Been watching the World Cup, and thinking to myself that South Africa might not be such a bad place to go for a year or two for my MBA. I found a few programs that seemed reputable, does anybody know of any others?

Gordon Institute of Business Science
University of Stellenbosch
Wits Business School

Problem is, there are no AACSB accredited schools there. Do you guys think that the World Cup will stimulate the economy enough to initiate some good business schools there? Or maybe have a U.S. or European school come in and set up shop?

I concur with you that SA business school don't seem much interested in the US's AACSB, like some of the best European business schools. However, I would suggest if you are still interested in SA business education to consider EQUIS and or AMBA accredited business schools such as (in order of national reputation and or rankings):
(1) University of Witwatersrand - Wits Business School (AMBA accredited - 2009 ) -
(2) University of Cape Town - Graduate School of Business (EQUIS accredited - 2010 FT MBA ranking is 89)
(3) University of Stellenbosch - Business School (EQUIS and AMBA accredited)
(4) University of Pretoria - Gordon Institute of Business Science (AMBA accredited)

For a foreign student I would recommend University of Cape Town, University of Stellenbosch or University of Witwatersrand (I would highly recommend Wits for a South African citizen) due to their high international content in comparison to their peers as well as their international reputation.

Happy hunting ...

I would agree with the above information except that I would change the ranking to:

1. UCT (Western Cape)
2. GIBS (Gauteng)
3. Wits (Gauteng)
4. Stellenbosch (Western Cape)

I would certainly recommend UCT as the top choice for international students as it is both the most highly respected amongst local branches of MNC's as well as being located in Cape Town which is a much more fun thn JHB! Stellenbosch is a also a beautiful place to study (approx 30 mins from Cape Town) but no doubt does not carry the same weight in the job market, I know as I have studied at UCT and Stellenbosch.

The other consideration is the availability of international exchanges - both Wits and UCT have agreements with 25+ top international schools (Booth, UCLA, Duke, Cornell etc) which may be a relevant consideration for someone looking to return to the US/EU.

Hope that helps:) ps I am a South African currently choosing between US/EU schools and SA schools.

The Henley Business School is the ONLY triple accredited business school in South Africa. Have a look at the website here: http://www.henleysa.ac.za/
And GOOD LUCK!

Interesting - I didn't know that Henley had a campus in South Africa. Do you know if they have an infrastructure for job placements there? I wonder that since they are a UK school, if it's more challenging for them to build a recruiting network there vs. local schools.

The Henley Business School is the ONLY triple accredited business school in South Africa. Have a look at the website here: http://www.henleysa.ac.za/
And GOOD LUCK!

Richard they don't have a 'campus', but they do use a well-equipped suite of rooms in an office park. There are no members of the careers service at that site, sine they are only running part-time programmes for people already in work, but there's online access to resources in the UK.

I think if you intend on finding employment outside of South Africa, perhaps Henley would be more recognized but certainly in the local South African job market Wits/Stellenbosch/GIBS/UCT would carry much more weight with employers.

Interesting. So in this case, I'm guessing it would make more sense for an international student who wants to break in to the South African job market to go with one of the local schools rather than Henley.

Maybe Henley is better suited for South African nationals who are looking to spread their wing and go abroad.

I think if you intend on finding employment outside of South Africa, perhaps Henley would be more recognized but certainly in the local South African job market Wits/Stellenbosch/GIBS/UCT would carry much more weight with employers.

Richard,

Yes, I dont think local South African MBA's would carry significant weight in foreign markets particularly outside of UK/NZ/Australia although on the other hand I question whether international employers would view Henley SA in the same light as Henley UK.

The South African market is not a huge consumer of MBA's and as a result most employers are not familiar with foreign MBA's outside of the ultra-elite (top 7 US and INSEAD/LBS/Oxbridge). So I would say outside of such elite programs, top local schools have the highest ROI in the SA market and because of lack of competition from US/UK/EU grads tend to get the pick of the local top jobs in any case.

Hope that helps.
Greg

Intuitively, this makes sense, and the stats seem to back it up: according to the Economist, the top recruiters of grads from the University of Cape Town are South African Breweries, McKinsey & Co, and Rand Merchant Bank - local businesses for the most part, except McKinsey (which has a Johannesberg office.)

Yes, I dont think local South African MBA's would carry significant weight in foreign markets particularly outside of UK/NZ/Australia although on the other hand I question whether international employers would view Henley SA in the same light as Henley UK.

Intuitively, this makes sense, and the stats seem to back it up: according to the Economist, the top recruiters of grads from the University of Cape Town are South African Breweries, McKinsey & Co, and Rand Merchant Bank - local businesses for the most part, except McKinsey (which has a Johannesberg office.)

Yes, I dont think local South African MBA's would carry significant weight in foreign markets particularly outside of UK/NZ/Australia although on the other hand I question whether international employers would view Henley SA in the same light as Henley UK.

Hi, Im an Indian working in South Africa and interested in University of Cape Town-GSB.
I'm trying to collect some info abt placements and average salary of the graduates..
can anyone help me to know more about the career prospects and placements of the school...

Hi Suhas,

Are you currently working for TCS.

Hi suhas

I am a current student at on the UCT MBA program. Average salary is in the region of R700k (varies depending on work ex and industry). Major recruiters (1-2 students for each firm) are:
SA MC firms - McK/BCG/Bain/ATK/Deloitte/Monitor/Accenture
Investment banks - RMB/Old Mutual/ABSA Capital
Industry - SAB
Big focus now on Social Entrepreneurship with the new Bertha Centre for Innovation and Enrepreneurship.

Hope this helps,
Greg

hi nananda,
Ya, im currently working in TCS.

Hi Greg,
Thanks for the info.

Hi greg,
For your info, I would be completing 3 years of experience in IT, by the time I join.
how good is the placement %...?

Hi Greg,

Thanks for your insight. What are the prospects of finding job outside Africa say in middle east.

Hi Greg
Last information from you is very useful. Thanks to you and suhas. I just want to know more about the placement percentage. I read more information about this college in GSB website and financial times. Its one of the good business school and its showing good performance in varies parameters like ranking,value for the money,etc.I just want to know more about the outcome of this program(we will definitely get more good views - its visible on various people started speaking about this business school). I also want to know, after i finish this program in GSB, will i definitely get a right position and good salary in south african companies and outside south africa. What is the placement percentage provided by this business school.

Suhas - 3 years work ex is the minimum, with the average closer to 7. I personally had 4 before I started and know people with 3. I am not too familiar with IT placements in SA and would suspect they would focus more on specialist skills than an MBA, however, IT consultancies such as Accenture could be an option.

Nanand - I think with the steady rise in rankings (54th 2012) UCT will continue to gain international recognition, however, at the moment if you intend on getting a job directly in the middle east I do not think UCT would open many doors and would rather attend a top EU/regional school.

Arun - Placement as per FT 2012 is 87% at 3 months. Your salary and placement very much depend on your background. Its not like in US/EU where an MBA alone will get you a job, but with the right experience, it can certainly serve as a springboard within a career path to management (higher salary) or an entry into consulting/finance. You will need to also look into VISA requirements to work in SA and likely need to be sponsored by a company. Average salary increase is 90%.

Interesting looking at this thread a year on. Cape Town has actually dropped a bit in the FT rankings, with salary growth and placements dropping as well.

And interestingly enough, international mobility isn't great - meaning that those who come to South Africa to end up working there are most likely going to find this challenging. Maybe this has something to do with the country's visa laws.

It's still the only SA school in the FT rankings though - but it's hard to say that it is a viable option for international students, except in rare cases.