University of Johannesburg

University of Johannesburg
Universiteit van Johannesburg (Afrikaans)
University of Johannesburg brand logo
Former name
Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit (Rand Afrikaans University) (1967–2004)
Motto
Diens Deur Kennis (Afrikaans)
Motto in English
Service Through Knowledge
TypePublic university
Established1 January 2005; 21 years ago (2005-01-01)
Academic affiliations
AAU
ACU
FOTIM
SACU
HESA
Universitas 21
ChancellorPhumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
Vice-ChancellorLetlhokwa George Mpedi
PrincipalOlaotse Leadership Monchwe
Academic staff
1,384 permanent and 3,928 temporary (2024)
Students50,274 (2024)
Undergraduates41,229 (2024)
Postgraduates13,296 (2024)
2,297 (2024)
Location
Johannesburg
,
Gauteng
,
South Africa

26°11′00″S 27°59′56″E / 26.1834°S 27.9988°E / -26.1834; 27.9988
Campus
  • 45,000 square metres (11 acres)
Colours  Orange
  Yellow
  White
NicknameUJ
MascotUniversity of Johannesburg Hoopoe "Hoepie"
Websiteuj.ac.za

The University of Johannesburg is a public university located in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the Rand Afrikaans University, Technikon Witwatersrand and the Soweto campus of Vista University.

In 2024, UJ had a student population of more than 54,000, of whom 4,251 were international students.

History

Early developments

British era, 1900s

During the Johannesburg gold rush, training institutions were founded to supply skilled labour to the gold mines. One was the Witwatersrand Technical Institute, founded in 1903, with roots in the Kimberly School of Mines. It became Technikon Witwatersrand in 1979. Its admission policies were limited to white students proficient in English.

Independence, 1960s

It would take more than thirty years before complete independence of South Africa from Britain was achieved. Following its election in 1948 the National Party sought to provide education in the Afrikaans language, the third most spoken mother-tongue language in South Africa. This led to the foundation of Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) in 1966. At the time of its founding, RAU was the second university to be established in Johannesburg and it was established through an act of parliament as the academic hub for Afrikaners. After the fall of Apartheid in 1994, African students started to become more involved in previously white institutions of higher education. RAU was no exception as for the first time in 1995, it had the largest number of African students in its ranks, followed by the University of the Witwatersrand, Rhodes University and the University of Cape Town.

In 1982, Vista University admitted the first black students in designated urban black settlements across South Africa. It was established in Port Elizabeth. It had seven satellite campuses throughout South African townships, making tertiary education accessible to most African people, and it had its first academic year in 1983.

Recent history

It was hoped that a modern university would spring from unification, and not separation, as in the past. The University of Johannesburg, established on 1 January 2005, is the result of the incorporation of the East Rand and Soweto campuses of Vista University into the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU). The merger of the modified RAU and the Technikon Witwatersrand took place on 1 January 2005 thus creating the University of Johannesburg.

The integration of these institutions – with seemingly more differences than similarities, offers an identity and character to the University of Johannesburg, which serves to bridge the chasms that previously divided South Africa. Some, but not all, consider no other university in South Africa reflects the rainbow nation like the University of Johannesburg.

The incorporation and merger was part of a series of major programmes that restructured higher education in South Africa; a result of the National Plan for Higher Education (2001). Consequently, this meant there was a reduction from 36 universities and technikons to 22 higher education institutions. South Africa now has 11 traditional universities, five universities of technology and six comprehensive institutions.

The University of Johannesburg distinguishes itself from its previous institutions as a new, adaptable and progressive institution. Early on, it was decided that UJ did not want a coat of arms and motto, as is customary with other tertiary educational institutions in South Africa. The administration decided rather to opt for a logo and brand identity. An internal competition was held where current students could put forward their proposals. In the interim, the previous motto of the Rand Afrikaans University "Diens Deur Kennis" (Afrikaans for Service Through Knowledge) was retained.

The logo was designed by Joey Hifi. The hoopoe (Upupa africana) is the official mascot of the UJ Sports Bureau.

Campuses

University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park Campus

UJ has four campuses: the Auckland Park Kingsway, Auckland Park Bunting Road, Doornfontein and Soweto campuses – all located in the metropolitan area of the City of Johannesburg.

University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein Campus

The university comprises a built-up area over 45,000m2 and the facilities available at the respective campuses include:

UJ owns an island in the Vaal River, formerly known as RAU Island.

Auckland Park, Kingsway

APK, is the largest and most populated campus of the University of Johannesburg. It is also the seat of the administration and governance body of the university. The campus was formerly the only educational campus of the Rand Afrikaans University. The campus gets its name from a major Johannesburg road, Kingsway Avenue, that runs along the north-east side of the campus. The roads that form the boundary of the campus are (clock-wise) University Road, Ditton Avenue, Ripley Road, Hampton Avenue, Studente Avenue, Akademie Road and Perth Road. Although the official name of the campus implies that it is in Auckland Park, it actually falls just out of that suburb by one street. It is technically in the suburb of Rossmore with the first-year parking lot bordering the suburb of Melville, Gauteng.[citation needed]

Auckland Park, Bunting Road

The ABP was originally a campus of the Technikon Witwatersrand. Uniquely, the campus is an enclosed section of a suburb. The main thoroughfare of the suburb is Bunting Road. The name Bunting Road, according to the City of Johannesburg archives is derived from a subspecies of bird and not the decorative banner it is currently associated with. It houses the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture.

Doornfontein

Soweto

The East Rand Campus (ERC) was temporarily closed halfway through 2007 pending proposed redevelopment of the campus, provisionally planned for reopening in 2009.

Organisation and administration

Executive Management Committee

The University of Johannesburg has the following executive management structure:

The Vice-Chancellor and Principal is the executive head of the university. All the offices listed below are subordinate to the Vice-Chancellor and Principal.

Whose executive duties involve overseeing academic development and support, the dean of each faculty and effectively head of each school is subordinate to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic.

Is the officer responsible for financial governance and revenue as well as expenditure and also effectively oversees the UJ pension fund.

Responsible for Internationalization, and overseeing Research and Innovation as well as the Library and Information Center.

Responsible for central Academic administration (including alumni), corporate governance as well as student health and wellness.

General legal affairs pertaining the university, disputes and litigation as well as contracts.

Responsible for the management of university facilities, safety and security as well as human capital management.

University relations, sports, and general student affairs.

The University calls this the Executive Leadership Group (ELG).

Academic profile

Rankings and reputation

University rankings
Global – Overall
ARWU World501–600 (2023)
QS World=308 (2026)
THE World401–500 (2024)
UJ Times Higher Education Ranking 2017 to 2024
Year World Rank
2024 401–500
2023 601–800
2022 601–800
2021 601–800
2020 601–800
2019 601–800
2018 601–800
2017 601–800

Research

Below is a list of all the research centres at the University of Johannesburg with information regarding their efforts, breakthroughs and other information where applicable.

Faculties

Art, Design and Architecture

The Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA) offers programmes in eight creative disciplines.

FADA is home to the following departments:

College of Business and Economics

The University of Johannesburg's College of Business and Economics (CBE) was launched in July 2017. The college emerged from the former Faculty of Management and the former economics and finance faculty.

The faculty includes different schools namely:

Engineering and the Built Environment

Health Sciences

The faculty has a large department for sport studies, which includes sport psychology, sport management, sport communication, sport development and sport science. It houses the following departments (some of which serve as the best in the country):

Science

The faculty currently has 11 departments: Academy of Computer Science and Software Engineering; Biochemistry; Biotechnology and Food Technology; Botany and Plant Biotechnology; Chemical Sciences; Geography, Environmental Management & Energy Studies; Geology; Physics; Pure and Applied Mathematics; Statistics; and Zoology.

Traditions and student activities

The University of Johannesburg has a students' representative council (SRC) referred to as the UJSRC, as well as an SRC for each of the four campuses. The UJSRC consists of eight members, two members per campus, and they are elected by the student bodies of each campus. The UJSRC represents all UJ students, addressing issues and concerns which are of relevance to the whole student body. Each individual campus has its own Campus SRC which is elected from members of that particular campus' student body. The powers and functions of Campus SRCs are delegated to them by the UJSRC and Campus SRCs consist of ten members.

Media and societies

The University of Johannesburg has a radio station that airs on its campuses called UJFM which aims to reflect the demographics of the university by airing content that is relevant to the target market. In April 2010, UJFM moved to the Bunting Road Campus where it has access to more professional, state of the art equipment. UJFM operates on a frequency of 95.4FM.

The university also has its own student newspaper, the UJ Observer. The purpose of the paper is to act as a communication medium for the student community with the goal of providing information to the student community, investigating issues of importance to the student community, and reflecting debates about current affairs on the various campuses of the university. The UJ Observer also offers journalism students a practical platform to learn and develop journalistic and managerial skill sets. However, students do not necessarily have to be journalism students to be a members of the UJ Observer's editorial team. The paper operates on all of the campuses of the University of Johannesburg.

Students interested in taking part in charity events can do so via UJ's RAG (Remember and Give) committees, which are voluntary student organizations that raise funds and take part in community relief efforts. It is a tradition at UJ to host a RAG Week during the opening week of the academic year, in which events like musical performances, beauty competitions, fun days and float processions take place to generate funds. However, RAG committees operate throughout the academic year in various activities.

Registered students have the option to take part in societies at UJ which are divided into four broad kinds of society: academic societies, political societies, religious societies and social societies.

Athletics, sport, arts and culture

The university offers many different kinds of sport:

As with the former RAU, rugby is a large focus of many students. UJ's competitive sport is regulated by the UJ Sports Bureau. Sport education is regulated by the Faculty of Health Science and Department of Sport and Movement Studies.

UJ has made a name for itself in athletics, hockey, basketball and rowing particularly. 2008 Olympic representative Juan Van Deventer was at the time a student. Several players who competed for the South Africa national basketball team at the 2011 African Basketball Championship in Madagascar were UJ Alumni.

UJ has numerous sporting venues:

The University of Johannesburg has an arts centre, comprising a 436-seat theatre, an art gallery and rehearsal studios where the UJ Arts Academy rehearses. This academy consists of the University of Johannesburg Choir (conducted by Sizwe Mondlane), the UJ Drama Company, the UJ Dance Company and the UJ Song and Dance Company.

People

Students

In 2024, the University of Johannesburg had a total student population of 54,525 students, of which 41,229 were undergraduates (~75%) and 13,296 were postgraduates (~24%) students.

The Student Accommodation & Residence Life division is mainly responsible for the accommodation of approximately 19,000 students in both university-owned and managed residences as well as off-campus accredited privately owned accommodation.

There are 35 residences, including the seven day houses.

Off-campus accommodation accredited properties are mostly within 2 km of each campus, and in the case they are beyond the prescribed radius, the set condition is that service providers are obliged to provide transport. Additionally, inter-campus transportation is provided for all students residing in off-campus residences and day houses. The division offers all students a list of accredited off-campus accommodation.

Faculty and staff

Student demographics at the University of Johannesburg in 2024
Population GroupHeadcountPercentage
African45,60884%
Coloured1,0792%
Indian1,5613%
International4,2518%
White2,0264%
Total54,525100%

International students

International Students at the University of Johannesburg by Region in 2024
RegionHeadcountPercentage
Americas17~0%
Asia1153%
Australasia2~0%
Europe411%
Other African countries74317%
SADC countries3,21876%
No information1153%
Total4,251100%

Headcount (HC)

In 2024, the university employed 1,384 permanent instructional and research professional staff and a total of 4,675 staff, which includes support, management, administrative, and executive staff members.

Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)

In 2018, the full-time equivalent staff count stood at 1,170.

Controversy

In 2011, the university decided to suspend ties with Israeli Ben-Gurion University, citing the university's support for the Israeli military. The decision was seen to affect projects in biotechnology and water purification.

However, two days later, Ihron Rensburg, vice-chancellor and principal of the university issued a statement saying that "UJ is not part of an academic boycott of Israel...It has never been UJ's intention to sever all ties with BGU, although it may have been the intention of some UJ staff members."

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Association of African Universities". Members in Good Standing. Retrieved 12 July 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. ↑ "Association of Commonwealth Universities". ACU Membership. ACU. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  3. ↑ South African Colleges & Universities Organisation
  4. ↑ "Member List". Universitas 21. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  5. ↑ "UJ Governance". www.uj.ac.za. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Key Stats 2024" (PDF). September 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "Campuses". University of Johannesburg. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  8. ↑ "UJ's mascot Hoepie graduates!". University of Johannesburg News. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  9. 1 2 "History of UJ".
  10. ↑ "About Us". University of Johannesburg.
  11. 1 2 3 "Wits Technikon building to be restored". property24.com. 26 November 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "Dominion". Encyclopædia Britannica. 7 December 2011. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021. Although there was no formal definition of dominion status, a pronouncement by the Imperial Conference of 1926 described Great Britain and the dominions as "autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations."
  13. 1 2 "Rand Afrikaans University is established - South African History Online". Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  14. 1 2 "Black rule hits league tables". Times Higher Education. 26 May 1995. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  15. 1 2 "NMMU - History". Archived from the original on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  16. ↑ Evans, Richard. "Latin Mottoes in South African Universities". Latin Literature.
  17. ↑ "Management Executive Committee Members". University of Johannesburg.
  18. ↑ "Executive Leadership Group Organogram PDF" (PDF). University of Johannesburg.
  19. ↑ "Academic Ranking of World Universities 2023". Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. 2023. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  20. ↑ "QS World University Rankings".
  21. ↑ "Word University Rankings 2024". Times Higher Education. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  22. ↑ "University of Johannesburg". Times Higher Education (THE). 24 November 2023.
  23. 1 2 3 4 "Visual Identities in Art and Design Research Centre | FadaViad University of Johannesburg". braveclients.com. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013.
  24. 1 2 3 4 "University of Johannesburg - Error page". Archived from the original on 31 October 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  25. 1 2 3 Faculty of Education. "Centre for Education Practice Research". Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Research Centres and Chairs". Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
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  28. 1 2 3 4 5 "Research Centres and Groups". Archived from the original on 14 November 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  29. ↑ "Centre for Culture and Languages in Africa". Archived from the original on 22 June 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  30. ↑ Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA). "Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA)". Archived from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  31. ↑ Faculty of Humanities - Aandre Wessels. "Centre for Sociological Research". Retrieved 3 July 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  32. 1 2 3 4 "ACDB - Welcome to the African Centre for DNA Barcoding". Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  33. ↑ "Funding boost for DNA barcoding in South Africa". Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  34. 1 2 "Toyota Enviro Outreach 2013: Successful Toyota Enviro Outreach 2013". Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  35. 1 2 3 4 "Centre for Nanomaterials Science Research". Retrieved 3 July 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  36. 1 2 3 4 "PPM Research". Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  37. ↑ "Welcome to the Faculty of Law". Uj.ac.za. Archived from the original on 30 July 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  38. ↑ "Centre for International Law". Archived from the original on 22 June 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  39. ↑ "Centre for Africa-China Studies". Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  40. ↑ Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA)
  41. ↑ "Department of Industrial Design". Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  42. ↑ "Department of Architecture". Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  43. ↑ "Department of Fashion Design". Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  44. ↑ "Department of Graphic Design". Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  45. ↑ "Department of Interior Design". Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  46. ↑ Department of Jewellery Design and Manufacture
  47. ↑ Department of Multimedia
  48. ↑ "Department of Visual Art". Archived from the original on 16 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  49. ↑ "UJ Fast Facts" (PDF). University of Johannesburg. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  50. ↑ "Faculty of Science Departments". www.uj.ac.za. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  51. 1 2 3 4 "Student Representative Council". Archived from the original on 10 April 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  52. 1 2 3 "UJFM 95.4". Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  53. 1 2 3 4 "Student Newspaper (UJ OBSERVER)". Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  54. 1 2 3 "RAG (Remember and give)". Archived from the original on 7 March 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  55. ↑ "Student Societies". Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  56. ↑ "Team South Africa Profile – 2011 FIBA Africa Championship – Roster". FIBA.com. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  57. ↑ arts centre
  58. ↑ "Student Accommodation and Residence Life". 20 September 2017.
  59. ↑ "UJ Key Statistics". University of Johannesburg. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026.
  60. ↑ "Barack Obama visits Soweto Campus of University of Johannesburg South Africa". Uj.ac.za. 2013. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  61. ↑ "University of Johannesburg votes to sever ties with BGU", Jerusalem Post, 24 March 2011.
  62. ↑ Kalman, Matthew (25 March 2011). "U. of Johannesburg Official: 'UJ Is Not Part of an Academic Boycott of Israel'". The Chronicle of Higher Education.

General references