Wits Graduate School of Business Administration, University of the Witwatersrand – Johannesburg, South Africa

Wits Business school is situated in Johannesburg, the power-house of corporate South Africa. This location facilitates a genuine synergy and exchange of ideas between lecturers and the wider business community. The end result is that theoretical and conceptual materials are closely woven with real, practical applications through the method of instruction and the structure of the curriculum.

The Wits Business School was founded in 1968, as a part of the University of Witwatersrand, and has grown rapidly since then. There are currently over 700 students registered in academic programs and over 1500 executives on short courses. WBS, together with its sister institution, the School of Public and Development Management, comprises the Faculty of Management which is unique in South Africa. Within the Business School there are a number of associate centres including the Management Development Unit and the South African Management Project.

Location
Jo'burg, Jozi, eGoli or 'the city of gold' (never Johannesburg) is by far the largest city in South Africa and is also known for its growing multiracial music and theatre scene. The Faculty of Management at Wits is situated in the leafy suburb of Parktown in the hub of South Africa’s business community. The School is headquartered in Outeniqua, a magnificent historical house dating back to the turn of the century. Restaurants and banks are across the road; sports clubs and recreational facilities are on the Wits main campus, which is within walking distance. Large shopping malls are situated 4-8km from the Business School.

Approximate Term Dates
Winter Term (1st & 2nd Quarter): Mid January to mid June
Summer Term (2nd & 3rd Quarter): Early April to late August

Academic Information
Elective courses are offered in Finance, Information Management, Human Resources, International Business, Strategy and General Business.

Credit Equivalency
6 courses at Wits (three per quarter) = 12 SSB credits
8 courses at Wits (four per quarter) = 15 SSB credits

Language
All courses are taught in English.

Type/Availability of Accommodation
On-campus facilities comprise of either 3 or 8 single rooms, furnished with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. Students need to supply the linens.

Computer Facilities
The computer facilities at the WBS rank amongst the best in the country for academic institutions. The School operates on a Novell LAN which is attached to the University fibre optic backbone for access to Internet. A well-equipped computer laboratory with 22 Pentium III 450Mhz computers and 28 Pentium 130Mhz making up a total of 50 computers are available to the students. There is also an MBA Computer available which is equipped with 10 Pentium III 450Mhz computers. Most of the syndicate rooms have network points available by which students can link their laptops to the network. Windows is the operating system. Software available for the students is the MS Office Suite as well as several specialist software packages and on-line databases.

Health Insurance
It is compulsory for exchange students to have full medical insurance coverage from a South African medical insurer. Wits has negotiated a favourable deal for students with Ingwe Health Plan. The campus Health & Wellness Centre offers comprehensive medical services.

Visa Information
For visa information, please visit:
15 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1M 1M8
Tel: 613-744-0330, Fax: 613-741-1639
Web site: www.southafrica-Canada.ca

Further Research
For more information about this partnership school, see the exchange literature available in the Schulich Exchange Reference Library located in room W263 SSB or visit Wits’ Web site at: http://wbs.mgmt.wits.ac.za/