The Tertiary School in Business Administration (TSiBA) is a private, not-for-profit business school founded in 2004, registered and fully accredited with the Department of Higher Education & Training as a private higher education institution

The Tertiary School in Business Administration (TSiBA) is a private, not-for-profit business school founded in 2004, registered and fully accredited with the Department of Higher Education & Training as a private higher education institution (No: 2007/HE08/001)

TSiBA is celebrating a 10 year milestone in 2014 with the Power of 10 campaign which highlights TSiBA’s ethos of Paying it Forward and related knock-on, exponential effect
TSiBA’s mission is to be an innovative learning community that graduates entrepreneurial leaders who ignite opportunity and social change.

TSiBA serves around 450 full-time, and part-time, students between an urban campus in Pinelands, Cape Town and a rural campus, TSIBA Eden, in the remote town of Karatara, near Knysna Students are largely disadvantaged South Africans who, for academic or financial reasons, would otherwise be unable to access tertiary education.

Students are not required to repay their scholarships financially, but rather to “Pay it Forward” by transferring the knowledge, skills and resources they gain at TSiBA into their communities TSiBA collaborates with corporates, foundations and individual funders who sponsor the operations and management of the institution.

To fulfil the TSiBA mission, the focus is on producing one of three outcomes for its graduates: Placement in further tertiary education, in meaningful and aspirant employment or to own local regional SME within 5 to 10 years of graduating

1. Certificate in Practical Business Administration (CPBA) is a one-year course in Further Education & Training (FET) at NQF Level 4 accredited by the Services SETA. This course prepares students for the formal workplace and has a significant practical component.


2. Higher Certificate in Business Administration (HCBA) is a one-year course at NQF Level 5 which integrates development of the student’s emotional quotient (EQ) through the practice of initiative, communication, responsibility, resilience, tenacity and integrity. Graduates have acceptance into the BBA


3. Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Entrepreneurial Leadership is a three year degree at NQF Level 7 developed to address the industry need for employable graduates and entrepreneurs.


4. Postgraduate Diploma in Small Enterprise Consulting (PG Dip SEC) is a part-time 18-month course at NQF Level 8. This is TSiBA’s first paid for course designed to develop consultants to be effective coaches and mentors who can effectively support & guide micro enterprises into small & medium-sized businesses.


5. The Ignition Centres are work resource hubs dedicated to extending TSiBA's mission of “Igniting Opportunity” to reach beyond students and into the communities. The Centres offer support and training to job seekers and entrepreneurs through mentorship, access to business networks, office infrastructure and equipment.

The TSiBA BBA has a strong experiential learning component with practical work and field experience forming an integral part of the curriculum. Systems thinking, problem solving, creativity and ethics underpin all subjects and learning. The degree comprises 23 modules and is equivalent to 369 credits, which complies both with the requirements of the Department of Education’s criteria for accreditation as well as industry needs. Successful students are awarded the accredited TSiBA Bachelor of Business Administration.

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• Around 1,500 tuition scholarships have been awarded to students to study towards accredited TSiBA programmes


• 5 TSiBA students have won Mandela Rhodes scholarships during a 5 year period as well as 2 Kofi Annan Scholars - all of whom have gone on to study at postgraduate level at eminent public universities around the world.


• There is a 50% throughput rate in the degree programme versus the national average of 25% for students in three-year degree programmes in contact education


• 25% of TSiBA students graduate in minimum time, over double the  national rate of 12% for black students


• 95% of TSiBA graduates are employed or pursuing post graduate studies versus national average of 32%


• 2 out of 3 employers report that they are “delighted” with their new employee


• 95% of Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) degree graduates who pursue postgraduate studies complete their qualifications


• 1 in every 2 of graduates are ‘Paying it Forward’ i.e. igniting opportunity for others in turn by mentoring, lecturing, tutoring, assisting in the community etc


• Two years after graduation a TSiBA BBA degree student is in the top 10% of income earners in the country


• TSiBA Eden was awarded a Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa (WESSA) Green flag status in 2011.


• TSiBA Eden won a Gold Award from the prestigious Impumelelo Social Innovations Centre for Impact on rural access to tertiary education in 2012