The revised Master of Business Leadership (MBL) is designed for experienced leaders and professionals preparing for greater executive and enterprise-wide responsibility. Grounded in African realities and informed by global perspectives, the programme develops the strategic judgement, leadership capability and confidence required to navigate complexity, lead transformation and create meaningful organisational and societal impact.

Its forward-looking curriculum integrates strategic change, people leadership, artificial intelligence and digital transformation, innovation, sustainability, responsible leadership and applied research. A distinctive Global Leadership Immersion extends the learning experience into international business environments and executive contexts, enabling participants to translate global insight into effective leadership within African and emerging-market settings.

The MBL give you access to continue your studies towards a DBL, providing you meet the admission requirements of the DBL.  

Click here to apply

Important dates

Admission requirements and supporting documents

• A Bachelor's Honours Degree or a Postgraduate Diploma, with a minimum 120 credits, OR a 480-credit Bachelor's Degree. Please supply a copy of your certified transcript, indicating the symbol or percentage obtained for each module and indicating whether or not the qualification was completed.
  
  
• A recent detailed Curriculum Vitae indicating five years or more managerial/professional work experience.
  
  
• Supply a clear copy of certified Identity Document or Passport. A copy of driver’s licence will NOT be accepted.
  
  
• Once the application is successful, applicants may be required to write an admissions test as part of the selection process.

The Graduate School of Business Leadership may institute additional selection criteria as deemed necessary.

Master of Business Leadership Modules

Leading People (MBL5904)

Develops the capability to lead people and organisations at executive level, incorporating organisational behaviour, talent strategy, executive communication, coaching, diversity and the development of high-performing teams.

Leading Strategic Change (MBL5905)

Develops strategic judgement and the capability to lead enterprise-wide transformation, including strategic thinking, futures thinking, implementation, organisational renewal and leadership through complexity and change.

Leading Digital Transformation (MBL5914)

Prepares leaders to navigate artificial intelligence, digital technologies, data and technological disruption and to lead digital transformation as an enterprise-wide strategic agenda.

Sustainability Leadership and Corporate Responsibility (MBL5916)

Explores responsible leadership, governance, sustainability, ESG, corporate citizenship and ethical executive decision-making within increasingly complex organisational and societal environments.

Leading for Innovation (MBL5915)

Develops innovation as a leadership capability through creativity, design thinking, entrepreneurship and approaches to organisational renewal and future value creation.

Global Leadership Immersion (MBL5920)

Extends leadership learning beyond the classroom through exposure to international business environments, institutions, executive perspectives and cross-cultural leadership contexts, connecting global insight with African realities.

Business Research (MBL5912)

Develops the research capability required to investigate complex business and leadership challenges systematically and translate evidence into informed executive decision-making.

Strategic Leadership Research Project (MBL5913)

Enables participants to undertake substantial applied research focused on a strategic leadership or organisational challenge and generate insight capable of informing meaningful organisational change.

Elective – 12 credits
Students select one elective from the following:

• Leading Through Storytelling (MBL5919)
• Leading Creativity (MBL5917)
• Leading in the Non-Profit Sector (MBL5918)

Completion of Qualification 

Students will have a maximum of three years to complete the MBL degree curriculum successfully. A student may apply for one additional year of study to the Registrar. After this time the student will be removed from the SBL system. Upon completion of the programme, a student will receive the Master of Business Leadership, conferred by the University of South Africa.

Study schools give students an opportunity to interact with academics and other students. All study schools were traditionally held at the SBL campus in Midrand, Gauteng.  Online/campus attendance remains compulsory for each module, regardless of the format. Students will be advised well in advance about the venue OR which virtual platforms to be used.

MBL First-Year Study School Dates for 2026

Download schedule here 

Contact our dedicated MBL Finance Officer to assist you with your MBL finance queries:

Ms. Nyalleng Chabane
Tel: 011 652 0243
Email: chabani1@unisa.ac.za

For all your general finance queries, kindly use the contact information below:

Landline: 011 652 0312
E-mail: SBLfinance@unisa.ac.za

MBL tuition fees include

• Application fee: R 160 (non-refundable AND in addition to tuition fees) – Not applicable if you have a student number
• Tuition fees; split into acceptance deposit and subsequent payment plan.
• Foreign levy will be charged for students not residing in South Africa

MBL 2026 Payment structure and tuition fees

The non-refundable application fee may be paid using the my Unisa online payment platform http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Apply-for-admission/Student-fees-and-funding-your-studies/Unisa-payment-methods-and-banking-details  or electronic fund transfer (EFT) or credit card or cash deposit at your nearest bank.

Kindly note that Unisa is a cashless environment.

Registration fees:

The acceptance/registration fee is payable on or before registration. Registration will only be processed once the registration fee is settled in full or a valid purchase order is provided. The bursar/sponsorship letter is not sufficient proof of payment for registration. Invoices will only be generated upon receipt of a bursary/sponsorship letter.

Withdrawal from programme

Subject to Section 12(2) of the Consumer Protection Act, a cancellation fee is payable as follows:

• Withdrawal before the programme commencement date will be refunded in full.
• Withdrawal after the programme commencement date, but before 15 May 2026 will result in a liability equal to 50% of tuition fees.
• Withdrawal after the programme commencement date, but before 15 August 2026 will result in a liability equal to 75% of tuition fees.
• Withdrawal after 15 August 2026 will result in full liability of tuition fees

Registered students who wish to withdraw from any SBL programme or offering for any reason must do so in writing to the Programme Administrator and the Fees Office. Failure to comply with this condition will result in the student being liable for the full tuition fees of the programme.

Unsettled accounts

Unsettled accounts are subject to financial blocks or/and cancellations. Accounts that are cancelled or blocked will not have access to academic results on the myUnisa platform. Failure to settle any outstanding fees, could further result in the following financial penalties:

• The student will be unable to access statement of results.
• Final year student will not be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony.
• The student will not be accepted into the next academic year of study.
• Hand over to a third party for the collection of outstanding amounts. The student will be liable for legal costs of recovery.