masters by dissertation wits

• People/Staff

Master of Education

The Master of Education by dissertation or by coursework and research report is a 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time degree.

The Master of Education Degree Programme can be completed either by coursework and research report or by dissertation only. Students can study full time (one year to complete the programme) or part-time (two years to complete the programme). 

For the MEd b y coursework and research report, students select three courses, of which two are normally selected from the 'course package' most closely related to their likely area of research. 

These packages include:

• Applied language and literacy education
• Curriculum and Tertiary Teaching
• Education Leadership and Policy Studies
• Education and Work
• Educational Technology
• Inclusive Education
• Mathematics and Science Education

The third course may be selected from another package in the School of Education or, subject to approval, from those offered by other schools in the Faculty of Humanities or in Science Education. In addition, a course in research design prepares students for the research report which comprises half the requirements for the completion of the degree.

Entry Requirements

Students normally require an average of 65% in an Honours Degree in Education and at least 65% in the Honours Research Project.

International students may have to pass the IELTS test of English proficiency, with a score of at least 7. Please contact the   International Office  for more details.

The above are minimum requirements and assessments of each applicant’s writing and previous experience are also made. Interviews with applicants might also be requested.

For admission into the Masters by dissertation, an excellent Honours research project is normally required (70% or higher)

University Application Process

• Applications are handled centrally by the Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC) . Once your application is complete in terms of requested documentation, your application will be referred to the relevant School for assessment.  Click here to see an overview of the Wits applications process.
• Please apply online . Upload your supporting documents at the time of application, or via the Self Service Portal .
• Applicants can monitor the progress of their applications via the  Self Service Portal .
• Selections for programmes that have a limited intake but attract a large number of applications may only finalise the application at the end of the application cycle.

Please note that the Entry Requirements are a guide. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee a place. Final selection is made subject to the availability of places, academic results and other entry requirements where applicable.

International students , please check this section .

For more information,  contact the Student Call Centre +27 (0)11 717 1888, or log a query at www.wits.ac.za/askwits .

University Fees and Funding

Click here to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees site also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.

For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, click here . Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities.  NRF bursaries: The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies.  External bursaries portal: The Bursaries South Africa website provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.

Master of Management by Research

Give yourself the opportunity to learn, grow and develop through continued study, designed to sharpen your research skills and increase your love of knowledge.

Programme Information

• Programme Overview
• Entry Requirements
• CRM Enquiry

Make the pursuit of knowledge your ultimate goal with the Master of Management by Research – a programme aimed at honours and post-graduate students seeking to further build on their qualifications in a related field of study. Awarded on the basis of a supervised thesis, the MM in Research offers focused analysis in the areas of finance, management and work-related disciplines, giving students the opportunity to expand their horizons and continue down the path of higher learning and understanding.

The MM by Research gives students the opportunity to expand their horizons and continue down the path of higher learning and understanding.. 

The MM by Research comprises a fill dissertation, which you will produce under the guidance of a supervisor and which must be completed in one year for full time students or two years for part time students. You will attend a research seminar series in the first six months of the year which will assist with your dissertation.

• Seminar series: Conceptualising and Developing your Research Proposal, Locating the Conceptual Foundation of your Research, Qualitative Methodology, Quantitative Methodology
• Prepare MM by Research proposal
• Present proposal (within one year of starting)
• Proceed with research (on approval of proposal), providing written reports every 6 months
• Thesis examined by two examiners

The School is particularly keen to enrol students in the following areas of study:

• Methodological Issues
• Business & Society
• Decision Sciences
• Organisational behaviour & diversity management
• Energy Leadership
• Digital Business
• Areas of study include but are not limited to African philanthropy, Community philanthropy, Public policy and philanthropy, Venture philanthropy, Corporate social investment, SDGs and philanthropy, Religion and philanthropy, Social investment, Impact investing, Wealth advisory, and Management of philanthropy among others.

Textbooks are available on www.mind-matters.co.za

• A bachelor’s degree with honours (1 st grade or upper 2 nd class grade)
• An outline of your proposed research (2 000 to 3 000 words)
• Availability of a suitable supervisor
• High level of motivation and commitment
• Letter of motivation
• A 12-page proposal
• Certified academic certificates - Undergraduate and Honours Degree
• Certified academic transcripts/records - Undergraduate and Honours Degree
• SAQA evaluation certificate (for students whose prior degrees were not awarded by a South African university)
• Proof of English language proficiency (for students who have not studied at tertiary level in English)

Non-refundable application fee

• Complete the online application form on the following link https://www.wits.ac.za/applications/
• Application Qualification Assessment Form (to be downloaded, completed and submitted online)

Plagiarism Appendix - (to be downloaded, completed and submitted online)

Note: If a link above doesn't work, please copy and paste the URL into a browser.

How to apply to Wits

Complete the Online Application form (Should you encounter any problems with the online application process please contact [email protected] )

Document to Downloads Application Qualification Assessment Form - (to be downloaded, completed and submitted online)

MMR Guidelines Document

An outline of your proposed research (2 000 to 3 000 words) Availability of a suitable supervisor High level of motivation and commitment Letter of motivation A 12-page proposal Certified academic certificates - Undergraduate and Honours Degree Certified academic transcripts/records - Undergraduate and Honours Degree SAQA evaluation certificate (for students whose prior degrees were not awarded by a South African university) Proof of English language proficiency (for students who have not studied at tertiary level in English)

A R15 000 minimum deposit will be required upon acceptance of a place on the programme

Financial Assistance - https://www.wits.ac.za/internationalstudents/financial-information/

You might also be interested in

Postgraduate Diploma in Energy Leadership

Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration

Master of Management in the field of Energy Leadership

Disclaimer: cancellation of programmes by wbs.

WBS is entitled to cancel or change the date of delivery of a programme without notice and for any reason without incurring any liability to individuals who have applied or are enrolled on the programme or any funders of such individuals (“participants” or “funders of participants”).

Without derogating from the aforesaid, and insofar as it possible, WBS will provide the participants or funders of the participants with 30 (thirty days) days written notice of any cancellation or changes in the dates of delivery of the programme. 

Insofar as the programme is cancelled or rescheduled prior to delivery of the programme then in that event the participants and funders of the participants will not be charged the full programme fees.

Master of Management (Research)

This Master of Management degree is a pure (100%) research degree. In contrast to the Master’s degree by coursework and research, this degree involves developing a conceptual or theoretical framework and a more wide ranging literature review.

Programme Information

• Research stages
• Guidelines for proposed research
• Entry Requirements
• University application process
• University Fees and Funding

The research methodology is larger in scope and often includes a theoretical aspect. A publication is often expected from the dissertation. If you choose to do this degree rather than by the more supported coursework and research route, we expect that you will drive this process and take responsibility for developing and improving your knowledge in the specialist area that you are researching.

It is not a quicker alternative to a MM by coursework and research. It requires the self-motivation to drive your own learning process. When considering your application, we pay greater attention to your evidence of writing and critical thinking in the selection process.

This degree comprises three stages:

Stage one: Preparation 

This begins during the Social Theory course. At the end of the course (within 6 months), students should be able to present and successfully defend a short research proposal (5000 words) to a panel of academics within the school. The proposal should provide evidence of an ethical and feasible research project to the standard of a Masters by dissertation degree. The proposal and panel should indicate that the candidate possesses the required critical thinking, reading, and writing skills to continue onto the next step of research development.

Stage two: Research 

During this time, students will be attending required courses, seminars and student conferences organised by WSG and the wider university community.

Stage three: Examination

The degree is awarded to candidates who have critically investigated and evaluated topics resulting in an independent research investigation and mastery of a particular field of knowledge. Each dissertation is assessed by two examiners who have appropriate academic qualifications, relevant expertise in the field of research and a suitable level of experience in examining research degree submissions.

The research is allocated a mark which is approved at the School Postgraduate Studies Committee and the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee.  

The initial proposal reflects your commitment to study and your initial understanding of the topic and area that you would like to research. You should aim for it to be clear, coherent, and clearly indicating why it is interesting and motivating to you. The main purpose is to enable us to see that you are capable of critical independent thinking, can communicate your ideas clearly and that there is a match between what you want to study and our areas of available research expertise.

You are not expected to be familiar with the specific details of your subject, but you do need to show that you have a good level of knowledge about the subject and where and how you might be able to make a valuable contribution. If you are accepted for entry into the programme, you will not be expected to follow the proposal exactly as we assume that an inevitable part of the research process involves refining and clarifying your ideas and your proposal will develop through exposure to research methodology and techniques, discussions with staff and your supervisor and with other students.

Proposal structure: You need to provide information on the following:

Working title : This will be indicative and tentative at this stage but is helpful for indicating the key words that will signal your area of interest. Introduction/background Briefly indicate the focus of your study and put your study in context. Provide any background knowledge needed to understand the reasons why this research is important. Provide any contextual and historical information necessary to frame the study.

Literature review:  Summarise and analyse what you have read on issues related to your research focus and build up an argument for why you need to do this study. How does your proposed study link to work others have done in your proposed field of study? How does it support the need for your proposed study? What theory or theories from the literature might help in developing a conceptual or analytical framework?

Statement of the problem, purpose, and research question:  State the research problem that your research attempts to address. This should indicate the research problem, the context, the knowledge gap (where your research fits into what has been researched before and why there is a need for this research). The purpose states the broad goal of the research and how you will close the knowledge gap you have identified. Indicate your main research question clearly (in the form of a question). There is usually one main question and perhaps one or two sub-questions. Make sure this research question connects to your problem and purpose statement. If your research is quantitative or involves mixed methods, you will have a hypothesis or hypotheses indicating relations between the constructs you are investigating which you will talk about in the literature you discuss.

Research methodology:  Explain how you intend to answer your research question, and if relevant, test your hypothesis(es). Include statements on your proposed research strategy (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed) and why it is appropriate for answering the research question you wish to ask. Comment on your research design e.g., case study, experimental, longitudinal, ethnography etc. and your research methods (interviews, questionnaires, analysis of official statistics, documentary analysis etc.), the location and availability of data, and possible methods of analysis. Are there any difficulties that you might encounter in doing this research and do you think they can be overcome?

Expected Outcomes:  How does this study make an original contribution to knowledge, advance theoretical understanding and/or contribute to policy or practice?

List of References:  You will need to provide a list of any sources, such as key articles or documents that you have referred to in your proposal using a common referencing style in the Social Sciences (e.g., APA, Chicago). Many university websites provide guides for students. The information provided in your in-text citations and reference list must be complete and accurate.

Layout:  The proposal that you submit with your application should be approximately 2000 words in length.

Preparing for your proposal:  It is important to show that you have background knowledge of the area in which you wish to work, are familiar with some key literature in your field of interest, have identified some key findings and some researchers doing work in this area. You can use Google Scholar (where you can get access to some articles and most abstracts) to locate articles or literature that is available on Google. Articles are also available on author’s websites, the repository of their University or research organisation or places like ResearchGate. Most authors will be willing to email you copies of published research if you contact them directly. Many universities also allow their Alumni access to their libraries. You should also familiarise yourself with the academic staff available in the School to supervise based on their areas of expertise and research and contact them to establish if your proposed area of research fits with their expertise and interest. Remember that your research proposal creates a first impression of you and your competence to undertake a postgraduate study. Give it time and attention but remember that you are not expected to know everything at this stage.

The minimum criteria for consideration for admission are:

•  A three-year Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) and
• An Honours degree or Post-Graduate Diploma with a minimum of a 65% average. This could be a degree from the Wits School of Governance or an Honour’s degree in a cognate (similar) discipline.
• Availability of an appropriate supervisor. Even if you meet the minimum admission criteria, we may still not be able to offer you a place if our supervisory capacity is limited in terms of numbers and/or the areas of expertise in which we are able to supervise at a research degree level. Information of our staff and their areas of expertise can be found on our website at WSG Staff.

When lodging a formal application, you will be required to submit the following documentation:

• A brief letter of motivation indicating why you would like to study for your degree at the Wits School of Governance. Please ensure your letter of motivation is addressed to the Wits School of Governance and speaks to the degree for which you are applying.
• A curriculum vitae, detailing your degrees and your employment experience.
• Official transcripts of your qualifications showing degree, courses, and results (if you are still studying for a qualifying degree, please provide your interim mid-year results).
• Your graduation certificates (certified copies).
• A 2000-word outline of your proposed research (guidance offered below).
• Verification and comparison of any foreign qualifications from the South Africa Qualifications Authority (SAQA) if you completed your degree at a foreign institution. IELTS Language Proficiency scores (if your previous qualification was not through the medium of English).

IMPORTANT: Your application will NOT be assessed if it is not COMPLETE i.e., ALL supporting documents have been uploaded. The Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC) will communicate with you via email if any documents are outstanding. Please check your self-service portal to ensure that your application has been marked as COMPLETE. If it is INCOMPLETE, please communicate with your allocated consultant at SEnC.

Click here  to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees site also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.

For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award,  click here . Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities.  NRF bursaries:  The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies.  External bursaries portal:   The Bursaries South Africa website provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.

How to apply to Wits

Online application

Applications are handled centrally by the  Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC) . Once your application is complete in terms of requested documentation, your application will be referred to the relevant School for assessment.  Click here  to see an overview of the Wits applications process.

Please  apply online .  Upload your supporting documents at the time of application, or via the  Self Service Portal .

Applicants can monitor the progress of their applications via the  Self Service Portal .

Selections for programmes that have a limited intake but attract a large number of applications may only finalise the application at the end of the application cycle.

Please note  that the  Entry Requirements  are a guide.  Meeting these requirements does not guarantee a place. Final selection is made subject to the availability of places, academic results and other entry requirements where applicable.

International students , please  check this section .

For more information,  contact the Student Call Centre +27 (0)11 717 1888, or log a query at  www.wits.ac.za/askwits .

Related Programmes

Master of management in governance (general), master of management in governance (public policy), master of management in governance (governance and management), master of management in governance (development and economics).

The institution has done its part, making public policy responsive to our challenges now becomes our responsibility

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Master of management in governance (general) graduate.

I learnt how civic technology could be leveraged to improve service delivery and the lives of ordinary South Africans

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Civic tech innovation graduate.

I can develop and execute inputs, processes, outputs, outcomes and impacts using the S.M.A.R.T principle 

MIRRIAM SIBANDA

Postgraduate diploma in management (monitoring and evaluation) graduate.

We grew our research skills and learnt the importance of feasibility studies

BRIGADIER GENERAL MOLEFI HLALELE

Postgraduate diploma in management (security) graduate.

I have learned to apply a strategic level of financial management and allocation of resources to meet the service delivery

NEMBRA MALULEKE

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This qualification certainly provided the ROI, I started getting calls from big organisations, like the SA Reserve Bank, where I work now

BONTLE MOGAPI

Postgraduate diploma in management (pdm) graduate.

I am now able to actively listen, comprehend and question decisions related to governance and economics

KIRTIDA BHANA

Leadership in board governance graduate.

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This Diploma helps us to think critically about pertinent issues within the public sector

REFILWE MABULA

I can now proficiently interpret legislation and policies, particularly those that directly impact municipal operations

MATABOGELA MONYEPAO

Disclaimer: cancellation of programmes by wsg.

WSG is entitled to cancel or change the date of delivery of a programme without notice and for any reason without incurring any liability to individuals who have applied or are enrolled on the programme or any funders of such individuals (“participants” or “funders of participants”).

Without derogating from the aforesaid, and insofar as it possible, WSG will provide the participants or funders of the participants with 30 (thirty days) days written notice of any cancellation or changes in the dates of delivery of the programme.

Insofar as the programme is cancelled or rescheduled prior to delivery of the programme then in that event the participants and funders of the participants will not be charged the full programme fees.

• People/Staff

Linguistics

This programme prepares language professionals for work in translating, interpreting, journalism, publishing, language policy planning.

The masters degree in Linguistics (by coursework or research report, 7000 level) is a significant opportunity for advanced training and application of theory in the broad field of Linguistics.

Students of Linguistics have now reached the position where they can both gain profound theoretical training, and where they can enter more deeply into the messy empirical world of data-gathering than has been possible at earlier Linguistics stages at Wits.

Advanced grounding in Linguistics has been proven to be highly desirable in preparing language professionals for work in translating, interpreting, journalism, publishing, language policy planning, and language education. The masters degree also prepares the student for potential work in allied and rapidly expanding fields such as computational linguistics, linguistic structuring of knowledge databases and digital corpora.

To find out more about the   Linguistics Division, visit our web page .

Masters by Coursework and Research Report:

• Approved Topic in Linguistics
• Advanced Historical Linguistics
• Advanced Morphology
• Advanced Phonetics
• Advanced Phonology
• Advanced Psycholinguistics
• Advanced Sociolinguistics
• Advanced Syntax

3 courses (1 required formal course; 2 electives) 1 research report. Supervision during preparation of research report.

Masters by Dissertation:

• No coursework.
• Students must complete a research proposal (7,000-8,000 words) within 6 months of registration (1 year for part-time students).
• The complete dissertation must include a valuable empirical contribution to the chosen field in Linguistics and be between 40,000 and 45,000 words.

Entry Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree with honours from Wits or another university with a 65% total mark aggregate.
• A bachelor’s degree with honours from Wits or another university with a 70% total mark aggregate.
• A supervisor from the Faculty of Humanities must be identified and approached prior to application.

Additional entry requirements may apply.

University Application Process

• Applications are handled centrally by the Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC) . Once your application is complete in terms of requested documentation, your application will be referred to the relevant School for assessment.  Click here to see an overview of the Wits applications process.
• Please apply online . Upload your supporting documents at the time of application, or via the Self Service Portal .
• Applicants can monitor the progress of their applications via the  Self Service Portal .
• Selections for programmes that have a limited intake but attract a large number of applications may only finalise the application at the end of the application cycle.

Please note that the Entry Requirements are a guide. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee a place. Final selection is made subject to the availability of places, academic results and other entry requirements where applicable.

International students , please check this section .

For more information,  contact the Student Call Centre +27 (0)11 717 1888, or log a query at www.wits.ac.za/askwits .

University Fees and Funding

Click here to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees site also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.

For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, click here . Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities.  NRF bursaries: The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies.  External bursaries portal: The Bursaries South Africa website provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.

Cognition & Co

South African Psychology Student Network

Masters by Dissertation vs. Coursework Masters

If you’re studying psychology and looking to register as a psychologist in the future, it is likely that you’ve heard about the above-mentioned qualifications. To clear up any misconceptions about these types of masters programmes, Cognition & Co have put together the following article highlighting the differences between them;

Masters by Dissertation:

A Masters by Dissertation is a purely academic M degree whereby students are required to conduct research that culminates in a dissertation. Different universities call these qualifications by different names (Academic Masters / Masters by Research, etc), however they all follow a similar format.

Most of these programmes can be done part-time through distance learning institutions however students will need to be in contact with their allocated supervisor. A supervisors’ role is to help, support and guide students through their research, ensuring the quality of the dissertation.

While a Masters by Dissertation is heavily research orientated, these degrees are different to a Research Masters degree in South Africa. A Research Masters is a full-time (sometimes part-time) coursework programme offered by some universities ( Wits ) which can lead to an HPCSA registration as a Research Psychologist .

Unlike a Research Masters, a Masters by Dissertation does not lead to registration with the HPCSA. Even once a student has completed a Masters by Dissertation, they are still not allowed to call themselves a Psychologist, nor will they be able to counsel clients, regardless of their dissertation topic or title.

These degrees are highly valued in academic circles and would certainly put any graduate in good stead to work in some form of higher education. Completing a dissertation also opens doors in terms of publishing one’s dissertation and having that accolade added to one’s portfolio.

Coursework Masters:

In order to become an HPCSA registered Psychologist in South Africa, students will need to complete a Masters Degree that includes a coursework aspect, as well as a dissertation. These are typically all full-time programmes (except some Research Masters) where students will spend their time between classes and supervision on a university campus, as well as at practicals in hospitals, clinics, or schools.

Again, universities may call these coursework programmes by different names (sometimes called Professional Masters), but they are typically M degrees in a specialized area of psychology. These specialized areas are defined by the HPCSA and are broken into different registered categories; i.e. Clinical , Counselling , Educational , Industrial , Research , and more recently Neuropsychology .

The duration of a coursework degree is also specific to the different universities. Many universities offer these degrees over a period of two years, however there are a number of universities that allow students to complete both their coursework and dissertation in just one year. Once a student has completed their 1 or 2 years of coursework, they may then register with the HPCSA as an Intern Psychologist and begin their 1 year internship. Following the completion of a 1 year internship, graduates may write their respective board exam with the HPCSA and upon passing will receive the title; Psychologist.

It is also important to note that students following the route ending in registration as a Clinical Psychologist, will also need to complete one year of community service once they have successfully passed their board exams .

To find out more about the route to becoming a Psychologist in South Africa, click the link provided above. Students are also welcome to contact us with questions or queries by clicking here .

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