Guidelines for application to the research master's and doctoral programmes in the Department of Information Science
Applications close: End of May 2022 for the same academic year
For details on the taught master’s programme,
click here.
For application for the research master's and doctoral programmes in the Department of Information Science the following guidelines must be followed:
1. Follow the appropriate links on the
Online Application website of the University of Pretoria
to apply online.
2. Include your academic record.
- Please note that we require an honours degree in Library and/or Information Science, Publishing, Multimedia or related subjects such as Information Management or Knowledge Management for acceptance to the master’s programme. In highly exceptional cases, a different background will be accepted, depending on the research topic. We require an average of at least 65% for honours modules for consideration for entrance to the Research Master’s programme.
- Please note that we require a master’s degree in Library and/or Information Science, Publishing, Multimedia or related subjects such as Information Management or Knowledge Management for acceptance for the doctoral programme. In highly exceptional cases, a different background will be accepted, depending on the research topic. We require an average of at least 70% for the master’s degree for entrance to the doctoral programme.
3. If you did not obtain your honours qualifications in South Africa, you must first apply for clearance from the
South African Quality Assurance Authority (SAQA). The SAQA clearance certificate must be submitted with your application. International students should also contact the University of Pretoria’s
International Cooperation Division regarding admission requirements, study visas, fees, student support, etcetera.
4. Include an abstract (also referred to as a preliminary proposal) meeting with the requirements set out below). Please note that apart from your intended research topic, the quality of the abstract is very important in considering your application. Please pay attention to the length required.
Guidelines for abstract/preliminary proposal: (However, please note that we need a formal online application to consider acceptance for the programmes)
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Write an abstract of approximately 800 to 1200 words in which you describe the field and objectives of your research and the contribution it will make towards the broader fields of Information Science / Library Science / Multimedia / Publishing. Pay special attention to the title, your research problem / problem statement / sub-questions.
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Please ensure that the topic you choose falls within the research focus areas of the Department.
5. The Research Committee (RESCOM) of the Department of Information Science will evaluate your application (including your abstract and your academic record) and make a decision. The outcome of your acceptance / rejection will be communicated to you by Faculty Administration via your UPPortal as well as, if accepted, the name and email address of the assigned supervisor. Please get in touch with the supervisor immediately. In some cases a co-supervisor(s) will be assigned.
6. Although the EBIT Postgraduate Lifecycle advises applicants to: 1. determine the reseach focus area, 2. determine potential supervisor, 3. Fill in Form, 4. apply online, 5. sign the MOA, 6. submit your proposal, our department requires applicants to: 1. determine the reseach focus area, 2. determine potential supervisor, 3. write a preliminary abstract of 800-1200 words (without the help of a supervisor), 4. apply online and hand in the preliminary abstract 5. if accepted, immediately contact supervisor as proposed by RESCOM, 6. fill in form (proposal for title and supervisor).
7. Thereafter, please follow the STEPS suggested by the
EBIT Postgraduate Lifecyle from PHASE 2 by clicking on the top menu bar on PHASE 2.
Registration needs to be completed before you can receive formal supervision.
We suggest that you register within a month of acceptance, and according to Faculty requirements. If there are any problems or delays, please notify the supervisor(s) assigned to you.
8. Please complete the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) (see Phase 3, Step 6) and then continue to work according to the EBIT Postgraduate Lifecycle in consultation with your supervisor.
9.The next step is to complete a full research proposal (± 5 000-7 000 words) in consultation with your supervisor(s), reflecting the following aspects:
- Introduction / Background / Rationale which explains the context of the research briefly
- Research problem / Research objectives and sub-problems / Sub-objectives
- Relevancy of problem for subject field / Value of research
- Brief literature overview discussing the current status of research concerning the problem area
- Research methodology
- Assumptions (only if applicable)
- Demarcation of research (if applicable)
- Clarification of key terms that will be used in the research study
- Overview of chapters of the dissertation / thesis
- Bibliography / List of references
- Research timetable / Work plan.
Considering the timelines for completing your studies, it is strongly recommended that you complete the full proposal within the first 6 months of the academic year. You will, however, clarify the detail with your supervisor(s).
10. The full research proposal is submitted to the Research Committee of the Department of Information Science, and if necessary to the University protocol for acceptance. Ethical clearance for data collection must also be obtained at a later stage (before you start with data collection) from various committees, e.g. (1) evaluation by the Research Committee of the Department of Information Science; (2) Evaluation by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty; (3) Evaluation by Ethics Committees of other faculties depending on the research topic.
11. For queries and further detail, please contact:
Doctoral programme:
Research master’s programme:
For topic related queries you can also contact:
Publishing:
Multimedia:
Virtual Campus
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