Overview of postgraduate studies at UP

The mission of the University of Pretoria emphasises that it strives to be an internationally recognised South African teaching and research university that provides excellent education over a wide spectrum of academic disciplines.

The University regards postgraduate teaching and research as inseparable. It has in the past emphasised and encouraged quality in postgraduate programmes that lead to research-based higher degrees and will do so increasingly in the future. It is the intention of the University to attract and retain the best postgraduate students from South Africa and abroad to participate in these programmes, thereby fostering the internationalisation of the University’s activities and benefiting from the diversity of talent that is attracted to the University.

The University aims to encourage postgraduate students to work in areas of importance to developing nations worldwide, but especially those relevant to Southern Africa. It is also the intention to increase postgraduate enrolments so as to emphasise the importance of research for the University’s reputation as an academic institution of note.

As part of widening access to postgraduate study, the University will provide suitable incentives to excellent postgraduate students from previously disadvantaged groups to pursue academic careers at the University of Pretoria.

The postgraduate programme offering includes the following:

• Postgraduate certificates and diplomas

• Honours degrees (one year full-time or two years part-time)

• Master’s degrees by coursework (one year full-time or two years part-time; all master’s programmes contain a research component)

• Master’s degrees by dissertation

• Doctoral degrees

* Excluding programmes not leading to a qualification, e.g. Postgraduate Special