The University of Johannesburg was established on 1 December 2005. It is the result of the incorporation of the Soweto and East Rand campuses of Vista University into the Rand Afrikaans University, which took place on 1 January 2004, and the merger of the Rand Afrikaans University (into which the two Vista campuses had been incorporated) and the Technikon Witwatersrand on 1 January 2005, to create the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The Technikon Witwatersrand had been in existence since 1925, the Rand Afrikaans University since 1967 and the Vista University since 1982. UJ has five campuses spread over Central Gauteng: the Auckland Park Kingsway Campus (the main campus), the Doornfontein Campus, the Auckland Park Bunting Road Campus, the Soweto Campus and the East Rand Campus. With over 40 000 full-time students and 2 700 permanent employees, it is one of the largest residential universities in South Africa.

The incorporation and merger which led to the establishment of the University of Johannesburg was part of a major programme of restructuring of higher education in South Africa. The National Plan for Higher Education, published in 2001, charted a course for a major revamp of South African higher education institutions. The most important consequence of the restructuring exercise conducted by the Department of Education was the reduction of thirty-six universities and technikons into twenty-two higher education institutions. This reduction was achieved by mergers and incorporations of existing higher education institutions, the planning and implementation of which was executed in 2002-2004. The final decision of the Minister of Education on the restructuring of higher education institutions was published as Government Notice 855 in the Government Gazette of 21 June 2002. As a result of the restructuring exercise South Africa now has eleven traditional universities (offering traditional formative degree programmes), five universities of technology (offering vocational and professional programmes) and six “comprehensive institutions” (offering both formative degree programmes and vocational programmes).

The University of Johannesburg falls into the category of comprehensive institution. The term “comprehensive institution” is an instrument of educational policy and has no statutory definition. Each of the “comprehensives” has developed an identity that best suits their own strategic objectives.

For the University of Johannesburg being a comprehensive means that it is a university which has been afforded the licence to offer both formative degree programmes and vocational programmes. As a university it takes its research component seriously and is committed to intensifying research activities and output. The “academic architecture” of the University of Johannesburg reflects the comprehensivity of the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes it offers.

With the exception of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, which offers vocational and professional programmes only, all of the nine faculties offer a mixture of formative degree and vocational certficate and diploma programmes, although the mix differs substantially across the faculties. Some of the faculties offer predominantly formative degree programmes, while others offer predominantly vocational programmes. One of the major advantages of comprehensivity is the opportunity it offers to students to articulate between formative and vocational programmes and therefore the opportunity it offers to the institution to curriculate creatively and to offer a variety of academic and career pathways. All faculties offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Our Vision

It is the vision of the University of Johannesburg to be a premier, embracing, African city university offering a mix of vocational and academic programmes that advances freedom, democracy, equality and human dignity as high ideals of humanity through distinguished scholarship, excellence in teaching, reputable research and innovation, and through putting intellectual capital to work.


In its mission, the UJ commits itself to the following:

Quality education
Leading, challenging, creating and exploring knowledge
Supporting access to a wide spectrum of academic, vocational and technological teaching, learning and research
Partnerships with our communities
Contributing to national objectives regarding skills development and economic growth

The values guiding all University activities include:

Academic distinction
Integrity and respect for diversity and human dignity
Academic freedom and accountability
Individuality and collective effort
Innovation

In giving expression to its vision of being a pre-eminent South African and African university the UJ has set itself ten strategic goals. Its priorities are to:

Build a reputable brand
Promote excellence in teaching and learning
Conduct internationally competitive research
Be an engaged university
Maximise its intellectual capital
Ensure institutional efficiency and effectiveness
Cultivate a culture of transformation
Offer the preferred student experience
Focus on the Gauteng city regions.   More detail...