Is a Postgraduate Diploma in Management in Entrepreneurship [CG030BUS03] the right fit for you?

Are you the kind of person who comes up with ideas for new products or services that could make the world a better place?  The Postgraduate Diploma in Management in Entrepreneurship is designed to enable enterprise start-ups. It will link you to the insights, ideas and networks and people that can help you turn your passion for innovation into reality.

Apply Online. Applications close on 30 September.

Within the context of a rapidly changing and challenging global business environment, an appreciation of competitive advantage is key to the programme, and how to harness the creativity and innovation to achieve this. An entrepreneurial action-based learning framework is applied throughout.

Where do our graduates go?

Many of our graduates start successful businesses, but the programme also equips students with the necessary skills for a broad range of organisational settings. A lot of our graduates, therefore, find themselves working for start-ups, small-cap firms or large corporations.

Entrance requirements

Graduate students from ALL fields are welcome to apply. You do not need the same undergraduate specialisation to be eligible. We accept students with undergraduate backgrounds in all areas. For example, arts, engineering, humanities or social sciences, hospitality, health sciences, film and media studies, environmental and geographical sciences and law, and commerce.

Anyone with – or expecting to graduate with – a recognised undergraduate degree or a similar NQF level 7 qualification may apply. Find out more about why you should apply, the entrance criteria and duration.

The Genesis Project

The core course for the programme is The Genesis Project which runs over the entire academic year. In groups of six or seven, students set up and run their own businesses. These are real businesses involving real money. Each group fundraises the start-up capital for their business and works closely with a Board of Directors, chosen from industry - all with a minimum of 5 years of director-level experience. 

The Genesis Project focuses on developing outstanding business leadership and management skills in a highly entrepreneurial context. Students apply the leadership and management theory in an intensive action-learning environment. Through this process, students come to locate their authentic inner voices, learn to be proactive and begin to take on the practice of artistry. These are all constituent parts of the entrepreneurial mindset, a construct better discovered than taught. Collaborative learning accrues through a host of participants, including lecturers, facilitators, volunteer-business people including past graduates, and, most importantly, the students themselves. 

The students compete for the coveted UCT Genesis Award and showcase their businesses at an Expo attended by industry and members of the UCT community. 

Watch previous Genesis Project Videos:

Prescribed curriculum structure

The diploma comprises seven courses totalling 144 NQF credits. 

All students complete a core management course BUS4000W – Introduction to Applied Marketing, Finance, and Communication for Business (18 NQF credits). This course provides a solid managerial base, common to all the Postgraduate Diplomas in Management.

Plus the following Entrepreneurship courses:

Plus two electives (totalling 36 NQF credits) from the suggested list of courses below, or as approved by the postgraduate convenor. 

For more information on the programme, please refer to the Commerce Postgraduate Handbook. 

Contact information: 

Mariam Suliman (Administrative Officer)
Tel: 021 650 7368
Email: pgdips-comsms@uct.ac.za