University of Pretoria

The University of Pretoria’s Graduate School of Management aims to work in partnership with bright, young graduates seeking a career in management. The School offers a Masters degree in business (the MBA) and Masters programmes in engineering and project management (the MEM and MPM), together with several certificated programmes in management and a joint Doctoral programme.Whilst many people aspire to a career in management, not all are successful managers. Management is demanding. It requires commitment, vision, hard work and perseverance - but it can be very rewarding. It is not however, for everyone, and before you invest time and money into further education you need to be sure this is what you want.Most undergraduate programmes focus on particular areas of interest. Managers however, require a very different set of skills. Whilst a solid grounding in a specific discipline (say Engineering) is a prerequisite in any career, managers must acquire other abilities. The Graduate School of Management will seek to develop you in a far broader manner. Our foundation courses widen your knowledge base to include an understanding of economics, finance, operations, people management and other disciplines, as well as hone your analytical skills. Thereafter the curriculum allows you to focus into more specific areas including engineering and technology management, micro-finance and others, or to remain ‘general’.Obviously, one of the main objectives of our programmes is to develop well-rounded managers and leaders. To achieve this in the limited time we have available we expect you to commit to unreasonably heavy work loads. We ask you to juggle your employment, family and social obligations together with the demands of the programme. We will strive to make this as painless as possible. On the foundation of your hard work and learning we hope to build knowledge and develop skills, turn arrogance to confidence, enthusiasm to vision and uncertainty to wisdom. This will be a partnership, and we expect it to be tough on all parties at times. In addition to the MBA and Masters programmes in Engineering and Project Management, the School hosts the Centre for Business and Professional Ethics and the Centre for Microfinance. Given the pressure to perform in business, it is critical that the leaders set the example in terms of corporate governance – hence our focus in ethics. Similarly, South Africa’s imperative to narrow the wealth gap and create opportunities for the poor provides the mandate for our initiative in microfinance. However, one of the more compelling reasons to study at the University of Pretoria is its reputation and the extensive resources available to you.