He studied physics and pure mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he received B.S. degrees in both subjects in 1971. While an undergraduate, he helped found the Interphase EDGE (then Project Interphase) program to prepare incoming students in subjects such as physics and math. He was also involved in the student protests of the late 1960s. Afterwards, he joined graduate school at Princeton University, where he earned a Ph. D. degree in theoretical high energy physics in 1976. The title of his PhD thesis is "Asymptotic chiral invariance and its consequences," which he completed under the supervision of Curtis Callan. While in graduate school, he changed his name from Michael Von Sawyer to Sekazi Kauze Mtingwa, a Tanzanian name.