GENERAL INFORMATION
MBA PROGRAMME
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MASTERS DEGREE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA)
INTRODUCTION
The North-West University (NWU) (Potchefstroom Campus) conducts its Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) through the Potchefstroom Business School (PBS), which boasts a proud 35-year history of management education within the Faculty of Management and Economic Sciences at the NWU, contributing through its graduates to the social and economic growth and development in southern Africa.
The PBS aims to provide professional management and business learning at postgraduate level. The resident faculty staff places profound emphasis on the strategic combination of theory and practice of management and the unlocking of leadership potential in its learners.
The international programme content and standard of this MBA ensure that participants remain in touch with international business needs and trends of the global environment, while addressing the challenging Southern African scenario.
•The MBA degree is internationally recognised as the most appropriate qualification in preparing business leaders and managers for careers in senior management.
•Completing the MBA will improve participants' management skills and unlock leadership potential to enable graduates to add value to and make a difference within their respective organisations.
•The programme content has been carefully compiled for individuals who expect both value for money and ongoing returns from their investment of time and effort in studying.
•It is also intended for learners who are not just interested in obtaining the qualification – the value of the MBA degree is measured by the achievements of its role players.
•The PBS believes that the grade point average must be the result of developing new knowledge and creativity with the guidance of its lecturers and facilitators.
EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES
On completion of the MBA programme the participant should be able to:
•deal with the core dynamics of the various managerial fields with an insight befitting a degree on Master’s level
•apply this insight in an integrative manner in complex managerial situations, involving a number of fields;
•put such integration ability into practice with sufficient quality and originality to effectively add value on a senior level to any organisation; and thus
•perform as a manager leader, empowered with a mind set, skills and ethical foundation appropriate to the 21st Century.
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
In today’s tertiary market-place there are many MBA programmes to choose from. At the heart of the PBS is its sustainable reputation for not compromising on quality amidst a multitude of competitors. This business school thrives on change and views it as a challenge rather than a disadvantage. Educational and pedagogic innovation has enabled the PBS to expand beyond its traditional boundaries into a flexible learning model with the ability to adapt to its ever-changing environment.
Effective learner support resources include accessible academic and administrative staff, excellent information resources and syndicate group interactivities as well as outcomes-based course material. The faculty staff at the PBS includes professional scholars who are active at international conferences and involved in many research projects as well as extensive consulting in the private and public sectors – while placing a high premium on attending to learners' needs.
As this programme is primarily intended for post-graduate learners who wish to study while working full-time, classes are conducted after hours to accommodate their schedules.
ENTERING THE MBA PROGRAMME
Admission requirements:
Please note that a stringent selection process is used for acceptance to the MBA programme.
The process consists of the following steps:
Step 1:
Applicants must complete the relevant application forms supplied by the MBA Admissions Office
Step 2:
Applicants will be notified of their initial acceptance / rejection successful applicants will be invited to undergo a battery of selection tests at the PBS, on the Potchefstroom campus. These tests are based on practical insights into key areas of business and management. These areas include numeric and communicational abilities, as well as personality characteristics.
The PBS uses the internationally recognisable tests developed by SHL. SHL tests are utilised in a number of prestigious business schools in the RSA, as well as in more than 40 countries on a global scale. The tests will be conducted on a number of occasions at preset dates.
Successful candidates will receive official notification by the PBS, based on the outcomes of these tests.
Step 3 – Optional
The PBS reserves the right to conduct personal interviews with borderline cases.
Please note
Step 2 is not required if an applicant has already taken the GMT admissions test and achieved an overall score of 550 or more.
In such instances please submit proof of the GMT score together with the completed forms recurred by step 1.
In these cases, the PBS again, reserves the right to conduct personal interviews, if this is deemed necessary.
•Applicants should have at least three years practical management experience.
•Applicants are expected to be well-motivated to complete their studies in the recommended three years and must be aware of the taxing nature of the programme.
•Have access to the internet and an email address.
Application procedure:
•In order to be considered for admission, application forms and other required documentation (including copies of academic records/certificates) must reach the University no later than 15 January, but preferably before 30 November of the preceding year.
•Two recent passport-size photographs (with the applicant's name and ID number printed on the back) must be submitted with the application form.
•Receipt of all applications will be acknowledged. Incomplete applications will be suspended until supporting documentation is received.
•Applicants may be requested to attend an interview in Potchefstroom.
FEES
The total estimated cost of the MBA is R50 000. This estimate excludes textbooks.
PROGRAMME DURATION AND STRUCTURE
The MBA is conducted over three academic years. Learners must register for all six modules per year. (See table on next page)
In keeping with the PBS’s philosophy of continuous improvement and relevance in a rapidly changing business world, the programme content and its learning model are constantly updated, revised and subjected to international evaluation.
ACCESSIBILITY
The MBA is offered at Potchefstroom (on alternate Saturdays from 07:45 to 14:15), at Vanderbijlpark (on alternate Mondays 15:45 to 22:15) in Afrikaans, while the MBA in Rustenburg is offered in English.
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MBA CURRICULUM
YEAR 1: (Beginning 2005)
SEMESTER 1 / SEMESTER 2Labour Relations Management / Managerial Economics
Organisational Behaviour / Management of Information
Management Statistics (year module)
Financial Accounting (year module)
Compulsory Study Schools
Study school (1st Semester) / Study school (2nd Semester)Beginning of February (Introduction) / First week in July
Day 1 / General Management (8 hrs) / Day 1 / Managerial Economics (8 hrs)
Day 2 / Labour Relations (4 hrs)
Organisational Behaviour (4 hrs) / Day 2 / Management of Information (8hrs)
Day 3 / Management Statistics (4 hrs)
Financial Accounting (4 hrs) / Day 3 / Managerial Economics (4 hrs)
Management of Information
(4 hrs)
Day 4 / Management Statistics (8 hrs) / Day 4 / Management Statistics (8 hrs)
Day 5 / Financial Accounting (8 hrs) / Day 5 / Financial Accounting (8 hrs)
YEAR 2:
SEMESTER 1 / SEMESTER 2Management Accounting / Marketing Management
Change Management / Financial Management
Entrepreneurship / Operations Management
Compulsory Study Schools
Study school (1st Semester) / Study school (2nd Semester)Third week in February (Introduction) / Second week in July
Day 1 / Management Accounting (8 hrs) / Day 1 / Marketing Management (8 hrs)
Day 2 / Operations Management (8 hrs) / Day 2 / Financial Management (8 hrs)
Day 3 / Entrepreneurship (8 hrs) / Day 3 / Financial Management (8 hrs)
Day 4 / Research Methodology (8 hrs) / Day 4 / Change Management (8 hrs)
Day 5 / Communication/Negotiation Skills (8 hrs) / Day 5 / Research Methodology (8 hrs)
YEAR 3:
Strategic Management (Year course)Dissertation (Year course) 28 hrs
Compulsory Study Schools
Study school (1st Semester) / Study school (2nd Semester)End of February (Introduction) / September
Day 1 / Prestige day/Skills (8 hrs) / Day 1 / Strategic Thinking Project (8 hrs)
Day 2 / Research Methodology (8 hrs) / Day 2 / Strategic Thinking Project (8 hrs)
Day 3 / Research Methodology (8 hrs) / Day 3 / Strategic Thinking Project (8 hrs)
Day 4 / Dissertation (8 hrs) / Day 4 / Strategic Thinking Project (8 hrs)
Day 5 / Dissertation (8 hrs) / Day 5 / Strategic Thinking Project (8 hrs)
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