The University of Botswana or UB as its commonly known was established in 1982 as the first institution of higher education in Botswana. The university has four campuses: two in the capital city Gaborone, one in Francistown, and another in Maun. The university is divided into six faculties: Business, Education, Engineering, Humanities, Science and Social Sciences.  The Vice Chancellor is Professor Bojosi Otlhogile. A School of Medicine enrolled its first batch of students in 2009 in collaboration with the University of Melbourne in Australia. UB is also looking at collaborative research partnerships with cooperating universities in Japan in the Medical and Engineering fields.

For more information, see http://www.ub.bw.

After years of intensive planning, Botswana has finally established its very first medical school, within the University of Botswana.  It has already admitted a total of 36 students who will be members of the founding class beginning in August 2009.

The Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) professional degree is a 5 year programme. The first two years will follow an integrated Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach. The last three are clinically structured, providing the opportunity to practice in the hospital and community. Although at present temporary quarters are being utilized, the Faculty of Health Science building will be completed in the first half of 2010, and construction of a 450-bed academic hospital is ahead of schedule and due for completion in 2013.

For more information, see http://www.ub.bw/medicine/

A new international university dedicated to science and technology is on the horizon in Botswana.  The Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) will enrol its founding class of students in March 2011. 

The university’s mission is to provide globally competitive and high quality academic programmes in Science, Engineering and Technology in order to produce employment-ready graduates through excellence in teaching, learning, research, collaborative partnerships, industry linkages and civic/community engagement.  

As a specialised university, BIUST plans only four colleges, each offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees:  Colleges of Engineering, Science, Technology, and Management/Entrepreneurship.  The Vice-Chancellor is Dr.  Kweku K. Bentil, a citizen of the United States born in Ghana, and a civil engineer who has led educational institutions before. 

The ultramodern academic enclave is being constructed on 2500 hectares of beautiful and rolling hills in Palapye, conveniently located an approximate 30-minute flight from Gaborone and 45-minute flight from Johannesburg, with unsurpassed access by road and rail.   It will be fully residential and boast amenities such as a primary and secondary school, restaurants, cinemas, shopping malls, medical facilities and potentially even a golf course.

With its focus on internationalism, BIUST is opening its arms to students and faculty from around the world.  BIUST will collaborate with other universities on research, student and faculty exchanges, and has already entered into partnerships with Australia’s University of Newcastle and Japan’s Akita University. 

For more information, see http://www.biust.ac.bw.