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Doctorates (G.42-G.54)

IV.       DOCTORATE
G.42    ADMISSION

1. Subject to cases where a master’s degree is not laid down as a prerequisite and subject to the stipulations of G.1.3 and G.54, a candidate is admitted to doctoral study only if he or she is in possession of a master’s degree.
2. A candidate may be refused admission to doctoral study by the head of department, if he or she does not comply with the standard of competence in the subject as determined by the department – provided that a candidate who does not comply with the required level of competence, may be admitted, provided that additional study    assignments and/or examinations are completed.
3. A candidate, who is refused admission to doctoral study, may request that the dean reconsider his or her application for admission in terms of the prescribed requirements.

G.43    REGISTRATION

1. (S.58) A student registers at the University at a time and in a manner determined by Council from time to time. By virtue of such registration, the student subjects himself or herself to the rules of the University.
2. Registration takes place in accordance with the regulations applicable to the particular degree for which the student registers, and on condition that compliance with the requirements of that degree is the student's responsibility.
3. After registration, a student is obliged to pay the fees due on or before the date stipulated by Council. A student who cancels his or her registration, is not entitled to any refund and remains liable for the full amount.

G.44    RENEWAL OF REGISTRATION    

1. Students of the University are registered for one year of study, or for a shorter period determined in general or in specific cases by Council. After a year or period of study has expired, students wishing to continue their studies at the University must renew their registration and pay such fees for renewal of registration asare prescribed by Council from time to time.
2. Subject to other faculty regulations, a student for a doctorate must complete his or her studies within three years after first registering for the degree. Under special circumstances, the dean, on the recommendation of the head of department or the Postgraduate Committee, may give approval for a limited fixed extension of this period.

G.45    TERMINATION OF REGISTRATION
A dean may, on the recommendation of a particular Postgraduate Committee, cancel the registration of a student if the student fails to comply with the minimum requirements determined by the faculty board – on condition that a student may request that the dean reconsider the decision in terms of the set procedures. The general rule is that a doctoral student must complete his or her studies within three years, with a possible limited fixed extension, after first registering for the degree.
 

G.46    APPLICATION OF OLD AND NEW REGULATIONS

1. Should a regulation, according to which a curriculum has been compiled, be amended, a student who has started his or her curriculum under the old regulation and who has not interrupted his or her study, may complete such a curriculum in accordance with the old regulation – on condition that a faculty board may formulate special transitional requirements in order to enable that student to complete his or her study in accordance with the new regulation.
2. A student who has been registered for a degree programme and

(a) who has failed to renew his or her registration for such a degree programme in the ensuing calendar year; or

(b) who has failed a year of study; or

(c) who has not complied with the prescribed requirements for progress in accordance with faculty regulations, is deemed to have interrupted his or her study and forfeits the right to continue studies under the old regulation.

In exceptional cases, a dean may grant such a student permission to continue his or her study in terms of such stipulations as the dean may determine.
 

G.47    CONCURRENT REGISTRATION FOR TWO FIELDS OF STUDY AND DUPLICATION OF DOCTORAL DEGREES

1. With the permission of the dean(s) concerned, a student may register simultaneously for a degree, diploma or certificate and another degree, diploma or certificate, whether undergraduate or postgraduate, subject to the regulations applicable to the fields of study in question and to any other stipulations the dean(s) may prescribe on condition that there shall be no overlap in the course content of the first degree, diploma or certificate and the second degree, diploma or certificate. Such a concession may be withdrawn by the dean(s) concerned if the student does not perform satisfactorily.
2. A duplicate doctoral degree is one which is at the same level and in the same field as a degree already awarded. Applicants are allowed to enrol for a second degree at doctoral level only if the second degree is in an unrelated field.
    

G.48    MINIMUM PERIODS OF STUDY AND REQUIREMENTS FOR A DOCTORATE

1. A doctorate is conferred on a student only if

1.1    one of the following periods has expired:

(a) at least four years after complying with all the requirements for a three-year bachelor's degree

(b) at least three years after complying with all the requirements for a four-year bachelor's degree

(c) at least two years after complying with all the requirements for a bachelor's degree of five years or more, or

(d) at least two years after complying with all the requirements for a master's degree

1.2    at least 12 months since registration for the doctorate at this University have expired, unless a shorter period has been approved by the dean.

2. In addition to the stipulations of G.48.1 a doctorate is conferred on a student only if he or she has complied with all the requirements laid down in faculty regulations.
 

G.49    EXAMINATIONS

1. General

A doctorate is conferred by virtue of a thesis, provided that the faculties may lay down the additional requirements of written and/or oral examinations.

2. Doctoral examinations

(a)  The dean, on the recommendation of the head of department, determines the nature and extent of examinations, as well as the pass requirements.
(b)  The results of the examination are presented to the dean for ratification.
 

G.50    THESES
1.   General
(a)    Approval of topic and title
(i)   Applications for the approval of the topic and title of a thesis, as well as changes to titles are submitted to the relevant Postgraduate Committee, on the recommendation of the relevant head of department.
(ii)  The Postgraduate Committee considers the applications and either approves them or refers them back to the head of department.
(iii) In the event of a dispute between the head of department and the Postgraduate Committee an appeal in writing can be made to the dean. The decision of the dean is final.
(iv) The titles of theses are submitted to the faculty board and included in the board pack for notification.
    (b)    Non-disclosure of the contents of a study
(i)   Where part or all of the contents of a doctoral study must remain confidential, the supervisor will be required to submit an application to the Postgraduate Committee setting out the grounds for such a request and indicating the duration of the period of confidentiality. This period would normally not exceed 2 (two) years.
(ii)  The Postgraduate Committee considers the application and either approves it or refers it back to the supervisor.
(iii) In the event of a dispute between the supervisor and the Postgraduate Committee a written appeal can be made to the dean. The decision of the dean is final.
    (c)     Designation of supervisors or co-supervisors
(i)   The head of department concerned must designate a supervisor and/or a co-supervisor from within the faculty for a particular candidate within one month after the candidate has registered. The designation by the head of department should be confirmed by the Postgraduate Committee. Should the Postgraduate Committee not confirm the designation by the head of department, the matter is referred to the dean for a final decision.
(ii)  A person designated as supervisor for a doctoral candidate, should hold a qualification that is equivalent to the qualification of the postgraduate candidate concerned, and should have the appropriate stature and experience to supervise postgraduate candidates. If this is not the case the head of department must obtain approval from the Postgraduate Committee for the designation.
(iii) A person designated as the main supervisor must be appointed to an academic position in the University. Co-supervisors who do not occupy academic positions in the University may also be appointed.
(iv) On the retirement or resignation of a supervisor from the University's service, he or she may, with the approval of the head of department concerned, still act as supervisor for the student for whom he or she was appointed as supervisor, in order to enable such a student to complete his or her thesis. For this purpose and for this period such a supervisor will be deemed to be an accredited lecturer of the University. This arrangement is allowed to continue until such time as the head of department deems it to be no longer appropriate. If on the retirement or resignation of a supervisor from the University's service, he or she is no longer prepared to act as supervisor for the student for whom he or she was appointed as supervisor, a new supervisor is appointed as stipulated in G.50.1(c)(i) to (iii).
(v)  The designation of supervisors and co-supervisors is submitted to the faculty board for notification.
(vi) An agreement between the student and the supervisor should be signed. The document serves as the basis for the interaction between the student and the supervisor. It indicates their individual roles, responsibilities and expectations and makes it clear that they are entering into a binding undertaking with each other.
(vii)It is the responsibility of the head of department concerned to monitor the progress of a candidate in regard to his or her signed agreement.
  (d)    Preparation and submission of the thesis
(i)   The supervisor is responsible for advising the student with regard to the proper preparation of the thesis.
(ii)  A thesis may only be submitted with the written permission of the supervisor. Should the supervisor refuse to grant permission for submission, the candidate may request permission to submit from the Postgraduate Committee. The Postgraduate Committee may allow the thesis to be submitted for examination or may turn down the request. Should the Postgraduate Committee turn down the request, the candidate may refer the matter to the Vice-Principal responsible for research and postgraduate studies, who should convene the Postgraduate Appeals Committee to consider the matter based on reports from the candidate, the supervisor and the Postgraduate Committee. The decision of the Postgraduate Appeals Committee is final. Should the Postgraduate Appeals Committee agree to the request of the candidate, the supervisor has the right to remove his or her name from the thesis if he or she so wishes.
(iii) A thesis is submitted to the Head: Student Administration, before the closing date for the various graduation ceremonies as announced annually.
(iv) On submission of the thesis the student should also submit a written statement by the supervisor or the chairperson of the Postgraduate Committee or chairperson of the Postgraduate Appeals Committee, where applicable, approving submission of the thesis. A doctoral student must also submit a CV, approved by the supervisor, on submission of the thesis.
(v)  A doctoral student, when submitting a thesis, has to declare the following in writing: "I declare that the thesis, which I hereby submit for the degree ........................ at the University of Pretoria, is my own work and has not previously been submitted by me for a degree at this or any other tertiary institution."
(vi) For examination purposes, a student must, in consultation with the supervisor, submit a sufficient number of bound copies of the thesis, printed on good quality paper and of good letter quality, to the Head: Student Administration. Permission to submit the thesis in unbound form may be obtained from the supervisor concerned on condition that a copy of the final approved thesis is presented to the examiners in bound format or electronic format.
(vii) Should the supervisor deem it appropriate, an electronic copy of the thesis must be submitted to the Head: Student Administration for examination purposes in the format specified by the faculty and in accordance with the minimum specifications set by the Department of Library Services. The head of department may determine whether the electronic copies should be submitted instead of or in addition to the paper copies. [The specifications are available at:
      http://upetd.up.ac.za/authors/publish/standards.htm#specs]
(viii)If a thesis is accepted, but the student is required to make certain amendments in accordance with the examiners' decisions, the amendments should be made to all copies to the satisfaction of the supervisor concerned, who must submit a declaration to this effect to the Head: Student Administration before 15 February for the Autumn graduation ceremonies and before 15 July for the Spring graduation ceremonies.
(ix) In addition to the copies mentioned in G.50.1(d)(vi), each successful student must submit a bound paper copy as well as two electronic copies of the approved dissertation to the Head: Student Administration in the format specified by the faculty and in accordance with the minimum standards set by the Department of Library Services, before 15 February for the Autumn graduation ceremonies and before 15 July for the Spring graduation ceremonies, failing which the degree will only be conferred during a subsequent series of graduation ceremonies. [The specifications are available at:
                      http://upetd.up.ac.za/authors/publish/standards.htm#specs].
(e)    Progress reports
(i)   The supervisor must report once a year in writing to the head of department on the progress of his or her candidate.
(ii)  Registration for subsequent years is conditional on satisfactory progress in the preceding year as confirmed by the head of department. The head of department must give approval on the electronic system.
  (f)    Preparation of a thesis including published papers
                      (i)   In cases where a doctoral candidate has published articles based on results emanating from the doctoral study conducted at the University prior to the submission of the thesis, the thesis may be prepared on the basis of these articles.
In such cases the following apply:
• The research reported in the papers must have been conducted while the candidate was registered as a doctoral candidate at the University;
• The thesis must be prepared so as to present the published articles as a coherent body of new knowledge, and must include a comprehensive introductory section giving adequate background and the objectives of the body of research, and a concluding section which summarises the outcomes and significance of the work.
• The articles may be introduced as chapters or sections of the thesis. 
(ii)  The thesis should be accompanied by a letter in which the candidate testifies that the publication/s included in the thesis
• has/have not been submitted previously to this or any other tertiary institution for such a doctoral degree;
• is/are his or her own work, and with regard to such publication/s of which he or she is co-author, that his or her personal contribution to those works is clearly stated;
• has/have given due recognition to the institutional policy on copyright.
(iii) A summary of not more than 500 words that indicates the contribution that the work has made to the discipline.
(g)    Intellectual property
(i)   All rights in regard to intellectual property that is produced by a student during his or her studies or as a result of any research project conducted at the University or through the use of the equipment of the University, vest in the University, in terms of the contract entered into by the student and/or his or her parents or guardians at registration. This stipulation applies amongst others where the student works under study guidance or as a member of a project team of the University. It also applies where the student does contract work for a third party as a member of a research team of the University. The University and the student may, however, agree in writing to another arrangement.
(ii)  A student and the University may conclude an agreement regarding the publication of a thesis and/or any article. Should the copyright of the thesis and/or article be the only exploitable intellectual property that arises from such thesis and/or article, the University would normally transfer the copyright to the student, subject to certain conditions. A faculty may, in consultation with the Office of the Registrar, make arrangements that apply to that specific faculty.
(iii) In the absence of any agreement, the University has the right to reproduce and/or publish, in any manner it may deem fit, a thesis and/or article as contemplated in G.51, and to distribute such reproduction.
(iv) On publication of the thesis or any article as contemplated G.51, or an adaptation thereof, it should be stated that it emanates from a doctoral study at the University. The name of the supervisor and the department, in which the study was completed, should also be acknowledged. Reprints should state the title and date of the original publication.
(v)  A student may not submit an article for publication reflecting the content of the dissertation without the permission of the supervisor.
(vi) The above should be read in conjunction with the University’s Intellectual Property Law Policy: Personnel and Students, as amended from time to time.
2.   Technical editing of the thesis
(a)    Subject to exceptions that have to be approved in writing by the head of department, in consultation with the supervisor, the technical editing of a thesis should comply with the following requirements:
(b)    Title page
The title page of the thesis which is submitted should contain the following:
(i)   (The full title of the thesis) ……………………
                    by
(ii)  (Full name of the student …………………………...
(iii) Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree ………………………………………
                    or
      Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree ………………….………in the Faculty of …………………………….., University of Pretoria
(iv) (Year and date of submission) …………………….
(c)     Format and cover
         The thesis should be submitted in a format not larger than A4. The bound copies must be bound in a hard cover, on which the title of the thesis and the name of the student are printed. The name of the student and the year of submission of the thesis should appear on the spine of each bound copy.
(d)    Ethics statement
         The thesis should contain a statement by the student that he or she has complied with the University’s Policy on Research Ethics and Integrity and has in general observed the principles of honesty, objectivity, the duty of care and, fairness in giving credit and appropriate acknowledgement to the work of others.
         The ethics statement, which should appear after the declaration referred to in G.50.1(d)(v) and before the summary of the thesis, must contain the following:
          Ethics statement
The author, whose name appears on the title page of this thesis, has obtained, for the research described in this work, the applicable research ethics approval.
The author declares that he/she has observed the ethical standards required in terms of the University of Pretoria’s Code of ethics for researchers and the Policy guidelines for responsible research.
3.   Synopsis and abstract of the thesis
(a)    A summary of the thesis in English of not more than 250 words should be compiled by the student and included in each bound copy of the thesis.
(b)    In addition to the summary mentioned in G.50.3(a), an abstract, in English, of the doctoral thesis of 350 words, as well as the title page in English, should be submitted together with the examination copies of the thesis. The abstract will be submitted to the University’s Department of Library Services.
(c)     A list of key terms to ensure recovery of the source should also be submitted together with the examination copies of the thesis.
(d)    The title of the abstract referred to in G.50.3(b) should contain the following:
(i)   (Full title of the thesis) ……………………………….
                    by           
(ii)  (Full name of the student ……………………………
(iii) Supervisor ………………………………………….....
      Co-supervisor …………………………………………
(iv) Department …………………………………………....
(v)  Degree for which thesis is submitted ………………
(e)    The student must submit the summary and the abstract of the thesis to the supervisor for approval before final presentation thereof.
4.   Evaluation of the thesis
(a)    Appointment of the examination panel
(i)   A student should inform the Head: Student Administration, in writing, of the intention to submit the thesis at least three months prior to submission, in order that examiners can be notified accordingly.
(ii)  The Postgraduate Committee appoints the examination panel for a particular candidate subject to the provisions of regulation G.50.4(a)(iii).
(iii) The supervisor in consultation with the head of department concerned compiles a list of names of potential examiners both inside and outside of South Africa from which the Postgraduate Committee can appoint examiners provided that at least one internal examiner and at least two external examiners from outside the University are appointed, of whom at least one must preferably be from outside South Africa, as well as at least two substitute examiners for purposes of attending the oral examination as provided for in G.50.4(d)(iv). If an internal examiner is not appointed an additional external examiner must be appointed.
(iv) The supervisor may not be an internal examiner.
(v)  An external examiner should not be associated in any way with the candidate or in any way be involved in the research that the candidate has done previously, neither should a substitute examiner in any way be involved in the research that the candidate has done previously.
(vi) External examiners must be from different institutions.
(vii)A summary of the thesis in English of not more than 250 words compiled by the student will be made available to potential examiners in order to enable them to decide whether they have the expertise to accept the nomination.
(viii) As soon as a potential examiner has accepted his or her appointment as examiner, he or she is supplied with a formal letter of appointment as well as documentation on the policy of the University concerning examinations. Examiners must sign an acceptance form, which is to be returned to the Head: Student Administration.
(b)    Identity of members of the examination panel
(i)   The identity of the examiners may not be revealed to the candidate until the examination process has been completed and then only with the consent of the examiner and the Postgraduate Committee.
(ii)  The identity of the examiners is made known in the programme of the graduation ceremony at which the degree is to be conferred on the candidate.
(c)     Criteria for evaluation
(i)   A thesis must contain proof of a candidate’s ability to conduct original research that contributes to the development of new knowledge and expertise.
(ii)  A thesis should comply with the requirements stipulated by faculties and is also evaluated on the following:
(aa)  scientific and academic standard of research; research procedures and techniques; methodology; definition and extent of research; theoretical foundation; coverage of literature and comprehension of field of research;
(bb)  scientific and academic quality of processing; presentation, analysis and synthesis of data; structure and logical development and arrangement of content; as well as critical findings, conclusions and recommendations;
(cc)   editing and use of language;
(dd)  technical finish and layout which must meet the requirements set by faculties; and
(ee)  whether the thesis or parts thereof is publishable.
(iii) A student is allowed to submit a thesis that has been rejected only once in an amended form, and in such a case he or she must bear the full cost of the examination.
(d)    Examiners’ reports
(i)   Every examiner independently and individually submits a report to the Head: Student Administration. The reports are treated confidentially.
(ii)  Every report has to contain one of the following recommendations:
(aa)  that the degree be conferred without any changes to be made to the thesis by the candidate;
(bb)  that the degree be conferred as soon as minor changes have been made to the thesis by the candidate, to the satisfaction of the head of the department;
(cc)   that the degree be conferred as soon as the candidate has made major changes to the thesis to the satisfaction of the examination panel;
(dd)  that the thesis does not meet the required standard, but that the candidate be invited to review the thesis and to resubmit the thesis at a later stage for re-examination;
(ee)  that the thesis be rejected and that the candidate does not pass; or
(ff)     that the candidate should be called for oral questioning by the examination panel prior to finalisation of the result.
(iii) The examiners’ reports are made available to the head of department by the Head: Student Administration.
(iv) In the case of a thesis, the examiners’ recommendations made in terms of G.50.4(d)(ii) are preliminary in nature and subject to the successful completion of an oral examination by the candidate as provided for in G.50.4(d)(iv)(aa)–(cc) below, or such recommendations are treated as provided for in G.50.4(d)(v) below, as the case may be.
(aa)  The supervisor arranges an oral examination chaired by the head of department during which the candidate is required to do a presentation on the thesis. The examiners appointed in terms of G.50.4(a) constitute the examination commission for the oral examination. If an examiner cannot participate in the examination the supervisor calls upon one of the substitute examiners appointed in terms of G.50.4(a) to act as a member of the examination commission.
(bb)  The supervisor in consultation with the head of department makes the relevant section(s) of the examiners’ reports available to the candidate in accordance with G.50.4(e)(iii) beforehand in order for the necessary changes to be made to the thesis before the presentation.
(cc)   After the presentation by the candidate, the examination commission constitutes a closed meeting chaired by the head of department to consider the success of the candidate’s representation, to review all the examiners’ reports and to submit a consolidated report to the Postgraduate Committee with one of the following recommendations:
– that the degree be conferred;
– that the thesis does not meet the required standard, but that the candidate be invited to review the thesis and to resubmit it at a later stage for re-examination; or
– that the thesis be rejected and that the degree not be conferred on the candidate.
(v)  If all the examiners recommended in terms of G.50.4(d)(ii)(ee) that the thesis be rejected, the supervisor and the head of department review the examiners’ reports and submit a consolidated report to the Postgraduate Committee.
(e)    Treatment of examiners’ reports
(i)   Under no circumstances shall any party modify any examiner’s report.
(ii)  The contents of the examiners’ reports or the consolidated examiners’ report may only be revealed to the candidate with the permission of the Postgraduate Committee and with the consent of the examiners.
(iii) In the event that the candidate has to make corrections to the thesis, the relevant section(s) of the examiners’ reports will be made available to the candidate by the supervisor in consultation with the head of department in order for the necessary changes to be made to the thesis.
(f)     Finalisation of reports
(i)   Should the examiners’ reports not reflect substantial consensus, the head of department in consultation with the supervisor, submits a report to the Postgraduate Committee with a recommended solution. Under no circumstances shall a report of any examiner be ignored.
(ii)  Should it be impossible to reach consensus, the dean, after consultation with the Postgraduate Committee and the head of department, appoints an additional external examiner who has international standing in the relevant field of research to evaluate the thesis and report to the dean on the matter.
(iii) The Postgraduate Committee, after considering all the reports (including the report mentioned in G.50.4(f)(ii)) makes a preliminary decision on the conferment or not of the degree. The committee may make any one of the recommendations as indicated in G.50.4(d)(iv). The recommendation, together with all relevant documentation, is submitted to the dean.
(iv) Should the dean concur with the recommendation, he or she takes a decision accordingly.
(v)  Should the dean not concur with the recommendation, he or she consults with the Postgraduate Committee. For purposes of this meeting, the dean becomes a member of the Postgraduate Committee and also acts as chairperson of the Postgraduate Committee. The extended committee takes a decision by means of a majority vote. Should there be a tie of votes, the dean has a deciding vote.
(vi) After a decision has been reached about the thesis as indicated in G.50.4(f)(iii) or (iv), the Head: Student Administration has to –
(aa)  address a letter to the examiners to thank them for their participation in the examination and for their recommendations;
(bb)  inform the examiners of the final result and indicate to them what their further involvement, if any, will be in the remainder of the process; and
(cc)   inform the candidate, the supervisor, the co-supervisor and the head of the department of the final result.
G.51    ARTICLE FOR PUBLICATION
Before or on submission of a thesis, a student must submit proof of submission of an article issued by an accredited journal, to the Head: Student Administration.
The submitted article should be based on the research that the student has conducted for the thesis and should have been approved by the supervisor.
The supervisor shall be responsible for ensuring that the article has been taken through all the processes of revision and resubmission, as may be necessary.
 

G.52    COMPLIANCE WITH DEGREE REQUIREMENTS AND DEGREE PRIVILEGES
With the exception of an honorary degree, a degree will be conferred on a student only if the student has complied with all the requirements for the particular degree and has reached the level of competence prescribed for the degree, and on condition that no one is entitled to any privileges pertaining to a degree before the degree has been conferred on him or her at a graduation ceremony.
The doctorate is not conferred with distinction.
 

G.53    DOCTORAL DEGREE BY VIRTUE OF PUBLICATIONS
1.   General
This doctoral degree is conferred in those faculties where the relevant faculty regulations make provision for it.
2.   Admission
The degree is conferred on a candidate who has completed an extensive body of excellent research.
3.   Application
(a) A candidate must apply in writing, to the dean, in order to be considered for this degree.
(b) Should a student wish to graduate at a particular ceremony, an application must be submitted three months before the closing date of the various graduation ceremonies, which is announced annually.
(c) The application must be accompanied by
(i) four sets of copies of the publications by virtue of which application is made;
(ii) a report which describes the background relevant to the field of research, and relates the objectives and the content of the papers so as to demonstrate the production of a body of new knowledge;
(iii) a summary of not more than 500 words that indicates the contribution that the work has made to the discipline; and
(iv) a declaration in which the candidate testifies that the publication(s) submitted for the doctoral degree:
(v) has/have not previously been submitted to this or any other tertiary institution for such a doctoral degree;
(vi) is/are his or her own work, and with regard to such publication(s) of which he or she is co-author, that his or her personal contribution to those works is clearly stated;
(vii) with due recognition given to the author's copyright in accordance with the case.
4.   Registration
A candidate must be registered in the manner determined by the University and must pay the prescribed registration fee.
5.   Evaluation of the publications
(a) The dean appoints a committee, chaired by the chairperson of the Research Committee of which the head of department concerned is a member, to make a recommendation to the faculty board as to whether the works have sufficient substance to be submitted for examination in terms of G.53.5 (b).
(b)  If the faculty board accepts the recommendation, the Postgraduate Committee appoints an examination panel for a particular candidate, subject to approval by the dean.
(c) The head of department concerned compiles a list of names of potential examiners both inside and outside of South Africa from which the Postgraduate Committee chooses at least three external examiners from outside the University, all of whom must be recognised internationally as having made significant contributions to the field of study. Normally, at least two of these examiners would be from outside South Africa.
(d) No examiner should have any interest in the candidate or in any way be involved in the research that the candidate has done previously.
(e) External examiners must be from different institutions.
(f)  As soon as a potential examiner has accepted his or her appointment as examiner, he or she is supplied with a formal letter of appointment as well as documentation on the policy of the University concerning examinations. Examiners must sign an acceptance form that is to be returned to the Head: Student Administration.
(g)  A candidate passes if all the members of the examination panel accept the publications for the purposes of conferring the doctoral degree, and on condition that if all but one of the examiners accept the work, the dean, after consultation with the Postgraduate Committee, may appoint a knowledgeable and esteemed academic of stature from outside the University as additional examiner. If the additional examiner accepts the publications, the candidate passes. If such an examiner also rejects the publications, the doctorate is not conferred.
(h) A candidate is considered only once for a doctoral degree based on publications.
(i) This degree is not conferred with distinction.
(j) After reaching a decision on whether the degree is to be conferred or not, as indicated in G.53.5(g), the Head: Student Administration has to
(i) address a letter to the examiners to thank them for their participation in the examination and for their recommendations;
(ii) inform the examiners of the final result and indicate to them what their further involvement, if any, will be in the remainder of the process; and
(iii) inform the candidate and the head of department of the final decision.
 

V.        GRANTING OF GRADUATE STATUS WITH A VIEW TO POSTGRADUATE STUDY
G.54    POLICY ON POSTGRADUATE STUDENT CASES AND THE RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING
As the University has a finite capacity in most undergraduate fields (its limits have already been reached or those admitted are selected from a large number of applicants), the University’s policy on the recognition of prior learning only applies to student cases at postgraduate level (including postgraduate diplomas).
Furthermore, as the University’s strategic objective is to be an internationally recognised research-intensive university, admission to postgraduate study by means of the recognition of a prior learning pathway is the exception rather than the rule.
Senate may:
(a)  grant a graduate of another higher education institution (either in the Republic of South Africa or elsewhere) a status at the University that is equivalent to the status the student had at such other higher education institution.
(b)  admit a person, who
(i)   has passed examinations at another university or institution (either in the Republic of South Africa or elsewhere) which Senate deems equivalent to or of a higher standard than the examinations prescribed for a degree at the University, and which are set as a prerequisite for admission to a particular postgraduate study programme, or for the admission of such a person as a research student; or
(ii)  in another manner has reached a standard of competence Senate considers adequate for the purposes of postgraduate study or research at the University, as a student for a postgraduate degree, diploma or certificate.
It is expected of the person referred to in paragraph (b)(ii) to demonstrate the same level of applied competence (fundamental knowledge, understanding of organisation or operating environment, application of essential methods, interpretation, conversion and evaluation of text, problem solving and changing context, information    gathering, presentation skills) and autonomy of learning (responsibility for own learning, decision-making, evaluation of own or others’ performance, manage learning tasks and research leadership) as a student who entered through the regular entrance pathway.
The manner in which a person’s standard of competence referred to in subparagraph (b)(ii) is assessed, the type of evidence required and the role-players involved in the process are determined from time to time by each faculty and form the basis for the motivation of each case to Senate.
To ensure the soundness of the procedure referred to above Senate requires an annual report from every faculty on the progress of candidates admitted under this regulation.