University of KwaZulu-Natal
The
University of KwaZulu-Natal is a
university in the
KwaZulu-Natal Province of
South Africa. It was formed on
1 January 2004 through the merging of two major educational institutions in KwaZulu-Natal â€" the
University of Natal and the
University of Durban-Westville.
*Howard College Campus,
Glenwood,
Durban*Pietermaritzburg Campus,
Pietermaritzburg*Westville Campus,
Westville*Nelson Mandela Medical School,
Durban*Edgewood Campus,
Pinetown (Teacher's training)
Howard College, Pietermaritzburg, and Westville campuses are general campuses, at which the majority of the subjects offered by the university are taught. Nelson Mandela Medical School is a
medical school, while Edgewood is a teachers' training college.
The medical school is nearby Howard College Campus. Westville campus is around 10 km out from there, in Westville. Edgewood, being in Pinetown, is around 20 km out, while Pietermaritzburg is around 80 km away from Howard College.
The University is divided into four colleges, each divided into faculties:
*The College of
Humanities**The Faculty of
Education**The Faculty of Humanities,
Development, and
Social Sciences*The College of
Agriculture,
Engineering and
Science**The Faculty of Engineering
**The Faculty of Science and Agriculture
*The College of
Health Sciences**The Faculty of
Nursing**The Nelson Mandela Medical School
**The Faculty of
Health Sciences*The College of
Law and
Management Studies
**The Faculty of Law
**The Faculty of
Management StudiesEach faculty is further subdivided into schools, many of which were created by the merger of several departments. Although departments are no longer officially part of the management structure, many schools are still effectively subdivided into departments. An example is the School of
Biochemistry,
Genetics,
Microbiology and
Plant Pathology.
Each college, faculty and school has a head, who reports to the head above him or her.The University also has the normal support structures including HR, ICT and Finance, there are approximately 6000 staff members at the University and over 40000 students.
The University of Natal was a
white university under
apartheid, though it had a history of fighting the government for the ability to accept students belonging to other ethnic groups. The University of Durban-Westville was created by the apartheid government to serve the
Asian racial group, which, in South African terms, refers to people from
South Asia, particularly those of
Indian and
Pakistani descent.
The merger of the universities came about from a
government plan to reduce the number of higher learning institutions in South Africa, and to redress past inequities between the two institutions.
Each campus is connected via highly sophisticated wireless networking equipment that makes data and voice communications between campuses possible.
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University homepage
