Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) opened on 1 January 2005, the result of the merging of the PE Technikon the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE) and the Port Elizabeth campus of Vista University (Vista PE).
The PE Technikon has its roots in the country’s oldest art school, the PE Art School founded in 1882; the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE), the country’s first dual-medium residential university, came into being on 31 January 1964; and the Port Elizabeth campus of Vista university, which opened up access to higher education for disadvantaged students.
The union of these institutions came about as a result of government’s countrywide restructuring of higher education – intended to deliver a more equitable and efficient system to meet the needs of South Africa, the continent and the world in the 21st century.
On 20 July 2017, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University was officially renamed Nelson Mandela University: the only higher education institution in the world to carry the name of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. The name change provided an opportunity for the institution to rebrand and position itself continentally and globally, while also allowing it to usher in a new era of renewed vigour towards meaningful transformation.
Nelson Mandela University is today a sought-after educational destination and the most diverse university in South Africa.
On 20 July 2017, the university was officially renamed Nelson Mandela University, the only university in the world to carry the name of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. With the full support of Mandela’s eldest grandson and custodian of the family, Mandla Mandela, it is our unique privilege to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s most beloved statesman and a man who became the world’s moral compass.
Mandela believed that education was a force of good and called on all South Africans to treasure knowledge and never stop learning. He valued diversity - especially the coming together of different minds, different backgrounds, different talents and different approaches to achieve greatness. He also made it clear that his contribution was just the beginning; calling on students, academics, and universities to forge new paths, and bring about new cycles of economic innovation, democratic change and equality.
We embrace Mandela’s challenge and honour his name by leading our university into an era of transformative innovation, development and change. As an innovative 21st century institution of higher learning, we are taking responsibility for his legacy and ensuring that it is reflected in the way that we teach, learn, research, engage with our communities. and work and live as students, staff, alumni and partners.
Nelson Mandela dedicated his life to improving society and changing the world for the better and as the university that uniquely carries his name, we are confident that we can do justice to his legacy.
Our Vision 2020 is to be a dynamic Africa university, recognised for our leadership in generating cutting-edge knowledge for a sustainable future.
The brainchild of former Nelson Mandela University Vice Chancellor Professor Derrick Swartz, Vision 2020 is a roadmap that provides a broad, overarching strategic framework to guide the university's choices and actions, to create the "university of tomorrow".
During the past decade we have embarked on ground-breaking initiatives, invested in smart, interactive technologies and built state-of-the-art institutions to ensure that all our facilities and services support our vision.
To realise Our Vision 2020 goal to be a dynamic African university that responds to local, national and global requirements, we must continue focusing on transformation within the university. In particular, in curriculum renewal, pedagogy, assessment, and the creation of a learning environment that is conducive to teaching and learning, and which supports and enables student success "for life and work".
Our Education Faculty has been one of the key contributors to curriculum transformation and the decolonisation of higher education through its academic and intellectual project. The approach of Teaching and Learning has been to engage in interdisciplinary curriculum conversations, which provide guidance and inspiration for the decolonisation and Africanisation of the curriculum. Furthermore, the Decolonial Project is being interrogated by all faculties, to develop a unique approach which could enlarge and diversify the knowledge sources of the various disciplines. This is in order to offer a multifaceted curriculum that is grounded in local and global contexts, and represents a diversity of philosophical and ideological orientations and worldviews.
Nelson Mandela University is committed to decolonisation and Africanisation, to push us in a new direction and enable us to contribute to the challenges facing our country and the wider world. We are a new generation university, named in honour of a remarkable African leader, on course to become a great African university that is contributing to a sustainable future.
Nelson Mandela University's teaching philosophy is recognised as a leader in the field of "humanising pedagogy", which is largely based on the philosophy and work of Paulo Freire. It is about dislodging outdated theories and narrow-minded preconceptions of teaching, learning and human engagement in order to stimulate an enquiring approach to education.
At our university we have embraced the philosophy and praxis of a humanising pedagogy, as we believe it addresses, underpins and advances the purpose and manner in which we cultivate our humanness, the ways in which we are best able to learn. and critical ways in which we seek to put our learning to use.
As a university with a distinctive. forward-looking culture of enquiry and engagement, we are actively trying to identify, experiment with and practice what a humanising pedagogy is — what is looks and feels like, and how it can be implemented in our daily pedagogical encounters.
Humanising pedagogies is one of the institutional research themes of Nelson Mandela University, with many staff and students currently researching within this area. The Learning and Teaching portfolio has established the Humanising Pedagogy Praxis and Research Niche (HPPRN) as a special project and hub to coordinate, facilitate and develop the scholarly work around the humanising pedagogy. University staff and students can access various readings, media and resources relating to human pedagogy on the HP Portal.
Nelson Mandela University Business School ranks top among South Africa’s business schools, according to the annual Financial Mail survey, and has received accolades from The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Washington Post for leadership training, development and education on the African content.
We are one of four South African accredited business schools to offer the DBA. Nelson Mandela University Business School was also elected to the European Doctoral Programmes Association in Management and Business Administration (EDAMBA). Nelson Mandela University is only the second Business School in Africa to be admitted to EDAMBA.
Our Unique Propositions: rankings, achievements & accolades
Nelson Mandela University Business School ranks top among South Africa’s business schools, according to the annual Financial Mail survey as well as Eduniversal International Ranking Agency, and has received accolades from The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Washington Post for leadership training, development and education on the African content.
We are one of only two South African accredited business schools who have a Doctoral programme (DBA) and Masters (MBA) who are both internationally accredited. Nelson Mandela University Business School was elected to the European Doctoral Programmes Association in Management and Business Administration (EDAMBA), and has recently been accredited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA).
Nelson Mandela University Business School’s MBA ranks among the top 200 in the world (Eduniversal 2016/17 Global Ranking of Executive MBA degrees).
Eduniversal ranked ten African Executive MBA programmes among the top 200 in the world. Of those, Nelson Mandela University were among only seven Executive MBA programmes to receive a three-star rating, the highest possible grade (Eduniversal 2016/2017 Global Ranking of Executive MBA degrees).
Accreditation
Nelson Mandela University Business School is accredited by the following external industry bodies to ensure that our educational curriculum aligns and complies with international quality standards:
Association of MBAs (AMBA);
The Council of Higher Education (CHE); and
Association of African Business Schools (AABS).
Nelson Mandela University Business School was also elected to the European Doctoral Programmes Association in Management and Business Administration (EDAMBA). Nelson Mandela University is only the second Business School in Africa to be admitted to EDAMBA.
Nelson Mandela University are members of the South African Business Schools Association (SABSA).
The School is also a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact’s Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME).
Nelson Mandela University Business School is the first educational institution in South Africa to receive an official Green Star design rating for a public and education building from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA).
First ‘green’ business school in South Africa
Nelson Mandela University Business School is the first in South Africa to receive an official ‘green’ design rating accreditation for a public and education building from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA).
Awarded the ‘Business School Leadership Award’
At the 3rd annual Asia’s Best Business School Awards in Singapore, recognising thought leadership in Asian business schools (CMO Asia and the World Brand Congress).
Customised academic learning programmes
Nelson Mandela University Business School was amongst the top four South African business schools for the number of customised academic learning programmes presented (Source: 2010 Financial Mail Refocus/IPSOS Markinor).
Open enrolment executive education programmes
Nelson Mandela University Business School was amongst the top four South African business schools for the number of open enrolment executive programmes presented (Source: 2010 Financial Mail Refocus/IPSOS Markinor).
Best student supervisory support (as voted by own students)
Nelson Mandela University Business School MBA received the top accolade in the student supervisory support category by attaining the first place ranking in 2009 and 2010 (Source: 2009 and 2010 Financial Mail MBA Rankings/IPSOS Markinor).
We have continued with this service-driven philosophy in our Research Department and we have a student throughput rate of approximately 80%.
Consistently meeting graduates' expectations after studies
Nelson Mandela University Business School was ranked as one of the top three South African business schools for meeting graduates' expectations for increased financial reward after studies (Source: 2009 Financial Mail MBA Rankings/IPSOS Markinor).
We pride ourselves on consistently meeting our graduates’ expectations once they’ve graduated from Nelson Mandela University Business School. This can be in the form of a promotion, starting a new company, self-development or even entering a new job sector.
Top lecturers and facilitators
If you look at our Faculty you will notice some of the country’s foremost thought leaders are full-time faculty members at Nelson Mandela University Business School.
International media recognition
International media, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Boston Globe, acknowledged the role played by the Nelson Mandela University Business School in shaping the future of another country through the post-conflict leadership programme and training for South Sudanese leaders after years of civil war.
International reputation and learning opportunity
With international accreditation comes an international reputation as evident by our Eduniversal Ranking. Nelson Mandela University Business School further fosters a unique internationalisation at home and international mobility network.
