What to study

At the University of Pretoria (UP), we encourage students to apply for our internationally recognised postgraduate programmes.

As one of Africa’s top research institutions, we are passionate about transdisciplinary research, which means we solve the world’s most pressing concerns in a holistic way rather than in traditional academic silos. At UP, we think big, creatively and out of the box!

UP has some of the best research infrastructure in South Africa in terms of laboratories, libraries and practical sites. We produce cutting-edge research and are among the top producers of research in the country – so #ChooseUP for postgraduate studies in just about any field you can think of.

To help you decide:

Use our Virtual Campus to help you decide on a course, or to discover a new field of interest, explore our campuses, and access the information you need to apply. Also browse our Research Matters site for a cross-section of some of our research offerings.

If you already know what you would like to study, explore the course options in each of our faculties to find out more.

Please pay attention to opening and closing dates for applications, as they differ from programme to programme.

Your available options:

Faculties and Programmes

At the University of Pretoria (UP), we offer a diverse range of academic programmes across nine faculties and one business school.

Short courses

Enterprises University of Pretoria offers a wide range of short courses throughout the year.

UP Online

In a world where numerous services have transitioned online, higher education should be no exception. The University of Pretoria has embraced this idea by introducing a range of fully online accredited programmes through its UPOnline initiative.

Choose your postgraduate degree

We’ll help you make the right choice
Make an informed decision when choosing your postgraduate degree programme. UP offers over 1 200 postgraduate academic programmes. Click on the link to choose an appropriate degree programme.

Identify and contact a potential supervisor
After you’ve chosen the degree programme you want to pursue, it’s time to identify a potential supervisor.

Contact the potential supervisor to discuss the possibility of them supervising you.

Research focus areas and information about potential supervisors can be obtained from the web pages of relevant faculties.

Apply for admission

Applications to study at UP are done online.

Read and follow the instructions when completing the application form. Once the application has been completed, you will receive a reference number which can be used to track your application online.

Allow sufficient time for academic departments within the relevant faculty to make a decision regarding your application.

START YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION HERE

Register for your degree programme

Once you’ve applied online, you will receive access to the University of Pretoria student portal. Before registering, all students are expected to sign a contract which binds them to the rules and regulations of the University. This contract can be downloaded on the student portal. Once signed, it must be delivered to the Student Service Centre.

After submitting the signed contract, you will pay a registration fee which is determined annually. After making payment, you can then proceed with online registration on the student portal.

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