An MBA is regarded by many as the ticket to the C-suite.  After all you’d be hard-pressed to find a CEO who doesn’t have one.  More than anything, an MBA is structured to turn a manager into a holistic leader capable of steering an organisation and its people to success.  The MBA gives you access to continue your studies towards a DBL, providing you meet the admission requirements of the DBL.

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Important dates

Admission requirements and supporting documents

• A Bachelor's Honours Degree or a Postgraduate Diploma, with a minimum 120 credits, OR a 480-credit Bachelor's Degree. Please supply a copy of your transcript, indicating the symbol or percentage obtained for each module and indicating whether or not the qualification was completed.
• A recent detailed Curriculum Vitae indicating three years or more managerial/professional work experience.
• Supply a clear copy of Identity Document or Passport. A copy of driver’s licence will NOT be accepted.
• Once the application is successful, applicants may be required to write an admissions test as part of the selection process.

The Graduate School of Business Leadership may institute additional selection criteria as deemed necessary.

Master of Business Administration Modules

The MBA degree is presented in two tracks. Track one is a structured two-year programme comprising four semesters. Track two is a structured three-year programme comprising six semesters.

Track one (two-year programme)

Register four compulsory modules in year 1, semester 1 and four compulsory modules in year 1, semester 2.

Register two compulsory modules, one elective and the integrated management research project in year 2, semester 1.

Year 1: Semester 1

Economics for Managers (MBA4801)

Students who complete this module will be able to analyse economics for managers with a view to making informed business decisions. This implies that they will be able to explain economic phenomena that influence business organisations; predict the effect of changes in economic variables; analyse the impact of economic changes on specific business organisations; and revise business decisions by monitoring changes in economic phenomena.

Accounting for Managers (MBA4807)

Students who complete this module will be able to interpret and evaluate different types of financial reports. Students will be able to read and analyse financial statements; understand the capital budgeting process; evaluate a company’s management of working capital; evaluate costing and product-pricing decisions; and evaluate the budgeting process of an organisation.

Managing Human Capital (MBA5949)

The purpose of this module is to equip students with knowledge base, competencies, values and attitudes that will enable them to manage the human capital function on a strategic level, within a diverse and ever-changing organisational context, taking into consideration the unique organisational dynamics (including organisational behaviour), leadership and the full utilisation of an organisational development approach. The module will additionally expose students to the South African & African Organization from a system theory perspective, Cross cultural Human Capital Management, Frameworks for Human Capital measurement, HR Governance (including risk management, quality assurance, service delivery), Human Capital Management and technology, social exchange and learning theories.

Operations Management (MBA5926)

The purpose of the learning in this module is to equip students with knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that will enable them to manage the operations of an organisation, whether it is a service or a manufacturing organisation. Qualifying students will be able to make recommendations to organisations on how to improve productivity, increase responsiveness, provide more choice to the customer, deliver high quality standards of products or services and to rigorously analyse business processes and to make recommendations on how to improve them.

Year 1: Semester 2

Strategic Financial Management (MBA5903)

This module aims to provide students with high-level competencies (knowledge, skills, norms, and values) to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the essential concepts of financial management, cash flow management, financial analysis, and financial risk management. Qualifying students will obtain a comprehensive and systematic knowledge base and the necessary skills to critically analyse and interpret corporate financial statements and reports, manage financial information, and make informed economic decisions. Qualifying students will furthermore be able to reflect on the limitations of both published accounts and standard analytical techniques, including the ethical standards of performance adopted by finance managers. Finally, on completion of this module students will gain a coherent understanding of various financial management techniques to enable them to evaluate investment requirements of organisations and alternative sources of finance to fund these requirements, including the valuation of assets and investment projects to provide long-term benefits.

Sustainability Marketing (MBA5910)

The world of business is changing under the influence of climate change, scarcity of resources, global pandemics like Covid-19 and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) driven national agendas to name a few. Increasing awareness, sensitivity and restlessness among various stakeholders and consumers towards the urgent need to address these issues are also evident. Hence, building sustainability-oriented businesses becomes vital for business leaders. These new realities are making them rethink and redesign business strategies. Sustainability-oriented marketing strategies play a key role in ensuring effective responsiveness of business while addressing these issues. This module forms part of the MBA programme. The purpose of the module is to equip students with coherent, contemporary, and comprehensive understanding of how the triple bottom line principles of sustainability are becoming an integral part of marketing strategies. The module will also advance students’ abilities to solve the social and environmental problems dominant in their context while developing marketing strategies that optimize a firm’s performance and create sustainable and responsible value.

Business Research (MBA5944) (compulsory and prerequisite for MBA5929 module)

Students who complete this module will be able to conduct high-quality business and management research either as practitioners or academics. They will be able to apply a range of research methods and techniques in a practical environment. They will be able to apply the spectrum of research methods including statistical analysis of data and the theory to the analysis of data. 

Management Digital Technologies (MBA5945)

For many public and private sector organisations, the proper management of technology is of a strategic importance as it is an essential ingredient for the modern business to create value. This module focuses on the identification, acquisition, selection, exploitation and protection of digital technologies and how these can me managed to increase organisational performance, growth and sustainability. This includes understanding the role of digital technologies in an organisation, forecasting possible digital technology trends that could be useful for the organisation, mapping out potential digital technologies to organisational and market needs and developing portfolios of projects under development. The module is primarily intended for those who either aspire to a management and/or leadership role in digitally transforming environments or have just assumed such a role and are looking to further their technology management, including the management of digital technologies, skills and knowledge

Year 2: Semester:1

Strategic Management MBA5950

The purpose of the learning in this module is to enable students to integrate the process, content and context in evaluating and developing strategies at the business and corporate level. Qualifying students will be able to make recommendations on strategy implementation. These students will also be able to appreciate the role of strategic leadership in crafting and implementing strategies.

Ethical Leadership and Governance MBA5902

The purpose of the learning in this module is to enable learners to make ethical and sustainable business decisions. Qualifying learners will be able to evaluate business decisions on the basis of their ethicality and sustainability and will be able to make recommendations to organizations about business ethics and corporate governance. The learning in this module will further equip learners with corporate citizenship, corporate social responsibility, Ubuntu and Batho Pele principles, universal principles of corporate governance, King IV and companies Act (SA) 2008 knowledge base and competencies. 

Electives

Students can choose any ONE of the following electives. These electives are offered in Year 2, Semester 1. The SBL may choose not to offer an elective should it be undersubscribed.

Strategy in a Global Context (MBA5907)

Students will be able to gain a coherent understanding of the global business environment and will acquire a comprehensive and systematic knowledge base and skills that will enable them to make informed strategic business decisions in a complex and dynamic global business environment. They will also be able to take advantage of international business opportunities that arise from changing global market needs, as well as the globalisation of markets and the globalisation of production. They will be able to appreciate the role of global leadership in the global business environment, and demonstrate their ability to decide on and develop strategies to compete successfully in increasingly competitive and dynamic global markets  

Strategic Project Management (MBA5909)

Students who complete this module will be equipped with a comprehensive and systematic knowledge base of strategic project management, including a set of best practices for creating an environment for successful projects. Students will have a contemporary and comprehensive knowledge base on how to develop project management as an organisational practice.

Digital Supply Chains (MBA5946)

The application of Industry 4.0 technologies to end-to-end supply chain management processes gives rise to Supply Chain 4.0, or digital supply chains. Besides the need to adapt to new and disruptive digital technologies, organisations also have the opportunity to rethink the way they develop supply chain strategies to transform into digital supply chains to significantly improve performance and customer satisfaction. This module therefore focuses on the impact of Industry 4.0 in supply chain management. To this end, the module will equip students with the knowledge to explore how digital technologies can be exploited for a competitive advantage in the various supply chain management domains including procurement, inventory management, logistics and warehousing, supply chain big data and supply chain risk management. The skills to be gained are that students will be enabled to develop and implement digital transformation strategies to digitalise their end-to-end supply chain management processes. The module is primarily intended for managers and especially leaders in government, civil society, non-governmental organisations and private industry who are looking to further their knowledge and skills for better decision making on the impact of digital transformation in supply chain management

Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MBA5948)

The purpose of the learning in this module is to equip participating students with skills to devise innovation strategies for creating new value for the local and global marketplace that eventually leads to sources of sustainable competitive advantage for their organisations, as well as develop an entrepreneurial mindset on how to create successful venture opportunities in an age of uncertainty.

Year 2: Semester: 1 & 2

Integrated Management Project (MBA5929)

The purpose of this module is to enable graduate students to plan and conduct a rigorous research study in the business environment of a selected organisation at the master’s degree level. For this purpose, the student will be required to integrate the knowledge, skills and competencies acquired in preceding modules in the context of the global economy. Furthermore, this should be demonstrated by being able to critique various dynamics affecting the global economy.

Track two (three-year programme)

Register two modules in year 1, semester 1 and two modules in year 1, semester 2.

Register two modules in year 2, semester 1 and two modules in year 2, semester 2.

Register two compulsory modules, one elective and the integrated management research project in year 3, semester 1.

Year 1: Semester 1

Economics for Managers (MBA4801)

Students who complete this module will be able to analyse economics for managers with a view to making informed business decisions. This implies that they will be able to explain economic phenomena that influence business organisations; predict the effect of changes in economic variables; analyse the impact of economic changes on specific business organisations; and revise business decisions by monitoring changes in economic phenomena.

Accounting for Managers (MBA4807)

Students who complete this module will be able to interpret and evaluate different types of financial reports. Students will be able to read and analyse financial statements; understand the capital budgeting process; evaluate a company’s management of working capital; evaluate costing and product-pricing decisions; and evaluate the budgeting process of an organisation.

Year 1: Semester 2

Strategic Financial Management (MBA5903)

This module aims to provide students with high-level competencies (knowledge, skills, norms, and values) to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the essential concepts of financial management, cash flow management, financial analysis, and financial risk management. Qualifying students will obtain a comprehensive and systematic knowledge base and the necessary skills to critically analyse and interpret corporate financial statements and reports, manage financial information, and make informed economic decisions. Qualifying students will furthermore be able to reflect on the limitations of both published accounts and standard analytical techniques, including the ethical standards of performance adopted by finance managers. Finally, on completion of this module students will gain a coherent understanding of various financial management techniques to enable them to evaluate investment requirements of organisations and alternative sources of finance to fund these requirements, including the valuation of assets and investment projects to provide long-term benefits.

Management Digital Technologies (MBA5945)

For many public and private sector organisations, the proper management of technology is of a strategic importance as it is an essential ingredient for the modern business to create value. This module focuses on the identification, acquisition, selection, exploitation and protection of digital technologies and how these can me managed to increase organisational performance, growth and sustainability. This includes understanding the role of digital technologies in an organisation, forecasting possible digital technology trends that could be useful for the organisation, mapping out potential digital technologies to organisational and market needs and developing portfolios of projects under development. The module is primarily intended for those who either aspire to a management and/or leadership role in digitally transforming environments or have just assumed such a role and are looking to further their technology management, including the management of digital technologies, skills and knowledge

Year 2: Semester 1

Managing Human Capital (MBA5949)

The purpose of this module is to equip students with knowledge base, competencies, values and attitudes that will enable them to manage the human capital function on a strategic level, within a diverse and ever-changing organisational context, taking into consideration the unique organisational dynamics (including organisational behaviour), leadership and the full utilisation of an organisational development approach. The module will additionally expose students to the South African & African Organization from a system theory perspective, Cross cultural Human Capital Management, Frameworks for Human Capital measurement, HR Governance (including risk management, quality assurance, service delivery), Human Capital Management and technology, social exchange and learning theories.

Operations Management (MBA5926)

The purpose of the learning in this module is to equip students with knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that will enable them to manage the operations of an organisation, whether it is a service or a manufacturing organisation. Qualifying students will be able to make recommendations to organisations on how to improve productivity, increase responsiveness, provide more choice to the customer, deliver high quality standards of products or services and to rigorously analyse business processes and to make recommendations on how to improve them.

Year 2: Semester 2

Sustainability Marketing (MBA5910)

The world of business is changing under the influence of climate change, scarcity of resources, global pandemics like Covid-19 and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) driven national agendas to name a few. Increasing awareness, sensitivity and restlessness among various stakeholders and consumers towards the urgent need to address these issues are also evident. Hence, building sustainability-oriented businesses becomes vital for business leaders. These new realities are making them rethink and redesign business strategies. Sustainability-oriented marketing strategies play a key role in ensuring effective responsiveness of business while addressing these issues. This module forms part of the MBA programme. The purpose of the module is to equip students with coherent, contemporary, and comprehensive understanding of how the triple bottom line principles of sustainability are becoming an integral part of marketing strategies. The module will also advance students’ abilities to solve the social and environmental problems dominant in their context while developing marketing strategies that optimize a firm’s performance and create sustainable and responsible value.

Business Research (MBA5944) (compulsory and a prerequisite for MBA5929)

Students who complete this module will be able to conduct high-quality business and management research either as practitioners or academics. They will be able to apply a range of research methods and techniques in a practical environment. They will be able to apply the spectrum of research methods including statistical analysis of data and the theory to the analysis of data. 

Year 3: Semester 1

Ethical Leadership and Governance MBA5902

The purpose of the learning in this module is to enable learners to make ethical and sustainable business decisions. Qualifying learners will be able to evaluate business decisions on the basis of their ethicality and sustainability and will be able to make recommendations to organizations about business ethics and corporate governance. The learning in this module will further equip learners with corporate citizenship, corporate social responsibility, Ubuntu and Batho Pele principles, universal principles of corporate governance, King IV and companies Act (SA) 2008 knowledge base and competencies. 

Strategic Management MBA5950

The purpose of the learning in this module is to enable students to integrate the process, content and context in evaluating and developing strategies at the business and corporate level. Qualifying students will be able to make recommendations on strategy implementation. These students will also be able to appreciate the role of strategic leadership in crafting and implementing strategies.

Electives

Students can choose any ONE of the following electives. These electives are offered in Year 3, Semester 1. The SBL may choose not to offer an elective should it be undersubscribed.

Strategy in a Global Context (MBA5907)

Students will be able to gain a coherent understanding of the global business environment and will acquire a comprehensive and systematic knowledge base and skills that will enable them to make informed strategic business decisions in a complex and dynamic global business environment. They will also be able to take advantage of international business opportunities that arise from changing global market needs, as well as the globalisation of markets and the globalisation of production. They will be able to appreciate the role of global leadership in the global business environment, and demonstrate their ability to decide on and develop strategies to compete successfully in increasingly competitive and dynamic global markets  

Strategic Project Management (MBA5909)

Students who complete this module will be equipped with a comprehensive and systematic knowledge base of strategic project management, including a set of best practices for creating an environment for successful projects. Students will have a contemporary and comprehensive knowledge base on how to develop project management as an organisational practice.

Digital Supply Chains (MBA5946)

The application of Industry 4.0 technologies to end-to-end supply chain management processes gives rise to Supply Chain 4.0, or digital supply chains. Besides the need to adapt to new and disruptive digital technologies, organisations also have the opportunity to rethink the way they develop supply chain strategies to transform into digital supply chains to significantly improve performance and customer satisfaction. This module therefore focuses on the impact of Industry 4.0 in supply chain management. To this end, the module will equip students with the knowledge to explore how digital technologies can be exploited for a competitive advantage in the various supply chain management domains including procurement, inventory management, logistics and warehousing, supply chain big data and supply chain risk management. The skills to be gained are that students will be enabled to develop and implement digital transformation strategies to digitalise their end-to-end supply chain management processes. The module is primarily intended for managers and especially leaders in government, civil society, non-governmental organisations and private industry who are looking to further their knowledge and skills for better decision making on the impact of digital transformation in supply chain management

Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MBA5948)

The purpose of the learning in this module is to equip participating students with skills to devise innovation strategies for creating new value for the local and global marketplace that eventually leads to sources of sustainable competitive advantage for their organisations, as well as develop an entrepreneurial mindset on how to create successful venture opportunities in an age of uncertainty.

Year: 3 Semester: 1 & 2

Integrated Management Project (MBA5929)

The purpose of this module is to enable graduate students to plan and conduct a rigorous research study in the business environment of a selected organisation at the master’s degree level. For this purpose, the student will be required to integrate the knowledge, skills and competencies acquired in preceding modules in the context of the global economy. Furthermore, this should be demonstrated by being able to critique various dynamics affecting the global economy.

Study schools give students an opportunity to interact with academics and other students. All study schools were traditionally held at the SBL campus in Midrand, Gauteng.  Online/campus attendance remains compulsory for each module, regardless of the format. Students will be advised well in advance about the venue OR which virtual platforms to be used.

MBA First-Year Study School Dates for 2025