The School of Management Studies is an interdisciplinary department, established initially as the Department of Business Science in 1964, along with the Bachelor of Business Science (BBusSc) degree. The department took primary responsibility for convening and developing the four-year BBusSc.
Three decades later, in 1994, this successful and expanding department was renamed the School of Management Studies, incorporating several academic disciplines in a variety of sections. Each section is involved in a range of both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, diplomas and courses. While enjoying close and collegial alignment and integration under the banner of the School, the diverse sections have the freedom and responsibility to manage their own affairs, both administrative and academic. As can be seen below, it is this very diversity that makes the School unique in the tertiary education landscape of South Africa and is one of its core strengths.
Each section and unit in the School makes a strong contribution to the academic affairs of the Faculty as a whole and, at an undergraduate level, particularly to the Business Science degree and the BCom in Management Studies. There is a strong emphasis on research as well as teaching and learning, with staff actively engaged in related activities both on and off-campus.
The School currently comprises the following sections and units:
- Actuarial Science
- Applied Management
- Marketing Studies
- Organisational Psychology
- Professional Communication Unit (PCU)
The School strives to emulate the university’s vision of creating an inclusive and engaged research-intensive Africa-centric environment. We aim to support our students in attaining their academic aspirations and prepare them for their professional and working lives after graduation. Similarly, the School aims to provide its staff with a supportive working environment where their careers can grow and flourish.
Our strategic priorities include actively advancing transformation efforts in both the demographic profile, culture and climate of the School, producing locally relevant research targeting vexing social, managerial and economic problems, and continually enhancing the quality of teaching and learning in our disciplines.