The Durban University of Technology (DUT) is a multi-campus university situated in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was formed in 2002 following the merger of Technikon Natal and ML Sultan Technikon and it was initially known as the Durban Institute of Technology. It has five campuses in Durban, and another two in Pietermaritzburg. In 2022, approximately 31 991 students were enrolled to study at DUT. The university is one of five technical institutions on the African continent to offer Doctoral Degrees.
History
The Durban University of Technology is a result of the merger, in April 2002, of two technikons, ML Sultan and Technikon Natal. It was named the Durban Institute of Technology and later became the Durban University of Technology in 2007.[1]
KwaZulu-Natal's Indian population began arriving in the 1860s to primarily work as indentured labourers on the sugar plantations. In 1927, those with no formal educational qualifications were threatened with repatriation. This threat stimulated adult classes in literacy, as well as a range of commercial subjects, held in a mission school and a Hindu Institute, but it was not until after the Second World War, and thanks to substantial financial support from the public, that ML Sultan College came into being. It would be another decade, however, before the City Council, now preoccupied with the structures of the first Group Areas Act of 1950, allocated suitable land for a permanent campus.[1]
The Natal Technical College was founded in 1907 and immediately began providing tuition to more than 350 part-time students. The structures of apartheid as it was codified through legislation weighed heavily on this institution as well. In 1955 the college was taken over by national education authorities; and in 1967 it became an exclusively white institution.[1]
DUT Council
Wiseman Madinane is the Chairperson of the University Council.
Brenda Ntombela is the Deputy Chairperson of the University Council.
The DUT student body elects a Student Representative Council every 1-3 years.
DUT Campuses
Brickfield Campus, Durban
City Campus, Durban
Indumiso Campus, Pietermaritzburg
ML Sultan Campus, Durban
Ritson Campus, Durban
Riverside Campus, Pietermaritzburg
Steve Biko Campus, Durban
Leadership & Operations
The university employs 841 academic staff, 51 percent of them female and 48 percent holding masters and 43 percent doctoral degrees.[1]
Some of the senior members of the leadership team include:
Each Faculty is led by an Executive Dean. The academic ambit of DUT resides under the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching & Learning.
DUT Business School
The Durban University of Technology launched the DUT Business School in 2021. The Business School offers its new Masters of Business Administration (MBA) programme, Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (PDBA) programmes, Higher Certificate programmes and a variety of Executive Education and short learning programmes.
The DUT Business School also designs tailor-made, in-house programmes and collaborates with corporate, public and non-profit organisations to develop and capacitate employees in various areas.[2]
Student enrolment
Whilst the Durban University of Technology offers contact learning, DUT is also a member of COIL, which is the Collaborative Online International Learning consortium.
DUT has over 34000 registered students. This includes under-graduates, Masters and Doctoral/PhD candidates.
Student Enrollment at Durban University of Technology (2018)
In 2021, the university was ranked by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the first time in its history. It ranked within the top 500 universities in the world, and within the top 5 in South Africa. It was also the first time in history that the province had two universities rank within the top 5 in the country. In 2022/3, DUT remained in the Top 5 of all 26 South African Universities, was the number 1 University of Technology in the country and in the top one third globally. [4][5][6]
The university has a large alumni body. Mr Alan Khan was the first President of the DUT Convocation in 2002. Miss Zama Mncube is the current President of the Convocation and Chairperson of the Convocation Executive. She was also the first women President of the DUT Convocation, after being elected to the position in 2022. Presidents of the DUT Convocation, in chronological order, include:
Mr Alan Khan (2002)
Mr Wiseman Madinane (2008)
Mr Siyabonga Vezi (2016)
Ms Zama Mncube (2022)
The university has a list of famous alumni, including:
