Helderberg College of Higher Education (HCHE) is a private higher education institution located at the foot of the Helderberg Mountain in Somerset West, Western Cape, roughly 40 minutes from Cape Town. Founded in 1893, it was the first Seventh-day Adventist college established outside North America and has operated continuously for over 130 years. The college is owned and operated by the Southern Africa Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (headquartered in Bloemfontein) and is one of a global network of Adventist tertiary institutions. It is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) as a private higher education institution under section 54(1)(c) of the Higher Education Act (Act No. 101 of 1997), Certificate No. 2001/HE08/001. Its qualifications are accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) through the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA); the institution also holds accreditation through the Adventist Accrediting Association (AAA), the global accrediting body for Seventh-day Adventist educational institutions. The college officially adopted the name 'Helderberg College of Higher Education' on 9 November 2017. HCHE describes itself as pursuing 'wholistic' development of students (head, heart and hand) and cites a favourable student-lecturer ratio of around 15:1. Teaching is offered through three academic faculties: Business, Social Sciences & Education, and Theology, delivered mainly face-to-face on its Somerset West campus, with the Higher Certificate in Christian Ministry offered part-time via distance learning.
Qualifications & Programmes
- Faculty of Business: Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting (NQF Level 7, 4 years, SAQA ID 99666)
- Faculty of Business: Bachelor of Business Administration in Management (NQF Level 7, 3 years, SAQA ID 84806)
- Faculty of Business: Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management (NQF Level 7, 3 years, SAQA ID 99628)
- Faculty of Business: Higher Certificate in Office Management (NQF Level 5, 1 year, SAQA ID 94574)
- Faculty of Social Sciences & Education: Bachelor of Arts in Communication (NQF Level 7, 3 years, SAQA ID 58335)
- Faculty of Social Sciences & Education: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (NQF Level 7, 3 years, SAQA ID 58334)
- Faculty of Social Sciences & Education: Bachelor of Education in Foundation Phase Teaching (NQF Level 7, 4 years, SAQA ID 101497)
- Faculty of Theology: Bachelor of Arts in Theology (NQF Level 7, 4 years, SAQA ID 58333)
- Faculty of Theology: Higher Certificate in Christian Ministry (NQF Level 5, 2 years part-time distance learning, SAQA ID 123610)