Popular Courses in South Africa

South Africa is well known for its variety of courses. From academics to professional courses, it caters the need of every student who want to pursue higher education in South Africa. Given below is the list of some of the popular courses in South Africa.

Pharmacy

The word Pharmacy comes from the Greek work Pharmakon, which means “drug” or “medicine.” Pharmacy studies began in pre-history with the use of medicinal plants. The field has come a long way. Today pharmacy includes clinical services; providing drug information; and reviewing, compounding, and dispensing medication.

The education of a pharmacist takes four years to complete, depending on the degree. Courses are designed to teach students all aspects of drug therapy in addition to patient care and communication with both patients and healthcare providers. Other education focuses include professional ethics, business management, and concepts of public health. Students of pharmacy not only study within the classroom, but also gain real-world experience working alongside licensed pharmacists in various settings.

The field of pharmacy can be divided into three main disciplines:

1. Pharmaceutics, the process of creating a safe, effective medication from a chemical entity;
2. Pharmacy Practice, the development of pharmacists’ professional roles.
3. Medicinal Chemistry, the development of pharmaceutical drugs through chemistry and pharmacology
 
At the end of a student’s education in pharmacy, they must pass a series of examinations in order to earn their professional license and be able to practice.
 
Students of pharmacy education learn how to dispense medications and also advise on their use to both medical staff and patients. Courses cover planning, monitoring, and evaluating the programs on which patients are receiving treatment. Some specialties of pharmacy work include geriatric pharmacy, psychiatric pharmacy, and nutrition support.
 

Educational Courses in Pharmacy

Bachelor’s degree is required to practice as a Pharmacist. Most pharmacy courses begin with the study of basic sciences such as biology in the first couple years. Once this foundation is created, education courses move on to several areas of focus:

Pharmaceutical Chemistry: the study of chemicals prepared and used as medicines, testing such aspects as the purity and strength of a substance;

Pharmacology: understanding the effects different drugs have on the body, and how to take the most advantage of these effects;Pharmacy practice: a study of the processes that take place within a pharmacy, emphasizing the balance between science and technology. This application includes work in the laboratory, and highlights instilling a patient-oriented outlook in students; and
 
Clinical Aspect: courses in the communication which students will have with their patients and awareness of their responsibility to monitor the drugs they will dispense.
 
Some pharmacists go on to own or manage their community’s pharmacy. This position entails hiring personnel and handling business matters, which is why many pharmacy curriculums include the study of business, including economics, accounting, and marketing. Management may also be valuable within this profession as many pharmacists have technicians assisting them in dispensing medication and must supervise their work.
 
Clinical Pharmacy Courses

The study of Clinical courses within pharmacy is an education focused on clinical work in a pharmacy. Programs often start with the study of basic sciences such as biology and chemistry followed by core clinical courses on biostatistics, internal medicine, and the basics of diagnosis.
 
Engineering Pharmacy Courses

Studying pharmacy with a focus on Engineering is a popular study abroad option, and there are a number of education programs available for interested students. Study within this course involves a more scientific exploration of pharmaceuticals, including innovative drug formulation and development.
 
There are a variety of study options available within the field of pharmacy:

1. Bachelor Degree in Pharmacy
2. Master’s Degree in Pharmacy
3. Doctorate/PhD in Pharmacy
4. Diploma in Pharmacy
 
This listing below  does not claim to be a complete listing of every school, college or university teaching advanced level courses in Industrial Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Pharmaceutical Engineering - however it is a good starting point for students seeking a career in industrial pharmacy.
 
Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (http://www.puk.ac.za)

University of Port Elizabeth (http://www.nmmu.ac.za)

University of the Witwatersrand(http://www.nmmu.ac.za)

Hotel Management 

The hotel, tourism and leisure industries are exciting and social business areas for anyone looking for a varied career that is in demand across the globe. Tourism is the largest and fastest growing industry worldwide and this in turn has a positive effect upon the hotel and leisure industries.
 
Educational courses in hotel, tourism and leisure, from vocational training diplomas to four year university degrees, are becoming ever more popular and are being offered in more and more locations. Some of the most popular and traditional hotelier educations are given in South Africa whilst new tourist destinations such as Dubai are available to students.
 
Within tourism and hospitality there are different directions of study and careers. Courses and degrees within tourism and leisure vary greatly. Two of the largest areas for study are in event management and hotel management however; schools offer anything from business degrees with a focus on tourism to vocational degree in culture tourism, ski instructor, horse guide or destinations  within tourism.
 
Hotel Management study courses range from diploma and vocational to doctorate and PhD level. Students in hotel management will learn the operational tasks necessary for running a successful hotel.

Studying Hotel Management will provide a varied and challenging degree program with opportunities for employment and post graduate further studies around the world.
 
The future for graduates in hospitality industry is very positive. The increases in globalisation, budget air travel and the development of new economies has lead to a fast growing and diverse industry. More and more people are able to afford holidays abroad. This combined with an increasingly international business market with more conferences and business trips, translates to an increase in demand for tourism, hotel, leisure, hospitality and event management.

1. The Private Hotel School in Stellenbosch, South Africa offers in-house hospitality training programmes with internationally recognised certificates.(http://www.privatehotelschool.co.za/)
   
   
2. The North West Hotel Schools Division has established itself as one of South Africa's foremost hotel schools, offering supreme courses in Hotel Management(http://northwesthotelschools.co.za/)
   
   
3. At the International Hotel School (IHS), we have 100% placement rate for our graduates & our students are in demand all over the world.(http://www.hotelschool.co.za)
   
   

Social Service

If have a passion for helping people, then social service is the career for you. There are many different paths to advance, the most obvious perhaps being a degree in social care, however there are many cational training career paths that is easily combined with continued employment.
 
Generally speaking, all careers within social care come down to providing supporting people to cope with day to day life. This means working with those, for some reason are less fortunate. A very large portion, and one which continues to grow daily is care for the older citizens. Other areas are care for the physically disabled or mentally challenged, community work with abused or troubled children and adolescents, and also giving support to minority groups with difficulty entering into the mainstream society. Some of the potential careers are:

1. Home Care
2. Community work with adults
3. Residential care
4. Community work with young people
5. Community work with families
6. Children's residential care
7. Personal assistant

When studying for a degree in social care you will learn vital interpersonal skills such as group work, policy making and how to best support vulnerable people including drug abusers and children. A degree will prepare you for work within sector of social care and professional work such as policy making, and helping elders, ethnic minorities and vulnerable people. The knowledge you gain during your studies will be invaluable in both voluntary and private care sectors.
 
Social service studies covers everything from helping families in distress to people experiencing violent relationships or are drug or alcholol addicts and people with special needs. The care you give can be in residential homes or hospitals. Either way, your degree will help you help others, and will give you a high level of career satisfaction. When considering international studies you may have to consider that some jobs in social care generally require accreditation, which you may have to gain in addition to your degree if you are an international student then it is also worth considering in addition to your degree is that the knowledge of different languages can be very beneficial in this area of work. It gives you the ability to communicate more easily with those in need, especially if you aim to work in communities with a large number of minority residents.

1. Department of Social Work, University of Johannesburg
2. University of Capetown
3. University of South Africa