Lifestyle Guide
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

WEBSITE: www.nmmu.ac.za VIDEO: NMMU at a glance

ABOUT US:

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University* is a new generation university, distinguished by its wide range of study options and commitment to serving society.

Founded on more than a century of quality higher education, NMMU nurtures innovation, fosters creativity, embraces technology and develops people to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Our affordable, quality higher education is offered to more than 24 000 students across six campuses, making NMMU the largest university in the Eastern and Southern Cape.

We are proud to be a valued partner in the socio-economic development of our region as we share our knowledge resources. By doing so, NMMU believes it enables entrepreneurs, nurtures innovators, empowers communities and develops leaders.

“We have the vision to see beyond the present, and the leadership to pioneer the future.”

* NMMU opened on January 2005, the result of the merger of the former Port Elizabeth Technikon, the University of Port Elizabeth and the Port Elizabeth campus of Vista University.

What do we offer?

NMMU is one of six comprehensive universities in South Africa, offering both professionally-oriented university programmes and technologically and career-focused programmes from entrance level (higher certificate) through to research level degrees (PhD).

The university has a strong track record in both fundamental and applied research, thanks to its extensive partnerships with business and industry.

Our range of undergraduate programmes equips students for careers in more than 130 broad fields. These programmes are internationally recognised and accredited by the relevant professional making our graduates employable around the world.

NMMU offers extended curriculum programmes to provide access for under prepared students, as well a vast range of academic support programmes and support services. Comprehensive financial aid packages are available to financially needy, academically deserving students. Top academic learners who join NMMU, as well those who achieve at university are rewarded through a merit award system.

NMMU’s Business School, housed at the university’s Bird Street Campus in Central, Port Elizabeth, offers a fully-accredited MBA degree as well as highly sought-after practical programmes for all levels of management.

We are proud of

Our diversity and multiculturalism. NMMU is a popular choice for both national and international students
Our selection as Fifa’s South Africa contact education partner for the training of sport managers through the Centre International d’Etude du Sport (CIES), part of Fifa’s Win in Africa – With Africa initiative to sustain the legacy of the 2010 World Cup.
Our initiatives, in conjunction with corporate sponsors, to improve the standard of maths and science in disadvantaged communities in the region, including our incubator school designed to identify and develop potential maths and science teachers.
Our international plant expert Prof Richard Cowling who has the highest rating obtainable by a researcher and is one of only three South Africans elected to the prestigious National Academy of Science in the USA.
Our new Chair in Mechatronics in the School of Engineering. NMMU also holds research chairs in automotive engineering and nanophotonics.
Our BCom Accounting graduates whose results in the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants professional examinations are consistently well above the national average.
Our centres of excellence. NMMU has several key programmes and entities in which we shine. Check our website to check them all out.
Our win-win links with industry and business. NMMU prides itself in having many pro-active partnerships, particularly within the automotive, tourism and pharmaceutical industries.
Our first commercial patent – a range of insect repellents – produced by our go-getting Institute for Chemical Technology, InnoVenton.

FACULTIES:

Faculty of Arts

Architecture; Music, Art and Design; Language, Media & Culture; Governmental & Social Sciences

Faculty of Business & Economic Sciences

Accounting; Economics, Development & Tourism; Industrial Psychology & Human Resources; Management Sciences; Business School

Faculty of Education

Professional Teacher Education; Specialised Studies in Education; Education Research, Technology and Innovation Unit; Education Off-Campus Unit

Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment & Information Technology

Built Environment; Engineering; Information & Communication Technology

Faculty of Health Sciences

Biomedical Technology & Radiography; Environmental Health & Social Development Professions; Human Movement Sciences & Sport Management; Nursing Science; Pharmacy, Psychology

Faculty of Science

Biomolecular & Chemical Sciences; Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics & Statistics; Environmental Sciences

George Campus

Business & Social Sciences; National Resource Management

FACILITIES:

NMMU offers top facilities including a number of state-of-the-art science and computer laboratories, lecture halls and libraries. The university’s campus library and information services network offers an integrated online library system. Residence is available on some campuses and a wide range of accommodation options is available in the surrounding up-market suburbs. It is also has plans to introduce a coffee culture among staff, students and visitors by establishing an increased number of food outlets, coffee shops and places to relax and chat.

NMMU boasts the finest sports facilities in the Eastern Cape and among the best of any university in the country. South Campus is home to a fitness centre and an indoor heated swimming pool.

South Campus is in a nature reserve, conserving fynbos unique to the area and home to wildlife including springbok, zebra and red hartebeest. The reserve and Grysbok Trail are open free of charge to the public and school groups as an environmental education resource. Conducted game drives are also available at a fee.

The university has numerous facilities on most campuses for conferences, meetings, sports and other special events. With seating close to 4000, the Yebo Gogo NMMU Indoor Centre on our Missionvale Campus is the Eastern Cape’s biggest indoor venue. Other large venues include:

Indoor Sports Centre (South Campus)
NMMU stadium (South Campus)
Conference Centre (North Campus)

Ensuring sustainability

The NMMU Trust generates funding for NMMU projects from external sources nationally and internationally in order to secure and grow the university’s long-term financial health and ability to provide quality education.

Strategic priorities

In striving to become the best university of its kind in South Africa, NMMU has it made it a priority to:

Establish the institution as having a comprehensive profile with selected focus areas that promote sustainable development in Africa
Ensure a quality learning experience for all learners
Promote engagement through academic programmes, research and innovation that responds to local, regional, national and global needs
Develop a research culture, focus and practices that actively respond to the needs of South Africa
Strive for innovation and excellence
Ensure financial viability and sustainability
Promote organisational transformation in support of equity and diversity
Maximise the human capital potential of NMMU staff

Academic focus areas

The university’s academic focus areas are:

Health and wellness
Economic and business development with a focus on job creation and entrepreneurship
Materials, infrastructure and process development for industry and manufacturing
Emerging information and communication technology (ICT) for development
Environmental and natural resource management
Culture, communication and language
Leadership, governance and democracy
Educational development in support of excellence in teaching, learning and curricula

NMMU has clear strengths within these focus areas and, in some fields, has established itself as the leading institution in South Africa. These are:

The environment and ecology (including environmental law)
Marine and estuary studies
Optic fibres and electron microscopy
Mathematics and science education
Nursing and community health
Architecture and the built environment
Engineering technology (including friction stir welding)
Art and design (NMMU is home to the oldest art school in the country, dating back to 1881)
Chemical technology
IT programming and IT systems support
Academic development

Vision 2020

The dreams, hopes and aspirations which students, staff and the greater community have for Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University is being formulated into a new vision and mission for our institution.

Vision 2020 is a joint project that will allow NMMU to ascertain what those who work and study here really want for the university and the society it serves.

Having attained our shared vision, NMMU will continue to:

Contribute to the transformation and development of our communities
Empower our institution, staff, graduates and communities to contribute and compete both nationally and internationally
Make a major contribution of sustainable development in Africa

International links

NMMU is one of South Africa’s most international universities and sends more South African students abroad annually than any other local university. Foreign students also make up about 10 per cent of our student body. Our African students, for example, hail from 34 different countries on the continent. All are welcomed into the NMMU family by the Office for International Education, which assists with information on travel, visas, accommodation and academic studies.

NMMU is also globally connected through exchange programmes and research initiatives with other universities. The university actively develops these international partnerships thereby promoting the internationalisation of our curriculum to produce students who can contribute anywhere in the world.

Alumni

NMMU likes to keep in touch with its former students, some 75 000 of them spread throughout the world. Regular events are hosted in South Africa and overseas by the alumni office as part of the university’s goal to share in the lifelong journey of its graduates.

STATISTICS:

Students: 22 652