Africa-based social innovators

The Bertha Scholarship covers full and partial costs of the MBA at the UCT Graduate School of Business for candidates committed to social innovation and entrepreneurship.

The Graduate School of Business at UCT offers up to five Bertha full or partial MBA Scholarships to students that have met the requirements for the MBA programme and who are driven by their pursuit of social and environmental change.

In 2016, the Bertha Scholarships will allocate three of the five scholarships along its key focus areas:

• Innovative Finance – social finance and impact investing
• Inclusive Healthcare Innovation – innovations in healthcare delivery
• Education Innovations – innovations that improve quality and access to education

Eligibility:

The criteria used for selection of Bertha Scholars are:

1. Candidates must be South African / African Citizens and a Permanent Resident for at least 1 year.
2. Candidates must have started or worked in an entrepreneurial or social venture, or have worked on a socially innovative or sustainable strategies within an organisation for at least one year. Should you be interested in one of the focus areas, experience in these fields would be preferable, as well as a track record of exploring or initiating innovative approaches in these sectors.
3. Candidates must demonstrate a strong moral character, strong entrepreneurial drive, a track record of action, leadership qualities, traits of social activism and a commitment to the sustainable development of emerging economies.
4. Through the submission of an essay, candidates must show how the MBA at this stage in their career will help to accelerate their impact and how it will contribute to the wider creation of value for society.
5. Candidates must demonstrate some need for the scholarship, through either previous work experience, personal background or demonstrated commitment to start a social venture, which make self-funding the MBA a significant burden.

How to Apply:

1. Candidates must first be eligible and apply for the MBA programme at the UCT Graduate School of Business. For full details about the MBA programme, eligibility, criteria and how to apply to the business school click here.
2. Interested candidates should submit the Bertha Scholarship Application Form together with their UCT MBA application number received from the GSB Admissions Office, contact details and CV.
3. Candidates are then notified if they are selected for an interview.
4. The final decision and award of the scholarship will be made by a Scholarship selection panel, following which candidates will be informed by mid December 2015. Candidates will only be able to take up the Bertha Scholarship if successfully admitted to the UCT GSB MBA programme.