The full-time MBA – a bold step forward on your path towards a successful business management career

In today’s business world, success for managers and leaders is hard to achieve. With the ever-increasing expectations of clients, growing complexity of the business environment and rising intensity of competition, you need to have the right set of skills in order to thrive. An MBA could be the perfect way to equip yourself with these essential skills.

What is an MBA?

A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a postgraduate degree for those who want to strengthen their business and management knowledge and skills. Upon completion, you will have acquired the knowledge you need to lead at a senior management level in both the public and private sectors. The MBA covers a wide range of subjects, including financial management, communication, leadership, marketing, operations and strategy. What’s more, if you do your MBA at an internationally accredited business school, you will obtain an internationally recognised qualification.

Why is an MBA important?

The MBA is still the most widely-recognised business management degree in the world. Dr Denise Botha, Clinical Executive of the Metropolitan Health Group MMI, highlights why achieving her MBA at the triple accredited University of Stellenbosch Business School was important to her:

The USB MBA has equipped me with the strategic and business skills required to broaden my career path. However, more than just academic teaching, the MBA played a significant role in my journey towards purpose-driven and effective leadership. Highlights include networking with diverse local and international colleagues, global exposure through the business tour to India and thought-provoking electives at the end of the MBA. These components make it a privilege to be associated with a triple-crowned global business school.

Seraj Toefy, Managing Director at Bespoke Media, added this about the positive impact of an MBA on his life:

“The USB MBA was a formulation and confirmation of theories and principles I had been exposed to through my 15 years’ work experience prior to starting with the programme. The Leadership Module allowed me to be critical of myself and identify weaknesses that I needed to improve. The USB MBA gave me the confidence to start my own business midway through the programme.”

Who should consider an MBA?

If you want to learn how to effectively run a business, or if you want to grow your management skills to meet the requirements of a senior management or leadership role, you should consider an MBA.

What are the benefits of an MBA?

An MBA will help you develop the following:

• Responsible leadership values

• Improved decision-making skills

• Senior management skills

• The ability to thrive on a global stage

• Enhanced strategic thinking

• An understanding the relationship between all the function units in an organisation.

USB’s MBA

USB offers an MBA with three streams: the generalist MBA, and the MBA in Health Care Leadership (MBA HCL) and the MBA in Managing International Organisations (MBA MIO). Please visit our website if you would like to know more about the generalist MBA, MBA HCL or MBA MIO.

At USB, the generalist MBA is aimed at business managers, professionals and entrepreneurs who want to develop the skills they need to become effective and responsible leaders in any industry, in any country. The generalist MBA is only offered as a full-time programme over one year.

According to the South African Council on Higher Education (CHE) students who wish to enrol for MBA should have an NQF level 8 qualification already. This means you must have one of the following in order to register:

• 4-year Bachelor’s degree (NQF level 8) and at least 3 years of relevant full-time working experience
• An honours degree (NQF level 8), plus 3 years of relevant full-time working experience
• 3-year Bachelor’s degree (NQF level 7) plus a postgraduate diploma (NQF level 8) and at least 3 years of relevant working experience.

You must also successfully complete an MBA-related selection test (such as the GMAT or SHL) and comply with other admission requirements (such as writing an essay on why you would like to obtain an MBA).

If you pursue the full-time MBA, you will be able to complete it in a single year. This is the ideal format for those who wish to prepare themselves for a new career by setting aside one year of their lives to acquire a new mindset and a new skill set.

During this year, you will complete your on-campus classes and your research assignment (see it as a structured way in which to solve a business problem), travel abroad to do your International Study Module at an overseas business school (already included in the MBA fees) and acquire more pockets of expertise through the electives you choose during the electives block. In addition, you will be able to make the most of collaborative learning where you also learn from the diversity of students in your class, and you will be able to attend the various on-campus speaker events hosted by the business school.

What’s more, full-time MBA students also go on a South African Academic Tour (whereas the Modular and Blended Learning MBA students only go on one tour – the International Study Tour). The purpose of the local tour is to expose students to a range of local industries, giving them the opportunity to see first-hand how theory is turned into practice.

Upon completion of your MBA, you will be awarded with an internationally accredited qualification on NQF level 9, which can give you access to a PhD.

To find out more about USB’s MBA, you can visit our website to download the brochure, or contact USB to find out more about the programme.