JBS, The First Official MIT Micromasters® Pathway Institution in South Africa

MicroMasters provides advanced standing in the JBS MBA (with a Digital Transformation Lens) Programme

Johannesburg, South Africa – Today, the Johannesburg Business School (a division of the University of Johannesburg) announced a new pathway into its Master of Business Administration Programme (with a Digital Transformation lens), in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The announcement makes the Johannesburg Business School (JBS) the first business school in South and southern Africa to collaborate with MITx on its MicroMasters® Pathway. 

Students who earn a credential in a MicroMasters Pathway module will be eligible for academic and financial credit in the Johannesburg Business School’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) Programme. The five modules on the pathway programme students may select from include Statistics and Data Science; Supply Chain Management; Principles of Manufacturing; Data, Economics and Development Policy; and Finance. The MITx MicroMasters® programme is delivered on the edX platform, a massive open online course provider founded by Harvard and MIT. As a contributing member to edX, the Johannesburg Business School, through the University of Johannesburg, is leveraging the UJ’s global standing in advancing the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) to co-create additional edX courses. 

“Professionals that are futuristics in their outlook are demanding a diversity of options for pursuing executive education to lead change in the rapidly evolving world brought about by the fast-paced digital revolution that is redefining the global world of business,” said Professor Randall Carolissen, Dean of Johannesburg Business School. “We are excited to add the MITx MicroMaster as a new admission pathway option for prospective professional graduate students and to extend the JBS brand and reach to a global audience, infusing African cultures that are increasingly adding value to how we interact with one another and the demands imposed on our planet” added Professor Carolissen.

“We are pleased to have added Johannesburg Business School as a collaborator. This pathway to the JBS MBA opens up new options and adds significant value for MITx MicroMaster students around the world,” said Ms Tracy Tan, Director, MicroMasters Program, MIT Open Learning. 

As the first official MicroMasters® Pathway institution in South Africa, the Johannesburg Business School will offer applicants with MicroMasters credentials the possibility of earning up to 30 credits on the elective modules, out of the total 190 credits required for its MBA. The pathway programme will fast track qualifying students’ MBA journey at the JBS, enabling them to potentially reduce the length and cost of the MBA, the only one that allows MITx MicroMasters credential holders academic and financial credit. Upon completing an MITx course and the JBS MBA programmes, graduates will be part of the JBS alumni network and the MIT alumni association, which will broaden their global professional network. 

The collaboration also means that the JBS is the only business school in South Africa and the fourth business school in Africa to qualify as an official MicroMasters® Pathway institution. The other Pathway institutions in Africa include Covenant University (Nigeria), Laweh Open University College (Ghana) and the American University in Cairo (Egypt). In addition, the University of Johannesburg is the first and only university in South Africa and southern Africa to collaborate on the MITx MicroMasters® programme.

About Johannesburg Business School (JBS)

The Johannesburg Business School (JBS) is a division of the University of Johannesburg. The JBS has embraced the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and repositioned all course offerings to equip current and future leaders to deal with the digital transformation resonating throughout the world. The digital revolution encompasses shifts in mindsets and paradigms, and change management will be imperative. The JBS has, therefore, established itself as a digital business school situated within a globally competitive university ready to address these challenges Postgraduate Diploma (Business Administration) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on digital transformation, a Management Acceleration Programme Plus (MAPP), short learning programmes and a Doctor of Philosophy in Digital Transformation. In designing its innovative curriculum – in collaboration with our international partners – the JBS has harnessed the uniqueness of Africa’s leadership, indigenous knowledge, and ingenuity of its people.

For media inquiries:

Ofentse Olunloyo
Johannesburg Business School
Mobile: 011 559 1868 / marketing@jbs.ac.za 

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