University of the Witwatersrand

Overview

The University of Witwatersrand, called Wits University for short, is a liberal university in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was founded in 1896 as the South African School of Mines in Kimberley, which subsequently transferred to Johannesburg in 1904 and was renamed as the Transvaal Technical Institute. The institution underwent several name changes until it was inaugurated as the University of Witwatersrand in 1922.

The university started with six faculties and 37 departments. After the Second World War, the reorganization of the academic units began. Now, Wits University has five faculties. These are the Faculties of Commerce, Law, and Management; Engineering and the Built Environment; Health Sciences; Humanities; and Science. These are further subdivided into 33 schools, which include the Wits Business School, the School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, the School of Therapeutic Sciences, the Wits School of Arts, and the School of Geography, Archaeology, and Environmental Sciences. Overall, the institution has more than 3,000 courses, among which it is most known for mining engineering, development studies, and archaeology.

Wits University offers those courses on its five academic campuses. The main administrative campus is the East Campus. Across the road is the West Campus. Meanwhile, the Wits Education Campus, the Wits Medical Campus, and the Wits Management Campus are in Parktown.

Other than academic and administrative buildings, the higher education institution has important historical and cultural sites. It is partly responsible for the Sterkfontein and Swartkrans archaeological sites, which are located just outside of Johannesburg. These sites are considered the Cradle of Humankind, duly designated so by UNESCO.

When it comes to research, the university’s activities are tied to its two strategic objectives. The first is to increase the number of high-impact research in different fields. The second is to provide postgraduate students with a secure, quick, and stimulating research experience. While conducting scientific inquiries with those objectives, the university has attained numerous Areas of Excellence. These include Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Geoscience and Mining Engineering, Paleoanthropology, Data Science, and Refugee and Migrant Studies, among others. Furthermore, the university is home to many research institutes and laboratories of great national and academic importance. These include the Center for African Ecology, the Effective Care Research Unit, and the Biocontrol Lab, among many others.

By fostering a culture of excellence, the university has produced many notable graduates. Famous alumni that made contributions to their respective fields include Nobel Laureates Sydney Brenner (Medicine, 2002), Nadine Gordimer (Literature, 1991), and Aaron Klug (Chemistry, 1982). Furthermore, Nelson Mandela, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate of 1993, attended Wits University but did not graduate.