Monash South Africa
Currently Monash University is no longer affiliated with South Africa campus. In April 2019, the campus was sold to The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE), a leader in the higher education sphere, and is no longer called or affiliated with Monash University. The IIE is internationally recognised by the British Accreditation Council. IIE MSA, formerly Monash South Africa, was founded in 2001 by Monash University.
Type | Private university |
---|---|
Active | 2001–2019 |
Administrative staff | 220 (80 academics) |
Students | 4,000 |
Location | Ruimsig, Johannesburg , , |
Colours | Red and black |
Affiliations | Laureate International Universities, The Independent Institute of Education |
Website | http://www.msa.ac.za/ |
Monash South Africa (MSA) was a branch campus of the Australian Monash University. It was founded in 2001 and was located on a 100 hectare site in Ruimsig, north-west of Johannesburg, in the province of Gauteng. At its height, Monash South Africa had over 4000 students with a mix from 50 African countries.
As Monash South Africa was sold to The Independent Institute of Education a subsidiary of ADvTECH Group. It is now called the IIE MSA and is still offering degrees and diplomas, and is even adding more qualifications to their range.
History
Beginning in the 1990s, Monash University in Melbourne, Australia began an extensive internationalisation program. Vice-Chancellor at the time, David Robinson, aspired for Monash to have campuses on every continent.[2] The University's Malaysia Campus was the first of these, with plans for an African offering developing in the late 1990s. In 2001, it became the first international university to gain registration to operate in South Africa.[3]
The plan was initially opposed by some of the staff at Monash's Australian campuses, who were concerned that millions of dollars was being poured into overseas ventures, while staff were being made redundant in Australia.[2]
The campus expanded rapidly since its establishment in 2001. In its first intake, Monash South Africa (MSA) took on just over 100 students. By 2008, there were over 2,200 students, and the operations are expanded to keep up with a demand for places which is increasing by 35% per year. A new library and learning commons were opened in 2007. By 2012 a fully modernised sports precinct was built, which played host to the eventual Gauteng state champion Monash South Africa female basketball team, coached by Tomas Sanchez and Matthew Falvey.
Financial issues were unresolved and in August 2013, Monash South Africa was effectively 'sold' to Laureate International Universities who purchased its freehold land and buildings and took over running the university. Monash in Australia has come under pressure from the Auditor-general in the state of Victoria (in which Monash is located) to reduce its spending on overseas operations.[4]. A AU$150 million grant from the International Finance Corporation was part of the deal, awarded to strengthen higher education in Africa[5]. Monash in Australia continues to assure academic standards, but Laureate Education has now become the majority partner.
The institution has developed some research capacity, with research nodes in water, injury prevention and global movements. Its research output (various projects and scholarly publications) is increasing, with the ambition of becoming one of the most research-intensive sites in Africa.[6]
In April 2019, ADvTECH acquired Monash South Africa from Monash and Laureate. Monash South Africa is now known as IIE MSA, and a leading brand of The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE), the higher education subsidiary of ADvTECH. The IIE is South Africa's largest and the most accredited private higher education institution which operates across 21 sites and is internationally recognised by the British Accreditation Council.
Faculties and Courses
Schools
Monash South Africa no longer accepts students into degrees and diplomas the IIE MSA which bought Monash SA continued the offering which falls in the following :
Faculty of Business, Engineering and Technology
The faculty offers a range of exciting undergraduate programmes, Honours programmes, postgraduate diplomas and master's degrees. It also recognises the busy working professional, whether they are at early, mid- or advanced career levels, and accommodates flexible part-time and postgraduate options.
The IIE MSA's Faculty of Business, Engineering and Technology offers IIE undergraduate degrees in the following areas:[7]
- Accounting
- Computer and Information Sciences
- Economics
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Law
- Management
- Marketing
It is one of only two private institutions to receive South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) accreditation for its accounting degree. In 2013, Monash South Africa began offering the SAICA accredited Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting program, which serves as the last entrance requirement to write the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) board exams. This was the first time the accreditation had been offered to a private institution. Monash achieved this through a partnership with Independent service provider CA Connect. From 2018 academic year, the institution announced it would go it alone in offering the program going forward.
Faculty of Social and Health Sciences
The IIE MSA's Faculty of Social and Health Sciences currently offers IIE undergraduate degrees in the following areas:[8]
- Bachelor of Child and Youth Care,
- Bachelor of Public Health
- Bachelor of Social Science - with the following areas of study:
*Communication and Media Studies, *Criminology and Criminal Justice, *Development Studies (incorporating Human Geography), *International Studies, *Journalism Studies, *Philosophy, *Political Studies, *Psychology, *Public Relations Practice, and *Sociology.
1The Bachelor of Child and Youth Care was endorsed by the South African Council of Social Service Professions.
Programmes
A range of IIE undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and short learning programmes are offered at IIE MSA. Currently, the degrees and short programmes on offer are:
Undergraduate
- Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences
- Bachelor of Social Science
- Bachelor of Public Health
- Bachelor of Commerce in Law
- Bachelor of Business Science (majoring in Accounting, or Economics, or Management or Marketing)
- Bachelor of Business Science (Specialising in Accounting)
- Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
- Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences (Honours)
- Bachelor of Social Science (Honours)
- Bachelor of Business Science (Honours)
- Bachelor of Public Health (Honours)
Postgraduate
Foundation Programme
In addition, the location also offers a Foundation Programme[4] programme for students who do not meet the minimum requirements for admission into the various undergraduate degrees on offer
Location
IIE MSA is located in Ruimsig, which is 25 km north-west of central Johannesburg. It is a purpose-built, greenfield, 100 hectare campus, which contains among the most modern and state of the art technologies of any Monash location. It also has extensive sporting facilities, including basketball and volleyball courts, and a field for rugby, soccer and hockey.[5]
Its establishment has led to significant development in the local area, with several shopping centres, sporting and leisure facilities opening since 2001. The local area also contains substantial accommodation for those students who do not live on-campus.
Governance and Administration
Monash South Africa was a branch campus of Monash University and as such was governed by laws statutes from Monash as well as regulation of South Africa.
Monash SA was managed by a Pro-Vice chancellor, Deputy PVC Research and PDVC International and heads of schools.
References
- "Monash South Africa - Master of International Business". www.msa.ac.za.
- "Master of Philosophy - MPhil - Monash South Africa".
- "Water research - Monash South Africa".
- https://www.iiemsa.co.za/Course/foundation-programme/ Higher Certificate in Higher Education Studies (HCHES)
- Campus facilities and services, Monash South Africa