ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES
Delivering transformative learning experiences to equip tomorrow’s leaders
MBA FULL TIME
The full time MBA programme is ideally suited to students who are seeking a global approach with an African perspective, and are looking to immerse themselves in full-time study. The programme format comprises of an intensive 11-month journey from mid-August to mid-May including Core Courses in Terms 1 and 2 and Electives in Terms 3 and 4.
MBA MODULAR
The Modular MBA programme is suited to students who are seeking international insights in an African and South African context and are looking to study part-time over a two year period.
Executive MBA
An authentic, and joyful executive learning experience for professionals with significant work experience who are looking to develop further as leaders.
PGDip in Management Practice
Ideal for middle managers looking to further enrich their careers, or junior managers who are ready to accelerate their development.
CEMS Master of International Management
This intensive pre-experience programme is the perfect way to upskill and prepare for the international job market.
PGDip in Development Finance
A specialised postgraduate programme that provides a comprehensive overview of the exciting and fast-growing industry of development finance.
MCom in Development Finance
Aimed at those who have a real passion for creating meaningful change and influence through development finance in Africa.
MPhil in Inclusive Innovation
This programme is for visionaries, changemakers, and individuals who want to innovate to build sustainable solutions for social, economic and environmental challenges.
PhD in Business Administration
Aimed at researchers who want make an original contribution to theory, while also addressing practical organisational or social challenges.
About our Programmes
23 000+
Alumni worldwide68
Countries represented47
Exchange partner schools70+
Visiting academics & executives50+
years of academic excellence32
Full-time faculty members
Scholarships available
The UCT GSB is committed to making funding and scholarship opportunities available to talented, motivated and deserving individuals who meet the entrance criteria, have evidence of real financial need, and who demonstrate that they have the potential to create a transformative impact on business and society.
The scholarship application process is integrated with the programme application process, and only applicants with a valid application for a programme can be shortlisted for a scholarship.
Scholarship opportunities are available for the following programmes:
WHAT OUR STUDENTS SAY
KUTLWANO RAMABOA
Meet the Deputy Director
“UCT GSB students are encouraged to not only develop managerial and leadership skills during their time at the UCT GSB, but to emerge with a greater sense of self-awareness and an appreciation of context that will help them to operate effectively in times of change and complexity.”
View ProfileIdeas Exchange
A new model of collective business leadership and a shift to generational strategic thinking are essential to avert environmental catastrophe
New CEMS report sets out recommendations for globally responsible business leaders, educators and young professionals
Read Article
Professor Nicholas Biekpe inducted into prestigious UCT College of Fellows
Induction into the UCT College of Fellows is one of the highest accolades an academic staff member can receive. The fellowship is a reward to academic staff members for their years of commitment and dedication to their work.
Read Article
UCT GSB’s Executive MBA ranked among top 20 in the world for student satisfaction
Newest Financial Times ranking shows the Executive MBA at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB) among the best of the best in alumni satisfaction and prior work experience, making it once again the only African programme to earn a spot on the prestigious list.
Read Article
Don’t let finances get in the way of your MBA dream
Attending business school can be an expensive and time-consuming undertaking, so you need to make sure it’s aligned with your purpose and your purse. Two recent UCT GSB graduates tell us how scholarship funding helped them.
Read Article
How students can take charge of their own development through the Career Leadership Centre
UCT GSB students are empowered to navigate their own career advancement with first-class career development tools and direct contact with influential industry players and corporates keen to recruit from their ranks
Read Article
Helping African leaders stand out and stand tall
When Kurt De Bique went to university 20 years ago, he thought he wanted to be a lawyer. But a powerful interest in people and what drives them led to a career switch to HR, which has seen him make a major contribution in the boardroom – rather than courtroom.
Read Article
UCT Graduate School of Business ranked in the top 50 globally by the FT
Latest ranking of customised programmes from the Financial Times shows the University Cape Town Graduate School of Business is leading in Africa.
Read Article
In search of purpose
With people quitting their jobs in greater numbers than ever, professional executive, team and board coach George Koshy shares from his own journey of ‘purpose finding’– and how he is empowering individuals, teams and organisations to find their purpose.
Read Article
Lessons Learnt: Advice for starting your career
Not many people can say they had to choose between completing their MBA and coaching the national female volleyball team, but Sean Lewis' career journey has been anything but linear. From high school teacher to working at Africa's leading premier ICT solutions services provider, and completing his EMBA along the way, Lewis has plenty of advice to share with graduates and career changers.
Read Article
Three top tips for acing the GMAT test
There is no shortage of advice on how to prepare for the GMAT exam – the often daunting test that opens the door to the most prestigious MBA programmes around the world – but taking advice from someone who’s cracked it themselves is a good place to start.
Read Article
Top tips to ensure employees can still learn from one another in a hybrid world
Two-thirds of professionals fear that a hybrid workplace will damage their ability to learn from colleagues – global survey
Read Article
UCT GSB MBA ranks top in Africa on sustainability performance
UCT GSB MBA ranks top in Africa on sustainability performance
Read Article
Powering the continent’s growth through collaboration with entrepreneurs across Africa
EMBA alumnus Christophe Viarnaud is a man on a mission. The French national has made South Africa not only his home, but a country in which his passion for entrepreneurship and education has launched the ventures of scores of bright start-ups across the continent.
Read Article
MBA alumnus puts lockdown to good use
Steven van Rheede was part of the 2020 MBA class that, three months into the programme, quickly had to shift their studies online; it bore some unforeseen benefits, he says.
Read Article
Combining passion with purpose to improve science education for all
Bathabile Mpofu is passionate about empowering young people to become scientists, and with her business, Nkazimulo Applied Sciences, she aims to demonstrate to high school learners the beauty of science in an exciting, hands-on way.
Read Article
Can we risk our society’s future on a system that produces the leadership we experience?
The events of the past two weeks have brought into sharp focus the devastating results of selecting leaders based on popularity over other criteria. To avoid shipwrecking our country, it’s time to design a better system of stewarding our collective needs.
Read Article
UCT’s Executive MBA programme is still number one in Africa
The QS 2021 Global EMBA Rankings have ranked the UCT Graduate School of Business’ EMBA programme number one in Africa and 51st in the world. This unique degree transforms executives by putting them into a better relationship with their lived experience to focus solving the complex problems of our times.
Read Article
We need leaders and managers who have the skills and moral compass to build a just world
We need leaders and managers who have the skills and moral compass to build a just world
Read Article
Healthy workplaces are foundational for a healthy society
Business has a critical role to play in fostering diversity and inclusion and building healthier workplaces and societies in the wake of the crisis.
Read Article
Tractors may not be sexy but they offer a real solution to Africa’s challenges
As COO at Hello Tractor, a novel mobile platform that connects farmers to tractors as well as agricultural equipment, expertise and financial services, MBA alumnus Folu Okunade is working to connect under resourced farmers in emerging economies to the information age.
Read Article
UCT GSB graduate is banking on his country’s future
MCom alumnus, Mutemwa Ushewokunze, has returned to Zimbabwe after 20 years abroad, to help take the country’s banking sector to the next tech level.
Read Article
Taking the road less travelled is a choice we make
MBA alumna Mouna Akefli is not one to conform. Passionate about building a more diverse, inclusive and connected continent, she is determined to shake things up and her role as marketing manager for Ericsson in West Africa and Morocco is giving her new opportunities to do so.
Read Article
Becoming a businessperson is not a straightforward journey for all
Building business skills to improve livelihoods is increasingly being recognised as a mechanism to lift communities out of extreme poverty. But in many survivalist communities, the principles of business can clash with the existing values of the community.
Read Article
Rebuilding the SA economy more sustainably — and for greater impact
COVID-19 has devastated the economy, but it has also opened a window of opportunity for businesses to integrate smarter and more sustainable solutions into their day-to-day operations as they rebuild for the long-term.
Read Article
It is time we leave the VUCA-world behind
At the risk of drying up the book royalties of hundreds of business authors who have built their careers around it, VUCA is on its way out and a new framework has emerged to replace it.
Read Article
Gearing oneself for a post-pandemic world
Do we ever stop needing to constantly reinvent ourselves? Evan Kagan, who completed his MBA at the UCT GSB in 2010, doesn't think so. But by trusting ourselves, working with our passions, learning and connecting with others, and following the latest industry trends, he believes we can all gear ourselves for the post-pandemic world.
Read Article