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Programme: PhD Economics

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Code Faculty
07267052 Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Credits Duration
Minimum duration of study: 2 years Total credits: 360

Programme information

The PhD (Economics) programme is a research degree, requiring the completion of supervised as well as independent research resulting in peer-reviewed publication. Students interested in pursuing the PhD (Economics)-degree programme are expected to have completed the equivalent of the MPhil (Economics) programme, including advanced topics courses. Students who have not completed the required courses, can still be considered for the degree, but will be required to either complete the necessary courses, as part of a bridging arrangement, or register for the MPhil in Economics.

All postgraduate programmes are not offered every year. Please consult the relevant faculty concerning the presentation of this programme.

Admission requirements

  • Relevant master’s degree with an average of at least 65%.
  • EBW 801 is a prerequisite for the thesis (EKN 995) and the module does not carry any credits. The thesis contributes 100% towards the total requirements for the degree.

Additional requirements

Capacity limitations

  • The supervision of postgraduate students is a time-consuming process, and, therefore, the Department reserves the right to limit the amount of students accepted into the programmes.
  • All reasonable measures will be undertaken to ensure that students who meet the minimum requirements are accepted.
  • In the event that department capacity cannot accommodate the number of students who meet the minimum requirements, the Department will rank students according to the above averages, and the top performing students will be admitted to the programme, up to the limit of department teaching and supervision capacity.

Additional information

  • All students accepted into the programme will be required to attend an intensive Mathematics and Statistics session. At the end of this session, students will be required to write an exam. Those students who fail the exam and those who did not attend the abovementioned session will be deregistered from the programme. The Department will also reserve the right to request that those students who have failed or did not attend the Mathematics and Statistics session enrol for appropriate modules before they will be allowed to continue with the doctoral programme.
  • Students who have not completed a full year of Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Econometrics as part of their master’s studies, may be considered for the programme, but they will be required to complete additional modules, as recommended by the Department of Economics.
  • All students will be expected to work in a research area that is relevant to current staff capabilities. The Department of Economics reserves the right to not admit suitable candidates, should their research interests can not be accommodated by staff supervision capacity.
  • The Department of Economics is serious about the need to develop students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, and, therefore, the Department will allocate additional marks, allowing for an increase in the average of up to two percentage points, to South African students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.
  • The Department of Economics also accepts that it has a responsibility to provide its own students with a seamless educational experience, and, therefore, the Department will allocate additional marks, allowing for an increase in the average of up to one percentage point, to students who previously studied at the University of Pretoria.

The Dean has the right of authorisation regarding matters not provided for in the General Regulations or the Faculty regulations.

Other programme-specific information

EBW 801 is a prerequisite for the thesis (EKN 995) and the module does not carry any credits. The course can be waived for students who have already completed it, or a similar course. The thesis contributes 100% towards the total requirements for the degree.

Continuation Policy
Students are expected to complete the degree within three years. Thus, significant progress must be made each year. Each student and supervisor will sign an MOU regarding expectations, and at the end of each year, student progress will be assessed by the department’s postgraduate committee, which reserves the right to recommend that a student not be allowed to continue with their program of study. 

Examinations and pass requirements

The thesis should be passed in accordance with the stipulations of Regulations G.52 and G.60.2.2, as well as a compulsory module in Research Methodology.

Research information

At least one chapter from the thesis must (at the very least) be submitted for publication before the degree can be awarded. Furthermore, students are expected to defend their proposal; they are also expected to present their findings on a continuous basis within the department’s seminar series.

Core modules

  • Module content:

    • Developing the background to a research problem, and developing a problem statement and propositions and hypotheses relevant to their study.
    • Compiling a thorough literature review of the topics they intend to study.
    • Approaches to research: An overview of the different approaches to research (qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods) and the philosophical approaches that underpin them (positivism, post-positivism, interpretivism, constructivism, critical theory and pragmatism).  
    • Different research designs in quantitative and qualitative methods, and appropriate sampling approaches for the different research designs.
    • Qualitative research methodology: An overview of qualitative methods for organisational research. An overview of the different methodologies on a continuum between modernistic qualitative and post-modernistic qualitative research.  
    • Quantitative research methodology

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The information published here is subject to change and may be amended after the publication of this information. The General Regulations (G Regulations) apply to all faculties of the University of Pretoria. It is expected of students to familiarise themselves well with these regulations as well as with the information contained in the General Rules section. Ignorance concerning these regulations and rules will not be accepted as an excuse for any transgression.

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