When we get stressed-out, we often wonder about what the lives of others are like in far foreign places, like Africa or India. Luckily, for Chung-Ang University (CAU) students, we have a ticket to study in those places. Let us see what it is like at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), and how to get there.
Durban, the city where UKZN is situated is near the Indian Ocean, where it is famous for surfing. UKZN was formed on 1 January 2004 as the result of the merger between the University of Durban-Westville and the University of Natal. There are four terms in UKZN; February to April is term 1, April to May is term 2, July to September is term 3 and October to November is term 4. There are five Campuses in UKZN. They are Edgewood, Howard College, Medical School, Pietermaritzburg, and Westville.
Edgewood
Situated in Pinetown with easy access to the N3 highway and approximately 20 minutes' drive from Durban, the campus offers sophisticated and attractive facilities to a growing number of Education students. The Faculty provides initial and in-service teacher education and offers university higher degrees in a wide range of specialties in education as well as carrying out research and consultancy. The Faculty is actively engaged with policy-making in education in South Africa and contributes to the international profile of the university through participation in international conferences, teaching international students, hosting international visitors and publishing in international books and journals.
Howard College
Durban is a vibrant coastal city renowned for its beaches and coastal resorts. The city is also a major South African port. The magnificent game reserves and estuaries of Maputaland, north of Durban, are a favorite getaway for staff and students alike. Howard College Campus is situated on the Berea and offers spectacular views of the Durban Harbor. The campus is also located in a successful environmental conservancy and the lush gardens of the University reflect a commitment to indigenous flora and fauna. The Howard College Campus currently offers a full range of degree options in the fields of Science (including Geography and Environmental disciplines), Engineering, Law, Management Studies, Humanities (including Music) and Social Science (including Social work). In addition, the campus offers Architecture and Nursing.
Medical School
Medical School has been producing quality doctors for 54 years. It was founded in 1950 as a "black faculty" in a "white institution". On its 50th anniversary in 2000, the Medical School received the finest birthday present it could have wished for, when former President, a Noble Peace Prize winner, Nelson Mandela, agreed to link his name to the school. The campus is home to the Doris Duke Medical Research Institute which was launched in July 2003, and which will train a new generation of clinical researchers, enhance the clinical research infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal, and foster collaborations between research groups working on similar projects in South Africa and other countries.
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg is located in the center of the scenic Natal Midlands, close to numerous nature reserves and parks, only one-hour's drive from Durban and two hours' drive from Drakensberg. The campus offers a wide range of innovative academic programs, which have been successful in responding to local and provincial needs in the broad areas of Science and Agriculture, Education, Law, Human and Management Sciences. Unique to the Pietermartzburg campus are the disciplines of Agriculture, Theology, and Fine Art.
Westville
Located within an environmental conservancy about 8 km from the CBD of Durban and Pinetown, the Westville campus combines state of the art infrastructure with beautiful natural surroundings. The campus's Hindu temple and an Islamic place of worship reflect its rich multicultural history. The campus currently offers programs in Science, Engineering, Law, Commerce and Management, Humanities, Social Sciences and Health Sciences.
What you Need to Know
CAU is starting a 1-and-1 Exchange Student Program with UKZN for the fall and spring semester, which is from August to December and from February to June. You can stay at UKZN for one semester or one year. Students applying for UKZN will be required to pay CAU tuition and the UKZN tuition fee. The dormitory fees will be exempted. There will be also be a Living Expenses Scholarship for CAU students who are studying at UKZN. The amount of the scholarship has not been arranged yet. Students, who are staying for a year, have to pay for their dorm, dining, and other expenses during the school holidays. The school will offer students' lodgings inside the campus, but if there are no lodgings available on campus, the school will offer lodgings off-campus for the same price as lodgings on-campus. To be eligible to apply for UKZN, a student must study for one year at CAU, and understand that the decision of whether or not UKZN will accept the CAU student is contingent on UKZN's decision.
Why not go, and feel the heart of South Africa in UKZN?