University of Pretoria Recognizes Academic Achievers at EMS Dean’s List Event

Forty alumni from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) were honoured during the EMS Dean’s List ceremony on 4 June 2024. This annual event is a highlight on the Faculty’s calendar and is hosted to celebrate the achievements of students who have maintained a high level of academic performance throughout their studies.

The ceremony followed the University of Pretoria’s autumn graduation season, where the Faculty conferred a total of 2 594 degrees, which consisted of 16 doctorate degrees, 238 master’s degrees, 472 honours degrees, 311 postgraduate diplomas and 1 557 bachelor’s degrees.

Prof Margaret Chitiga-Mabugu, Dean of the Faculty of EMS, congratulated all the recipients, noting that their quest for excellence had distinguished them. “In this world where we are experiencing the dizzying speed of artificial intelligence and other related technologies, we desperately need to balance this with human intelligence. I believe, in you, we can proudly say that we do not fear artificial intelligence,” she said.

Reflecting on the 2023 academic year, Prof Chitiga-Mabugu reminded students that they were graduates of the first Faculty of its kind in Africa to receive accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International. She further highlighted the Faculty’s exceptional performance in the 2024 QS World University Rankings by Subject, where EMS retained its number one position in South Africa for Accounting and Finance, as well as Economics and Econometrics.

A student achievement that she commended was the performance of Accounting Sciences students in the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants Initial Test of Competence, where UP scored an unprecedented 100% pass rate for the second year in a row. Among the honourees at the Dean’s List awards evening were students from the cohort that sat for this first of two SAICA qualifying exams.

Prof Chitiga-Mabuga thanked the Faculty’s management, academic staff, departmental professional staff, the student administration team, as well as the academic success coaches in the Faculty for their contributions to the successes of the students throughout their studies. She encouraged the students to keep in touch with their alma mater and to consider pursuing further studies at UP.

“As graduates from one of the top universities in South Africa, you are now proud alumni of our Faculty. We urge you to become ambassadors for our university, promoting its values and ethos wherever your future pursuits take you,” she concluded.