Masters by Research: Application Procedures

• About the Degree

• About Admission

• Dates (application and registration)

• The Application Process

• Presenting your Proposal - the final step

• Preliminary Assessments

• Contacting Potential Supervisors - supervision topic areas

• Fees and Bursaries

• Duration of study

• Being at UCT to do your Master's

• Additional Information

About Admission

Applicants for the Masters by Research should have a strong academic record at the undergraduate/Honours level.  In addition, the department will only accept students who wish to work in a research field where the department has expertise. (See section on supervisors.)

Dates - application and registration

The Application Process

• Step 1: Applying (with supporting documentation)
• Step 2: Presenting the proposal

Step 1 - Applying

Submit the following:

1. An application form (including any required certification and documents).

   The UCT application form for new students is Form 1, found here: http://www.uct.ac.za/apply/applications/forms/

   OR

   Apply online. 

   You will be contacted to provide certain necessary hard copy documentation before Central Admissions passes the information on to the faculty and, ultimately, departments. 

   Current UCT students are required to apply online, not via paper forms.  Note: you do not have to provide transcripts.

2. A research proposal.

   Politics guidelines

   Graduate School of Humanities guidelines

3. Your transcript.

   The official mark record from institutions attended, together with an explanation of the marks structure, if needed.

4. The departmental Questionnaire.

5. A copy of your Honours Research Project, or equivalent sample of academic work which demonstrates your research and writing capabilities.

Items 1 to 3 should be sent to Central Admissions.

At the same time, items 2 to 5 should be emailed direct to the Politics Graduate Administrator, Ms Joanne Polzin.  If emailing is not possible, hardcopies may be submitted.

Postal Addresses:

Central Admissions
University of Cape Town
Private Bag X3
Rondebosch
7701

Tel:  (+27 21) 650 2128
Fax: (+27 21) 650 3736

Political Studies Department
University of Cape Town
Robert Leslie Building 5.33
Rondebosch, 7700
South Africa

Tel:  (+27 21) 650 3381/3916
Fax: (+27 21) 650 3799

After submitting the documentation:

Once the application and supporting documentation have been received by Admissions, your details will be captured and the application referred to the Faculty who will in turn refer them to the relevant department for consideration. 

Step 2 - Presenting your Proposal

If your documentation and proposal have been approved for potential registration, as well as a suitable supervisor assigned, the final step is to present your proposal to a panel of staff within the department for approval.  This must take place before the registration deadline.  Once you have presented, a decision will be conveyed to the faculty whether registration is recommended or not.

At this stage, candidates may be advised to re-work or refine the proposal before continuing the process.  Provisional registration (i.e. an initial period of official registration with no guarantees of continued registration into a second year) may be permitted in order to allow the candidate to do this under supervision.  See Provisional Registration below.

Preliminary Assessments

The department is prepared to make a preliminary assessment before a formal application is submitted.  In order to do this, we require the following:

1. A full research proposal (if available) or a statement of interest, briefly outlining your intended title and research area.

   Politics guidelines

   Graduate School of Humanities guidelines

2. Your transcript.

   The official marks from institutions attended, together with an explanation of the marks structure, if needed.

3. The departmental Questionnaire.

4. A copy of your Honours Research Project, or equivalent sample of academic work which demonstrates your research and writing capabilities

These should be emailed directly to the Graduate Administrator, Ms Joanne Polzin, with whom you should communicate initially.  If emailing is not possible, hardcopies may be submitted.

All requested documents must be provided in order for a proper assessment to be made.

If there is definite interest expressed in your potential candidature, you will still be required to complete the full application process (as outlined in the application process above) before a formal response is given.

Contacting Potential Supervisors

It is preferred that applicants direct all initial communications to Ms Joanne Polzin, the postgraduate administrator, before any personal dialogue is opened with potential supervisors.  She will ensure that your information is reviewed by all relevant staff members and all of the necessary follow-ups are made.  See the section on preliminary assessments above.

For an idea of the research areas covered by staff in our department, please see the individual staff profiles on our staff page.  The department will only accept students who wish to work in a research field where the department has expertise.

For applicants who wish to pursue a Masters in Public Policy or Public Administration, please note that we currently offer supervision in the following areas only:

• Administrative corruption

• Comparative public administration

• Democratic governance

• Intergovernmental relations

• Local government politics and administration

• Macro-economic policy formulation in South Africa

• Public administration theory

• Public management

• Public sector budgeting and budget reform

• Public sector reform

• Regulation

• Utility regulation

Duration of study

The usual duration of study is two years.  This may be extended to three after motivation.

Being at UCT to do your Master's

While it is possible to do the Master's by Research while based outside of Cape Town or South Africa, candidates should note that UCT is not a distance-learning institution.  The expectation is that students are readily available for consultation with their supervisors when required.  Time spent at UCT should also be factored in for presenting your proposal and conducting research on campus, where appropriate.

Additional information

The faculty contact person for Masters by Research is Ms Anne Wegerhoff.  She is the Graduate Programmes Officer in the Graduate School of Humanities.  Her telephone number is +27 21 6504414.

Ms Joanne Polzin administers postgraduates in the department.

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