What Study Options and Faculties Are Available at North-West University?

Updated

North-West University (NWU) offers study routes from undergraduate degrees through honours, diplomas, certificates, master's and doctoral programmes, taught across eight faculties on three campuses plus a distance-learning option. It suits school leavers, working adults needing flexible study, and postgraduate researchers — use the route descriptions below to judge which entry point matches your situation.

Study levels at a glance

Route What it is for Who it suits
Undergraduate studies First degrees after school School leavers starting university
Honours, diplomas and certificates Focused qualifications to reach academic or professional goals; NWU describes its programmes as internationally accredited Graduates adding a specialisation, or professionals needing a credential
Master's and doctoral studies Deepening expertise, switching fields, or pursuing research Researchers and advanced graduates
Distance learning Earning a qualification while working People who need to keep a job while studying
International students Joining a student community drawn from over 50 countries Applicants from outside South Africa

The site presents these as separate entry points rather than one catalogue, so the practical first step is deciding which route describes you, then browsing that section.

The eight faculties

NWU lists eight faculties, each with a short statement of focus:

  • Economic and Management Sciences — finance, management and entrepreneurship.
  • Education — teaching and learning for future educators.
  • Engineering — innovation, design and technology.
  • Health Sciences — medicine, nursing and allied health professions.
  • Humanities — culture, language, history and creative expression.
  • Law — legal principles and practice.
  • Natural and Agricultural Sciences — scientific discovery and sustainability.
  • Theology — spiritual exploration and purposeful service.

Two further units sit alongside the faculties: the NWU Business School, aimed at manager-leaders, and the Unit for Continuing Education, which lists upcoming short courses. The site also references an NWU Medical School.

Choosing between campus and distance study

NWU spreads its offering over three campuses plus one distance-learning route. The distinction matters most for:

  • Distance learning — the site frames it as a way to obtain a qualification that accelerates your career and improves workplace effectiveness, which points to working adults rather than full-time school leavers.
  • On-campus study — the three campuses host the faculties and the wider student community, including international students.

If your constraint is location or employment, start with the distance-learning section; if it is a specific field such as engineering or health sciences, check which campus hosts that faculty before applying.

How to move from browsing to applying

  1. Pick your study level from the "Start your journey" menu (undergraduate; honours, diplomas and certificates; master's and doctoral; distance learning; international students).
  2. Within that route, identify the faculty or school whose focus matches your goal.
  3. Use the faculty page to confirm programme details, then follow the application steps for your route.
  4. International applicants should begin in the international-students section, which covers joining the community from abroad.

A common sticking point is treating the site as a single programme list — it is organised by route first and faculty second, so a programme search works best once you know both.

What the site does not tell you

The homepage does not publish fees, admission-point requirements, or application deadlines. Those details sit on the individual route and faculty pages, so confirm them there before committing to an application.