History of the School

Many nations around the globe recognise that, to a significant extent, the sustainable development of a country depends on the developments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In turn, these developments and innovations rely on the availability of a critical mass of human resources pursuing higher education and research in mathematics and natural science disciplines. Pursuant of the objective of providing higher education and research in mathematics and natural science disciplines, the CBU Executive of Council approved the establishment of the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences in June 2008.

This was a major decision given the capital requirements for such a major project.  For us in the School, its establishment is a natural and necessary development; it enhances the University’s academic niche in business, natural resources, technology, and engineering. The SMNS contributes to the academic niche of CBU by providing coordinated teaching of foundational mathematics and science courses and by providing specialised education and training in these disciplines. As such all Departments shall offer, in the long term, BSc, MSc, and, with the envisioned continuing growth in capacity in terms of infrastructure and expertise, Doctoral programmes in their respective disciplines.

The SMNS owes its development to earlier initiatives in the School of Technology where the BSc in Mathematics and Science Education was conceived in 2006.  This programme is now housed in the SMNS and is being further developed to enhance the quality of graduate mathematics and science teachers for high school. All Departments contribute to teaching specialist courses on this programme. This will lead to a uniquely endowed high school teacher. The SMNS is unique in locating the DMSE in the Natural Sciences Faculty that aims to develop mathematicians and scientists. Three other departments make up the SMNS: Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Mathematics. The Physical Sciences Department will be unbundled into the two departments, Chemistry and Physics. All Departments are responsible for the coordinated teaching of Mathematics and Science foundational courses needed for specialised study in the Schools of Business, Natural Resources, Built Environment, and Technology.  The SMNS thus contributes to teaching some courses in most programmes across the University.