Hello,

I am curious about MBA programs in South Africa. Specifically, I would like to do an MBA program in the country with the goal of working there after graduation, preferably in the retail or technology fields. That said, which of these business schools is the best?

Cape Town
Wits
GIBS
Stellenbosch

Any input or suggestions would be appreciated!

I'm a bit confused. Surely it's already clear to you which of these is the best business school, if you have done a little research online? Are you asking something else?

Try: How to use LinkedIn to find the best school www.find-mba.com/board/33571

Hello,

I am curious about MBA programs in South Africa. Specifically, I would like to do an MBA program in the country with the goal of working there after graduation, preferably in the retail or technology fields. That said, which of these business schools is the best?

Cape Town
Wits
GIBS
Stellenbosch

Any input or suggestions would be appreciated!

Cape Town is the only one that's currently ranked in the FT. But it has mediocre standing in terms of international mobility, meaning that either there are a lot of South Africans who take the course and then do not move abroad, or that international students have a mixed success rate in landing jobs in the country. I would check with the schools and ask them directly about the success rates for international students who want to stay and work in the country after graduation.

Since that time, South Africa has re-occupied its place on the global stage, with the demand for broad-based management skills reaching record highs. The MBA has turned into a sought after qualification and is equipping a brand new generation of South Africans with the tools essential to compete with their international counterparts.

Ah, it sounds like Cape Town it is. Thanks everybody!

I read a lot of discussions here about people choosing to do an MBA in Canada or the US or Australia, etc. but what about South Africa? Does it have a good educational system and is the culture open enough to accept international students / foreigners? I'm somewhat interested in this as a possibility (doing an MBA in South Africa.)

I heard some civic unrest news lately, so I am not sure South Africa is a safe choice in terms of employment or quality of life. Maybe research it a bit to learn more

Yes, I've been reading about that. Maybe I'll focus on another country instead. Thanks for the input.

Cape Town is the only one that's currently ranked in the FT.

Are there any from the African continent as a whole? I don't think so...

Hey does it really matter if it's ranked? I mean maybe it's not ranked in this publication but it's still one of the best business schools in the country.

Not necessarily, if your goals lie solely within South Africa or the rest of the region.

For me the real practical value of the FT rankings is that they provide credible, verifiable career and salary statistics which can provide a basis for comparison with other schools. For unranked schools it's harder to do this.

Hey thanks for that cheers mate.

Bob

Anybody have any idea about Rhodes Business School? Is it a reputable MBA program?

It's got AMBA accreditation, so it has that going for it. In that sense it's reputable: the program would have been vetted by an international committee and adjusted accordingly.

However, I would not say that it has the same level of reputation as some of the other schools that are discussed here - UCT, Stellenbosch, etc. - especially from an international perspective.

So you would not recommend it for somebody coming from outside the country?

Not necessarily. If your goals lie outside the country, then certainly a school with a better international reputation and network would be better.

A higher profile school will also help you transition into the country, if that's your goal. However, maybe Rhodes places a lot of MBAs into the industry / firms that you are looking at. It's worth taking a look at the school's networks, compared to others. Use LinkedIn to do some research on where their grads go.

Does anybody have an idea about what is happening to South Africa MBA programs? Are applications affected due to Covid? I would like to apply for the Gibs MBA program but there is no news on when applications will open. 

Unless you are South African, or are aware of the area, I'd advise against pursuing a program there. Macro economic conditions are not encouraging specially for international students.