The most common format for the submission of Masters theses is by monograph. The monograph provides a more comprehensive narrative for the benefit of the examiners and a process account of the execution of the project. The thesis forms a coherently structured narrative in which the candidate reports on the conceptualization, execution and the writing up of the study. The thesis is expected to have chapters which cover the traditional components including:

• introduction

• literature review

• methodology 

• results 

• discussion 

• conclusion

The student must demonstrate mastery of the conventions of scholarship in the thesis.

Before submission of the thesis, the following must be done:

1. Supervisor must be aware that the thesis is going to be submitted. The supervisor has to then put this in writing so that the letter can be uploaded together with the thesis onto the thesis submission portal

2. A turn-it-in report must be generated. This also needs to be submitted together with the thesis. 

NB! The similarity index should not exceed 15%.

Students 

• Please keep all official notifications of submission generated by the online portal

Supervisors

• 1 week after submission: please check with the examinations office that the thesis has been received and forwarded to the examiners

• 6 weeks after receipt of thesis by examiners: please check with the examinations office that the thesis reports have been received

NB! 

• Once the examination process has started, NO COMMUNICATION must take place between the supervisor or the examiner

• Once the supervisor has received the examiners reports, NO COMMUNICATION must take place between the supervisor and the student. The supervisor is not allowed to share examiners reports with the students before it has served and been approved at Senate Higher Degrees level.

• Supervisors are expected to compile an overarching report which consists of the following:

  • a summary of the examiners reports

  • final mark calculation (for coursework programmes, a list of modules with weighting and final marks need to be included)

  • a final recommendation and final mark

  • All examiner's reports must be attached

• This report will first serve at Faculty Higher Degrees and then at Senate Higher Degrees

• Only once Senate has approved the marks and agreed to award the degree, can the supervisor share the examiners reports with the student and final changes can be made prior to uploading the final thesis to the university library portal.

After the examiner reports have been presented at the Senate Higher Degrees Committee (SHD) and your thesis is passed, you are required to upload your final, corrected thesis to the Thesis Submissions Portal to graduate. The purpose of the portal is to ensure the library receives a copy of your thesis for archiving and distribution via the UWC Electronic Thesis and Dissertations Repository (ETD Repository). The ETD Submission Portal is available at: http://submissions.uwc.ac.za.  

A Master’s degree/ diploma can be awarded Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude or Cum laude. To pass a Master’s programme/ diploma as indicated above, the following final mark should have been earned in each exit-level module and in the minimum time to completion (2019 rule).

• Summa Cum Laude: 85% and above

• Magna Cum laude: 80%- 84%

• Cum laude: 75%-79%

Comments from examiners may only be communicated to the student after SHD approval. A revised, amended or elaborated research product must be submitted before or on the submission date determined for that purpose in the annual university calendar of the year concerned.

A research product may only be referred back to a candidate once and, after revision, be submitted once for re-examination.

The examiners who were appointed for the original examination are deemed also to have been appointed for the re-examination, but if considered necessary or expedient, other or additional examiners may be appointed.