University Of Johannesburg Bridging Courses

This one year bridging program gives students the possibility to apply for an Honours Degree in Economics (General).
If you wish to participate in the bridging program you will need to apply for this course. Applications must be done online. Additional information can be found on the UJ website and any additional enquiries can be sent to Dr Peter Baur ([email protected]).
The minimum admission requirements for the programme is as follows:

• Students complying with the usual prerequisites of the honours programme and who were conditionally admitted at the end of the previous academic year, but failed the entrance examination in the beginning of the academic year, and
• Students who do not qualify for the conditional admission into any of the Economics honours programmes because they did not obtain a 3rd year average of 65% or more (but obtained an average higher than 55% for Economics 3); and
• For the Advanced Diploma: Diploma or BTech students with Economics as a major up to their 3rd year level (with an average of 65% for Economics 3 AND who obtained 50% or more in the Basic Mathematics course for Diploma students); and
• APS for matric mathematics of 3 (Unless the student had done an extended degree in which case matric mathematics will not be considered).

The duration of this course is over two semesters. Currently there are four compulsory modules, (two subjects per semester) which include Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Mathematical Economics and Research. This program is specially designed to further prepare students for Honors in Economics (General), by giving students additional tools that they will find useful when studying for the Honors Degree in Economics (General).
First semester

Microeconomics	Mathematical Economics
Theory of demand	Exponential and logarithmic functions in economics
Theory of production	Derivatives and rules of differentiation
Theory of cost	Use of derivatives and optimisation in economics
Perfect competition	Partial derivatives and constrained optimisation
Monopoly and price discrimination	Differentiation of exponential and logarithmic functions
Monopolistic competition and advertising	Fundamentals of matrix algebra
Oligopoly and collusion	Matrix inversion and its application to economics
Pricing of production factors	Further applications of matrix algebra to economics
Mathematical applications in microeconomics	First-order differential and difference equations in economic models
Game theory with application to pricing behaviour	Second-order differential and difference equations in economic models
Linear programming with microeconomic applications	Integral calculus in economic models

 
Second semester

Macroeconomics	Macroeconomic Research
Economic indicators and their calculation	Basics of MS Excel
National accounts and economic growth	Sources of local and global economic data
Input-output economics	Data analysis and regression (using MS Excel)
Aggregate demand and the IS-curve	Writing data commentaries
Money demand, money supply and the LM-curve	Finding and reading economic literature
IS-LM model and exchange rates	Summarising and referencing economic literature
AD-AS model and the business cycle	Constructing economic arguments
Labour market and labour policy	Writing the introduction to an argumentative essay
Fiscal and monetary policy	Writing the body of an argumentative essay
Trade and exchange rate policy	Writing the conclusion of an argumentative essay

The completion of this articulation program is necessary for those who wish to apply for the Honours Degree in Economics (General). Students who pass all modules in the Bridging Programme will be allowed to write the admission exam. However, after completion of the articulation programme candidates who achieve the following marks will not have to write the entrance exam into honours: 50% in Mathematical Economics; and 65% in Microeconomics; and 65% in Macroeconomics; 65% in Macroeconomic Research.
This Bridging Program does not give students automatic access to Honours. Students who have completed the Bridging Program in Economics or the Advanced Diploma in Economics may apply for the Honours Degree in Economics (General), and may still be required to write an entrance exam before been selected into the Honours in Economics (General) degree.