NMMU has the only facility in South Africa for postgraduate studies in textile and clothing science, offering students the opportunity to obtain, by research, the degrees of MSc (Textiles) and PhD, the entrance requirement being BSc Honours or equivalent. The Fibre and Textile competence area of the Materials Science and Manufacturing Operating Unit of the CSIR, situated virtually adjacent to the NMMU North and South campuses, has acted as the post-graduate Department of Textile Science, making its modern equipment and highly qualified and experienced staff available for this purpose.

Globally, textiles is the 4th largest manufacturing sector and one which continues to grow, both with the growth in world population and the increasing per capita demand for textiles. In additional to its traditional applications in areas such as clothing and household textiles, textiles are reaching new and exciting frontiers, finding applications in fields as diverse as mussel netting, automotives, aerospace, space exploration, military, geotextiles, protective wear, smart / intelligent textiles, medical textiles, space exploration, agricultural textiles and many others.

It is truly a global, but very mobile, industry, providing career, employment and development opportunities as imaginative and diverse as the human mind. Graduates in Textile Science and Technology can find employment in research, production and management positions, both locally and abroad.

To mention but a few of the study and career opportunities and disciplines involved:

  • Computer simulation and modelling.
  • Textile engineering, including the design and development of textile machines and instruments.
  • Environmentally friendly production processes, products and labelling.
  • Intelligent textiles.
  • Polymers.
  • Composite materials.
  • Nonwoven
  • Textile Chemistry, dyeing and finishing.
  • Biomaterials.
  • Textile physics.
  • Merchandising.
  • Artificial intelligence (Expert systems, Neural networks, Fuzzy logic, etc.).
  • Textile Chemistry and Polymers.
  • Textile design and product development.
  • Clothing sience and tehnology.
  • Fabric manufacturing.
  • Man-made fibre production.

The industry also incorporates and uses sophisticated technologies in the Mechanical, Electrical, Electronic and Chemical engineering fields.

Contact information
Prof Lawrance Hunter
Head of Department
Tel: 27(0)41 508 3260 / 3230, Cell: 27 (0) 82 657 0505
Lawrance.Hunter@mandela.ac.za