Welcome to one of the largest, oldest and most transformed universities in sub-Saharan Africa, the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). UKZN is one of three African universities rated amongst the top 500 universities in the world, is third in Africa according to the Academic Rankings of World Universities (ARWU), and is recognised as the third most research productive university in South Africa. The university is located in two cities, Durban and Pietermaritzburg, and has five campuses- Edgewood, Howard College, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, Pietermaritzburg and Westville-with four Colleges which include the College of Science, Engineering and Science (CAES); College of Health Sciences (CHS); College of Humanities (CH) and the College of Law and Management Studies (CLMS). A total of 19 Schools is spread across these colleges which offer approximately 2000 academic programs, which includes vibrant post-graduate programs.
As one of South Africa’s pre-eminent research
institutions, UKZN provides a dynamic research and innovation environment to
flourish as a researcher. Research activities span the university’s research
focus which include: HIV/AIDS, TB and Health Promotion; Social Development and Economic Studies; Water, Environment and Biodiversity; Biotechnology;
Agriculture and Food security; Energy and Technology for Sustainable Development; Gender, Race and Identity Studies; Indigenous Knowledge Systems; and
Maritime Studies. Internationally recognised HIV and AIDS research centres such
as the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA);
KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV (K-RITH), Health Economics
and HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD) and the Centre for HIV/AIDS Networking
(HIV911), are located at UKZN. The establishment of several interdisciplinary
centres and institutes which include the African Vision Research Institute
(AVRI), African Centre for Crop Improvement (ACCI); Centre for Literacy
Studies; Centre for Cosmology and Astrophysics; Centre for Critical Research on
Race and Identity; Centre for Quantum Technologies; Centre for Smart Materials;
Ujamaa Centre for Contextual Hermeneutics; and the Africa Centre for Health and
Population Studies, all contribute to the rich intellectual tapestry of this
university. Furthermore, UKZN is home to 11 prestigious South African Research Chairs, an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology and the
National Research Foundation in the following areas:
- Systems
Biology an HIV and AIDS
- Evolutionary
Biology
- Quantum
Information Processing and Communication
- Economic
Development
- Fluorine
Process Engineering and Separation Technology
- Gravitating
Systems
- Applied
Poverty Reduction Assessment
- Land Use
Planning and Management
- Rural
Agronomy and Development
- Intelligent
Real Time Power Systems
- Indigenous
Healthcare Systems
The UKZN multicultural
landscape is infused by both its diverse local cultures, as well as the more
than 2582 international students from over 96 countries, who are proudly part
of this institution. With one of the oldest International Relations offices in
the country, the university has international institutional partnerships with over
46 countries, providing students and staff direct global experience in the
areas of teaching, learning and research.