Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership
Introduction
Situated strategically between Pretoria and Johannesburg in South Africa, the Unisa Graduate School of Leadership (SBL) stands out as a leader in providing world-class African-rooted leadership and management education.
The SBL boasts a highly skilled academic faculty that brings extensive leadership experience in various industries to the classroom. SBL students are empowered with a formidable combination of management theories and practical, real-world managerial and leadership skills. Supporting the SBL’s academic project is a team of dedicated and efficient support staff, ready to service students’ every need to ensure a rewarding experience from application to graduation.
While the business school proudly boasts the Master of Business Leadership (MBL) degree as its flagship programme, prospective students are spoilt for choice because the SBL offers two master's degrees, three Post-Graduate diplomas and various short-learning programmes. The Doctor of Business Leadership (DBL) is the highest degree offered and its success is in evidence during every graduation season when DBL candidates walk the stage in their red gowns to have their doctoral degrees conferred.
On the eve of its milestone 60th anniversary, there can be no greater testament that the SBL is the institution best poised to create visionaries who not only bring about change but build legacies and nurture the continuous growth of organisations.
The UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership welcomes applications from students from around the world.
The Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) is an academic college within the University of South Africa (Unisa).
In 1965, following the advice and active support of senior South African business leaders, Unisa decided to introduce a Master of Business Leadership (MBL). The success of this programme, coupled with the unique characteristics associated with a multidisciplinary degree led, in 1969, to the establishment of the SBL as an autonomous body within the university. As its name and that of its flagship programme (the MBL) indicate, the emphasis from the start has been on leadership development as opposed to administration.
Regarded as one of the top business schools in South Africa, the SBL has produced more than a third of all the MBL/MBA degrees awarded by South African universities since its inception.
Driven by a philosophy of innovation, social responsibility, ethical engagement and global connectedness, the success of the SBL’s approach is demonstrated daily by the achievements of the people and organisations who have participated in their programmes. Many SBL alumni hold senior positions in world-class companies.
Our Vision
Our ambition is to be the leading business school in Africa, trusted to create leaders of distinction
Our mission
To extend the boundaries of thought leadership for maximum impact on society
Our values
We have developed a core set of values, which are central to everything we do; and Trust is the overarching value that underpins all our values.
History
The UNISA business school – the Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) was established in 1965 and operated as an autonomous entity in the then Faculty of Commerce and Administration. The institution and the business school have undergone several structural changes which saw the UNISA’s statutes changing from the faculty model to a college model. In 2020, UNISA-SBL went through another transformation process prompted by the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic.
When the pandemic lockdown was announced in South Africa on the 24th of March 2020, the focus of the business school had been to support staff and students to deliver education and research priorities and to manage logistical issues concerning connectivity and access to students’ systems.
Even though the Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed how the SBL operates, and how the business school supports students, the SBL saw an opportunity to reinvent itself to be at the forefront of shaping new business agendas by seeking value-adding ways in four focus areas: (1) Responsible Leadership in Practice; (2) Sustainable Livelihoods; (3) Intra-Africa Trade and Investment; and (4) Digital Transformation and Value Creation. With these four focus areas, the business school has positioned itself to focus on its mission to cooperate with its partners and alumni, and innovative business leadership education to transform society.
In its history of sixty years (in 2025), SBL has produced more than a third of all the MBL/MBA Degrees awarded by South African universities. A total of 4426 students graduated from the SBL from 2010 to 2023 alone.
SBL Leadership in Practice Philosophy
“Innovative, socially responsible, ethically engaged and globally informed.”
To be a world-class enterprise you need innovative leaders who understand the dynamics of the global business environment. You also need managers with the confidence and expertise to deal with the unique challenges that face Southern African businesses.
The UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) helps organisations meet today’s challenges. Through a range of management development programmes, we transform your human resources potential into an organisational success factor.
At the SBL, senior managers develop the know-how to create winning strategies and implement those strategies in the enterprise. Middle managers learn how to manage change, turn threats into opportunities, overcome weaknesses and capitalise on the key strengths that drive success. An entry-level manager acquires the hands-on skills that enable them to execute their day-to-day functions more effectively.
Through strategic alliances with international academic institutions, we enable our staff to give you access to cutting-edge management thinking. At the same time, our educational partnerships with South African businesses ensure that our programmes meet the evolving needs of all our stakeholders.
Another element in the SBL’s strategy is the deployment of technology to facilitate more efficient delivery of our highly regarded management education programmes. This enables us to provide participants with intense work-related educational experiences while they continue to make valuable contributions to their organisation.
Our blend of full-time teaching staff, self-tuition, study groups and residential tuition ensures that participants maintain contact with each other and with lecturers while enjoying the flexibility of distance education.
The success of our approach is demonstrated daily by the achievements of the people and organisations who have participated in our programmes. More than one hundred and fifty of our MBL graduates appear in the Who’s Who of Southern Africa, and SBL Alumni hold senior positions at world-class companies.
This webpage introduces you to the SBL’s range of management development programmes. We will gladly structure a package or offer a programme that suits your organisation’s specific needs.
Admissions
PGDs - Postgraduate Diplomas
Would you like to add the most sought-after MBA qualification to your CV? The Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (PGD BA) not only paves the path to a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or Master of Business Leadership (MBL) qualifications, but it also helps professionals with specific skills to succeed in managerial roles as their careers progress, providing that you meet the admission requirements of the programme of choice.
- Three-year, 360-credit Bachelor's Degree or National Higher Diploma or Advanced Diploma, accredited by the CHE or from an accredited institution equivalent to NQF level 7. Please also supply a certified copy of the degree as well as the transcript, indicating the symbol or percentage obtained for each module and indicating whether or not the qualification was completed.
- A recent detailed Curriculum Vitae, indicating TWO years or more managerial/professional work experience.
- Supply a clear certified copy of your Identity document or Passport. A copy of your driver’s license will NOT be accepted.
- If you are a sponsored student, include a letter from your sponsor indicating that they are responsible for your tuition fees.
- The Graduate School of Business Leadership may institute additional selection criteria as deemed necessary.
Before you Apply
- Application forms must be completed, and documents submitted in ALL respects to be considered.
- Incomplete applications will be declined
- All students with foreign qualifications, including those with qualifications from other African countries, must have their qualifications evaluated at SAQA.
MBA - Master of Business Administration
An MBA is regarded by many as the ticket to the C-suite. After all, you’d be hard-pressed to find a CEO who doesn’t have one. More than anything, an MBA is structured to turn a manager into a holistic leader capable of steering an organisation and its people to success. The MBA gives you access to continue your studies towards a DBL, providing you meet the admission requirements of the DBL.
Admission requirements and supporting documents
- A Bachelor's Honours Degree or a Postgraduate Diploma, with a minimum of 120 credits, OR a 480-credit Bachelor's Degree. Please supply a copy of your transcript, indicating the symbol or percentage obtained for each module and indicating whether or not the qualification was completed.
- A recent detailed Curriculum Vitae indicating three years or more managerial/professional work experience.
- Supply a clear copy of your Identity Document or Passport. A copy of a driver’s licence will NOT be accepted.
- Once the application is successful, applicants may be required to write an admissions test as part of the selection process.
Campus Life & Facilities
eLibrary-SBL
The eLibrary is a graduate subject branch of the Unisa Library and focuses on providing access to information resources covering the fields of business, management, finance and related disciplines. It is based at the campus of the Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) in Midrand and is open to all registered SBL students, programme participants and academic as well as research staff.
The aim is to provide an onsite facility to demonstrate how easy it is to access Unisa Library’s extensive range of electronic information resources on the anyplace, anytime principle, 24/7. Availability 24/7 is subject to unexpected downtimes and routine systems maintenance.
The emphasis is on the portability of information required for research and study needs. This means no time wasted going to the campus, locating the library, finding your information and queuing for the photocopying machine! It also means not being dependent on a bewildering array of opening times normally associated with brick and mortar library facilities.
Service Menu includes:
- Face-to-face training and guidance at the SBL in the use of the electronic resources relevant to your studies
- Remote training via MS Teams
- Research consultations
- Access 24/7* irrespective of geographical location to the Unisa Library’s extensive range of online resources, as well as :
- Databases relevant to Business, Management, Finance and related disciplines
- EBooks
- Summon discovery tool which enables users to search multiple resources through a single search box
* Availability 24/7 is subject to unexpected downtimes and routine systems maintenance.