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AN OVERVIEW OF ALL STUDY OPTIONS FOR POSTGRADUATES

Coursework Degrees (full degree study)

The Political Studies Department offers Honours, Master’s by coursework and Master’s by Research and PhD’s. We offer the Honours and Master’s by coursework by the following specialisations; Politics, International Relations and MPhil in Honours and Master’s in Justice and Transformation and Public Policy and Administration.

We also offer MPhil’s in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE), which is convened by the Philosophy Department and finally, MPhil in Political Communication, convened by the Centre of Film and Media Studies. 

We do not offer a PhD by coursework.

Research Degrees (full degree study)

These are degrees which are by thesis only.

We offer both Master's and Doctoral degrees by research.  They may be in the area of Politics or Public Administration.

Occasional studies and Semester Study Abroad (courses only)

Applicants may wish to register for single, "once-off" courses, but not complete a full degree programme. This is permitted, provided the student is at postgraduate level and obtains department/lecturer permission to do so.  Provision is made for this in the online application form and the term used is "occasional postgraduate studies".

International students who are enrolled for degrees in other institutions may wish to study at UCT for a semester.  This is also possible and you would apply for, and enrol as, a Semester Study Abroad student. Please see http://www.international.uct.ac.za

Affiliation

For postgraduate scholars who wish to conduct research at UCT, but not be enrolled for a degree/courses.

DEGREE DURATIONS

The Honours degree must be completed within one year.

The minimum registration period for a Coursework Masters degree is one year.  In practice, students normally take somewhere from 12 to 24 months to complete a Masters degree, depending on their levels of motivation, as well as financial and time constraints / commitments.  A few students manage to complete the full course-load and dissertation within one year - i.e. handing in before the start of the next academic year in mid-February.  The majority of students tend to complete their course requirements in the first year and their dissertation in a second year of enrolment.  Others elect to stagger their courses over two years while doing their thesis concurrently (this often suits candidates who are working while studying and who can't complete their full course load in one year).

The minimum registration period for a Research Masters degree is one year.

The minimum registration period for a PhD is two years.

PART-TIME STUDY, EVENING CLASSES AND DISTANCE LEARNING

Part-time study

Honours: Candidates who are unable to undertake the Honours degree within the stipulated one year may motivate to complete the Honours degree over a period of two years.  This is agreed to under exceptional circumstances and will require department support and final faculty approval.

Masters (Coursework and Research):  Students are expected to complete their degree within two years.  A third year of registration, while not encouraged, may be permitted by the faculty if the department is satisfied that the student has made sufficient progress to warrant an extra year of registration.  This extra year is usually sufficient for those who are only able to study part-time.  Any additional years of registration would require a motivation on the part of the student, as well as department support and faculty approval.

Evening classes

There are no evening classes.  Seminars are set during normal day-time hours.  Some classes run from 4 to 6pm.

Provisional timetables for our courses are made available towards the end of the previous year and are confirmed by the start of each semester.

Distance learning

The department does not offer distance learning/courses via correspondence.