, measured 2024, 2024 $); excludes full-time students, includes part-time/part-year workers. |
11202 Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations Job Bank wage data (open data), Labour Force Survey · Closest generic graduate business/marketing code. National median hourly wage C$35.58 x 2080 h. Job Bank/LFS reference period 2023-2024, published 19 Nov 2025. |
| Australia | AUD 101 764 Median 2025 |
AUD 53 600 to 118 100 25th to 75th percentile, estimated from tax statistics (includes part-time), 2024 · ATO Taxation Statistics 2023-24, Individuals Table 14A (occupation unit group x taxable income range); medians from Table 15B · low confidence · p25/p75 interpolated from 5 taxable-income bands (linear density matched to band means). Includes part-time/part-year earners and non-wage income; 2023-24 dollars, not uprated. Starting AUD 73 400 About 4 months after completing the bachelor's degree, full-time employed domestic graduates, 2025 · QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025 national report tables: median full-time salary, undergraduates, by 45 study areas ('Business management') · Business management graduates, 2025 survey (sales and marketing 70,000). |
Advertising and Marketing Professionals (ANZSCO 2251) ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025 (customised report), via JSA Occupation Profiles · Median $1957/wk x52; FT non-managerial adult-rate employees, before tax. Generic graduate business proxy: advertising, PR and marketing professionals. |
| New Zealand | NZD 89 000 Median 2026 |
NZD 66 000 to 135 000 careers service range, 2026 · Tahatu Career Navigator job profile: Marketing specialist ('most common' pay range) · Tahatu 'most common' band (full published range 52,000-179,000); Stats NZ IDI/Census + IR data, percentiles not defined, no vintage stated. Starting NZD 62 000 Graduate, year 1 after the bachelor's, 2026 · Tahatu Career Navigator study page 'Bachelors degrees in management and business studies': median employed income 1 year after completion (Stats NZ IDI + IR) · Published in $ thousands; vintage not stated; includes part-year/part-time earners. Year-1 p25-p75 53k-72k; marketing bachelor's 60k. |
Marketing specialist Tahatu Career Navigator (Ministry of Education / Tertiary Education Commission careers service) · Published range $52,000-$179,000, most common $66,000-$135,000. Generic graduate business proxy. From Stats NZ Census/IDI + Inland Revenue data; no vintage stated (year = year observed). |
| United Arab Emirates | AED 258 000 Middle of the advertised range 2026 |
AED 216 000 to 300 000 salary survey range, 2026 · Robert Walters Middle East Salary Survey 2026 (recruiter, advertised roles) · low confidence · Same RW row as typical (marketing/digital executive), basic pay x12, excl. benefits. Hays 2025 marketing assistant 13k-16k/mth is the nearest junior row. |
Marketing / Digital Executive Robert Walters Middle East Salary Survey 2026 (recruiter, from advertised roles) · Recruiter data from job ads, basic pay. Average AED 21,500/month (18,000-25,000) x12. Marketing manager average AED 30,000/month. |
General information, not immigration or legal advice. Researched 2026-10-07.