Due dates and deadlines 

Recruitment and Admission requirements (including RPL)

Registration 

Research/ degree options 

Supervision 

Transfer of student/ research 

Change of Programme 

Termination of studies 

Leave of absence 

Thesis 

Progress reports and Promotion codes 

Grievances 

Forms 

Student Support

The department bears primary responsibility for constituting a programme committee. This should include the Head of Department, relevant PG module coordinator and departmental representatives on the Research and Higher Degrees committees. 

The programme committee is responsible for:

• academic administration associated with the postgraduate programmes

• the orientation and induction of students

• Quality assurance:

  • approval of research proposals before submission to FHD

  • reviewing of documents for completeness before submission to FHD

  • ensuring the quality of the supervision process

• allocation of supervisors for PG theses

• ensuring that memorandums of agreements are completed between students and supervisors, and updated annually.

Purpose of the Higher Degrees Committee

It is responsible for the management of higher degrees at the faculty level. Reports to the SHD on all matters concerning higher degrees as defined in this protocol:

Student application and selection 

• Reviews and submits student selection reports.

• Reviews applications for alternate admissions and recognition of prior learning, and makes recommendations to SHD.

Protocol submission for degree purposes

• Recommends provisional and final project/ thesis titles to SHD for registration in fulfilment of the research component of the degree.

• Reviews applications for title changes

Appointment of supervisors/ examiners

• Reviews allocated supervisors and makes recommendations to SHD for appointment.

• Reviews submissions related to the appointment of examiners

• Reviews the nominations of examiners from supervisors and makes recommendations to the SHD on their suitability for appointment.

• Reviews all applications for change of examiners and recommends to SHD.

Quality assurance

• Reviews proposals in terms of scope for the degree, feasibility, methodological rigour and coherence.

• Reviews overarching supervisor and examiner reports.

• Recommends examination results to the SHD.

Student progress

• Reviews progress reports and submit to the Ethics committee and SHD.

• Makes recommendations on progression codes for all registered students based on progress reports received from the supervisor and programme committee.

Ethics

• Determines whether there are methodological implications that impact the ethics clearance.

• Facilitates and reviews applications for amendments to ethics approval for completeness and compliance with ethics requirements and submits to the Ethics committees relevant to the discipline.

• Facilitates application for renewal of ethics

• Collates resubmissions and forwards to BMREC

• Makes recommendations to SHD