The University participates in a number of global university rankings. It is consistently placed, in most rankings, within the Top Four higher education institutions in South Africa and on the African continent.

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The Astrophysics and Cosmology Research Unit (ACRU) is a key driver of astronomy and cosmology research with an international reputation. The Unit’s goals include contributing to the knowledge economy of South Africa by producing high-impact research in astrophysics and cosmology, and building local skills and capacity by training high calibre PhD graduates. Another key objective is to create a greater awareness of astronomy in South Africa through public talks, school visits, participation in science exhibitions and the use of social media.

The Centre offers a range of postgraduate degrees in Culture, Communication and Media Studies. Staff are internationally recognised scholars and postgraduate research reflects the Centre’s interdisciplinary and international research culture, which draws on media studies, television studies, film studies, cultural studies, history, and health communication.

UKZN’s Centre for Socio-Legal Studies has spent the past 30 years taking Law to the people so that they can use it in their everyday lives. It has also developed the definitive manual on Street Law to provide legal education for trade unions.

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The Health Economics and HIV and AIDS Research Division (HEARD) has been at the coalface of the national and international struggle against HIV/AIDS for almost 20 years. The applied social science centre works in an interface between policy and research around the issue of health in Africa, conducting a wide range of investigations into the macro-economic implications of HIV and AIDS including health systems challenges, the cost of treatment and care. It also does research into malaria and Tuberculosis.

The Centre trains African plant breeders in eastern and southern Africa to breed better crops using conventional and molecular breeding tools. It is involved in a wide range of multidisciplinary research projects that include forestry, engineering, genetics, microbiology, entomology, engineering, economics, biochemistry, horticultural science, crop science, botany, chemistry and animal science.