As of 2012 the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) will offer its Part-time MBA programmes on weekends on a Friday evening and Saturday morning, allowing working professionals in more remote areas of the Western Cape, to advance their careers while pursuing an MBA at a top business school in the country.

The deputy director of the USB, Marietjie Wepener, says that prospective students who come from towns outside of Cape Town such as Worcester, Paarl, Somerset West, Stellenbosch, Strand, Malmesbury and Saldanha are now able to attend sessions at the USB without interruption of their work commitments.

“Previously the distance to our campus from outside towns was too great to travel three times during the week for evening classes. Distance and traffic should not be the deciding factor that prevents managers from achieving their MBA and fulfilling their career potential.”

“Our ‘new’ Part-time MBA is suitable for working professionals in rural areas and for those who cannot get leave from work to attend our Modular MBA programme, which is offered in study blocks during working hours,” she says.

The contact sessions of the Part-time MBA programme will take place every Friday evening from 18:00 to 20:45 and Saturday morning from 08:00 to 13:15 over two years. In the third year of study students complete their research reports, but there is no class contact. Students from outside Cape Town will have the option to stay over on Friday evenings at the USB lodge on campus or elsewhere to attend the Saturday morning classes. “This also allows students to access facilities such as the USB library and to work on assignments with their groups.”

According to Wepener extensive market research conducted by the USB revealed that there was a need to make MBA classes available outside of the working week. People in rural towns also expressed the need to improve their managerial skills.

For more information on the USB’s Part-time MBA programme contact Joanne Sleigh by telephone 0860 USBMBA (872 622) or +27 (0)21 918 4239 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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