(a) Faculty requirements are set out under Rules FH3 and FM3 of the Humanities Faculty Postgraduate Handbook.

(b) Specialisation requirements:

For entry into the Honours, a BA or BSocSc degree, majoring in Sociology or Industrial Sociology (or equivalent qualification) with at least good second class passes (i.e. 68%) in both third-year courses of the major is required. Acceptance is at the recommendation of the Convener and the Postgraduate Committee.

For entry into the Master’s, a good pass (i.e. an overall average of 70%) in an Honours degree in Sociology, Industrial Sociology, Development Studies or a cognate discipline is required for acceptance into year two of the specialisation leading to the Master’s degree.

Acceptance is not automatic and is at the recommendation of the Convener and the Postgraduate Committee. 

We request that you do not contact the department to enquire about your eligibility for the programmes.  Assessment is done via the UCT formal application, which includes supporting documentation such as a letter of motivation and writing samples (see application process).  We do not have the administrative capacity to pre-assess candidates to gauge whether they have the required background or not.  Use the information provided to make a judgement as best you can.  International students can also make use of the SAQA service (South African Qualifications Authority).  They will, for a fee, provide an official evaluation of foreign qualifications and what their equivalencies are with respect to South African qualifications.

Applications open in April of each year, for the following year. 

SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION HERE.

Download the DIRECTIONS FOR POSTGRADUATE APPLICANTS  here.

***Please note that if you do not submit all the required documentation, your application will NOT be processed***

In addition to academic transcripts,

Honours and Master’s by Coursework applicants must submit:

• A CV (including work experience)
• An academic writing sample (see guidelines below) and/or (depending on the specialisation) 
• A Letter of Motivation

Master’s by Dissertation (Research Master's) applicants must submit:

• a 500-word research outline
• Depending on your field of specialisation you may also be required to submit a CV and/or a sample of academic writing.

If you need assistance in completing and submitting your application, please contact the UCT Admissions Office at +27 21 650 2128 or admissions-pg@uct.ac.za

Local applicants: 31 October 

International applicants: 30 September (strongly recommended, but will consider an application upon special recommendation until 31 October)

Bear in mind that if you are coming from overseas you will need to factor in time to sort out accommodation, travel and visa/study permit issues, so apply as early as you can.

UCT students interested in the Honours programmes are encouraged to apply by the close of the 3rd quarter of the academic year. Cases will be decided by, among others, admitting students on a conditional basis; for example, "admitted subject to achieving satisfactory results in the second semester".

You must submit a sample of your best academic work as part of the official application.  Submit this online when applying, or include it in your application if you are submitting a hard copy.

Notes about the writing sample:

• It could be an assignment or research paper from a recent course or any other appropriate piece of academic writing.
• There is no length stipulation.
• Make sure your name is stated on the top.

Applications are assessed on a rolling basis.   We endeavour to have all applications assessed by mid-December latest, assuming that applications are submitted by the recommended deadlines. Applications received after the recommended deadlines will be assessed selectively and response times are dependent on staff availability and administrative capacity.

All decisions will be relayed to you by the Humanities Faculty. The department does not convey outcomes.  

The department's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. All successful applicants should confirm their intention to take up their place by December 15 or as soon as possible thereafter.  In addition to the Letter of Acceptance which needs to be submitted to the Admissions Office. 

You may need to submit additional documents to the Admissions Office. This may include the following:

• Certified paper copies of documents uploaded online as part of your application
• Academic transcripts which may not have been available at the time of your application must be uploaded to our student system; please log in using your username and password, and complete the submission; certified paper copies of such uploaded documents must be submitted.