Botho University was established in 1997 and has rapidly evolved over the years to become a leading multidisciplinary high-quality tertiary education provider. Botho University was one of the first local tertiary institutions in Botswana to be accredited by the Human Resources Development Council (HRDC). All programmes offered by Botho University are approved by the Botswana Qualifications Authority (BQA), the Council on Higher Education (CHE) in Lesotho, and the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA), and the Eswatini Higher Education Council (ESHEC). Botho University currently offers programmes through four faculties namely the Faculty of Business & Accounting, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Health and Education and Faculty of Hospitality and Sustainable Tourism. From January 2021, the Faculty of Computing and the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences were merged to form a new Faculty of Engineering and Technology. The new Faculty will chart forward Botho University’s strategy of building strong, industry-focused Science-TechnologyEngineering-Mathematics (STEM) programmes, which are critical to the development of all our economies.
BU currently offers qualifications from certificate level to master’s degree level with plans in place for doctoral programmes. With over 3500 students and almost 350 staff members and growing, Botho University is a dynamic and exciting place to be. (refer to specific campus prospectus for details or visit www.bothouniversity.com for the latest updated information on programmes) Botho University also offers a diverse range of programmes for in-service professionals and organizations. Under the Corporate Training Department, there are over 200 short-term professional development programmes, which can be customized to meet the client’s requirements. BU programmes are offered via a fully online Distance Learning Campus as well as our physical campuses located in Botswana (Gaborone), Lesotho (Maseru), Namibia (Windhoek) and Eswatini (Manzini). Botho University is one of the only Southern African institutions to have established international campuses successfully operating outside Botswana producing well rounded, globally employable graduates.
OUR LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
As a modern university, Botho University is a technology-driven institution. This is the strength that Botho University prides itself on from inception. The COVID 19 pandemic in 2020 had helped BU to demonstrate strength when the team migrated from classroom teaching and learning with ease, thanks to its already well established Blended & Distance Learning infrastructure. Faculty and students from various campuses were able to adapt easily when the University fully moved to “non-contact” teaching. This proved a higher interaction level in comparison to the classroom learning environment. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Botho University deployed high-end technology to ensure that learning and teaching continue in spite of the restrictions that posed a threat to many educational institutions dependent on teaching on physical campuses.
Botho University has invested in a robust state-of-the-art Mobile Learning and e-Learning infrastructure called Blackboard which has been the backbone of its online distance learning programmes. All Botho University students and staff, including those in conventional learning, have been using Blackboard Learn and its Mobile application in a blended mode to enhance teaching and learning (a combination of classroom and online learning).
Blackboard Learn is the Botho University Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is an online campus that supports teaching and learning, allowing students to access their course materials online. Blackboard App and Blackboard Instructor App are the mobile versions of Blackboard which students can access using their smartphones or tablets. Blackboard provides access to learning materials and activities online. It has a plethora of features and functionality that provides an unparalleled level of student engagement such as discussion forums, wikis, blogs and journals and advanced content management features that allow for textual, audio, visual and pictorial content. In addition, Blackboard provides powerful assessment features that allow plagiarism checking as well as comprehensive reporting and analytics that allow for easy identification of “at-risk” students.
Apart from Blackboard, BU also has an industry-leading anti-plagiarism check tool called “Turnitin” making its assessment activities stringent and of international quality.
Blackboard also allows easy and full access to e-Library facilities. With this, we confirm that all our students and Lecturers will be able to access the Botho University E-Library, which leads to the following Databases; Emerald, Ebscohost, Proquest, Dawsonera, Jstor and BU Repository, for access to all the E-Books, E-Journals, theses, dissertations, case studies and many more resources.
CORPORATE TRAINING DEPARTMENT
Botho University has been involved in providing corporate training services since 1997. Our Corporate Training Department works with companies and individuals, helping them to develop crucial competencies and empowering employees at all levels to become more competitive. We develop professional development programmes designed to measurably improve productivity, performance, and profitability.
The CTD curriculum and programme materials go through a stringent quality process. At the end of every training, participant feedback is collected to evaluate and measure performance which helps assist in our future service delivery.
Learning online with Botho university allows clients to take part in discussions in virtual classrooms guided by the lecturers. This collaborative approach enables students to demonstrate an understanding of the subject, while also learning and sharing knowledge with peers from all over.
FUTURE PLANS
Botho University’s strategic focus is to increase student diversity by attracting international students. Apart from Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Eswatini, BU campuses (both physical and the Blended & Distance Learning Campus) attract several students across Africa. BU’s vibrant community includes students from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia to name a few and the list is continuously growing as Botho expands its wings through its Distance Learning programmes.
BOTHO’S PARTNERSHIPS
Botho University also has several partnerships with well-known regional and international institutions such as the University of Venda-RSA, KTH Royal Institute of Technology-Sweden, Black Hills State University-USA, University of Louisville-USA, and Indian School of Mines- India, Manipal University in India and recently World Tourism Forum Lucerne-Switzerland. Students studying with Botho University have an immense opportunity to take advantage of these international partnerships through student exchange programmes. BU students have had internship programmes in India, USA, UK and Sweden amongst others, thus giving them incredible international exposure.
OUR QUALITY
Botho University is driven by the core values of integrity, excellence, and inclusiveness and aims to produce well-rounded, entrepreneurial, and globally employable graduates with the attitude, knowledge, skills, and competencies to create value and drive productivity increases needed to catalyse sustainable economic growth. The focus on quality has resulted in Botho University becoming the only university in Botswana with a BOS ISO 9001:2015 certification. With an impeccable reputation for quality in the market, Botho University graduates are leading the way in transforming the economy.
BLENDED AND DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMMES
The Blended and Distance Learning Campus, is driven by high levels of integrity, excellence and inclusiveness which are also the core values of the institution. These values are coupled with state of the art teaching infrastructure, qualified staff and accredited industry-specific programmes offering the learner an employable, entrepreneurial and well-rounded learning experience.
The University through distance learning offers many cross-disciplinary courses that are unique and designed to suit the upcoming market. With the advent of internet technology, it brings the best convenient method of learning with Accounting, Computing, Business, Hospitality, Education and Information Technology programmes. Blended and distance learning provides online support through emails, discussion forums on Blackboard as well as scheduled meetings between students and lecturers via various platforms.
OUR LESOTHO CAMPUS
The Kingdom of Lesotho is an independent country, with a population of roughly 2 million people, which has the unusual distinction of being surrounded by another country, the Republic of South Africa. It is one of the three remaining monarchies in Africa. The Lesotho Government is a parliamentary or constitutional monarchy.
Botho University has a state-of-the-art campus in Maseru Mall, with advanced plans to build a larger campus in the near future. BU Maseru students are currently studying across three faculties. Faculty of Business & Accounting, Faculty of Health and Education and Faculty of Engineering & Technology.
OUR NAMIBIA CAMPUS
Botho University, Namibia opened its doors to students in August 2018 after duly getting registered with NCHE offering 100% scholarships to the students of Namibia. BU Namibia is now officially recognized by the Namibian Qualifications Authority (NQA) and will from now on start admitting students who are eligible for NSFAF scholarships apart from self-sponsored applications.BU Namibia students are currently studying across three faculties. Faculty of Business & Accounting, Faculty of Health and Education and Faculty of Engineering & Technology
OUR ESWATINI CAMPUS
Botho University has established in Eswatini and is in full operation as per the ESHEC authority in accordance with section 19 of The Higher Education Act of 2013, with effect from July 2019. BU’s goal in Eswatini is to offer academic programmes of high intellectual and entrepreneurial nature in fields that meet the needs of the Eswatini economy, in order to develop a nation that is already proud of its culture. Focusing on teaching and learning, research, community engagement and internalization, Botho University Eswatini will constantly address the unique needs, competencies and characteristics of the Eswatini environment, with the ultimate goal of cementing our position as the preferred higher education institution within the Eswatini Higher Education sector.
