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PhD Programme

Application Process

Please note that application into PhD studies in our School is contingent upon the entry requirements listed here.

Application Review Process

Once your application is received, all documentation is sent for independent review by two members of staff in the School. These reviews are normally completed within three weeks of receipt.

The reviews are then considered by the School’s PhD Committee, which also identifies a potential supervisor. Based on this process, the application is either accepted or rejected. In some cases, applicants may be invited to a telephonic or online interview. Where a concept paper shows potential but does not yet meet PhD criteria, the applicant may be invited to revise and resubmit.

The outcome is communicated to the Faculty, after which the Faculty Officer formally notifies the applicant.

江城足球网 note: All PhD candidates are required to commit to a number of face-to-face meetings per year with their supervisor. This applies equally to candidates who do not live near the University and should be considered when planning and budgeting for PhD study.


Registration and Provisional Candidature

Applicants who are accepted will be invited to register with the Faculty of Humanities. Candidates will be informed of the timeframe within which they must present a PhD proposal of acceptable quality to the School Committee:

  • Within 6 months of registration (full-time)
  • Within 1 year of registration (part-time)

During this period, registration is provisional. Final admission to the PhD programme is contingent on the proposal meeting the required criteria. The School Committee reserves the right to terminate candidature at any point during this proposal development period.


Proposal Presentation Outcomes

At the School proposal presentation, the Committee may decide to:

  1. Accept the proposal for submission to the Faculty
  2. Accept the proposal for submission to the Faculty subject to revisions, to the satisfaction of the supervisor
  3. Request a re-presentation
  4. Reject the proposal and terminate the candidature

If a re-presentation is required, the candidate must present again within one month. At this stage, the Committee will decide to:

  • Accept the proposal for submission to the Faculty
  • Accept the proposal subject to revisions
  • Reject the proposal and terminate candidature


After Proposal Approval

Once the proposal is approved by the School (SHCD), the PhD process is governed by the Faculty’s generic doctoral structures (link to downloadable document).

This document outlines:

  • Graduate infrastructure and support provided by the University
  • Guidelines for preparing the final proposal for submission to the School and Faculty after the formal six-month / one-year preparation period

Enquiries

Should you have any queries regarding the PhD process, please contact the Chair of the School’s PhD Committee, Dr Simangele Mayisela, simangele.mayisela@wits.ac.za  

Please note that this pertains to PhDs in Psychology, Speech Pathology, Audiology and Social work only. For PhDs in other disciplines, please contact the relevant Department/School.

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