Centre for Gender and Africa Studies: At the cutting edge of critical thought
The Programme for Africa Studies is a postgraduate programme consisting of the following qualifications:
- BAHons (Africa Studies)
- Structured MPhil (Africa Studies)
- MPhil (Africa Studies) by research
- PhD (Africa Studies)
The teaching and scholarship in the Programme for Africa Studies is situated in an African context and developed in direct response to the material and social realities of our immediate environment. Knowledge and social realities are constructed and integrated and should therefore inhabit a shared interdisciplinary epistemological space.
Africa Studies, as an emerging discipline, are aimed at cultivating the analytical capacities of students by drawing on the insights of multiple disciplines such as political science, international relations, anthropology, development studies, environmental studies, history, rural development and media studies, among others. The aim is to address the burning issues related to Africa by posing questions and developing answers that transcend disciplinary divides. While the Programme for Africa Studies is committed to continental and global engagement, it is also resolved to focus on establishing and maintaining strong and sustained interaction with local communities, as well as fostering regional research partnerships. The centre’s academic programme is founded on the premise that the future of the continent lies within its own borders and people.
Curriculum
For more detailed information regarding our programmes, please follow the link below:
Who should apply?
All individuals who find themselves in a position which requires extensive knowledge of the essential issues surrounding Africa, its people and institutions, as well as those that have a genuine interest in the rebirth of Africa and a passion for its advancement.
Admission requirements
The Postgraduate Programme in Africa Studies comprises honours, master’s, and doctoral degrees. The general admission regulations of the university regarding postgraduate study apply, conjointly with the following rules, to all qualifications in the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies:
- A B-degree or four-
year diploma with relevant majors (minimum average of 65%) grants admission to the postgraduate diploma/honours degree, which runs over a period of one year.
- The programme directorate may admit students with an average from 60-64% in the preceding qualification in a cognate field of Africa Studies pending the successful completion of an additional predetermined assignment as part of the selection criteria. The assignment [a research-based essay] will form a central part of the candidate's application process.
- An honours degree or any other equivalent qualification(s) with relevant course content (minimum of 128 credits), a proven academic (minimum average of 65%) and research record (mini-dissertation) renders admission to a structured master’s with course work, where half the credits are allocated to a mini-dissertation. The structured master’s runs over a period of at least one year.
- An honours degree or any other equivalent qualification(s) with relevant course content of at least 128 credits (minimum average of 65%) including a mini-dissertation of at least 32 credits renders (65%) admission to a research master’s with a dissertation of 192 credits as requirement. The research master’s runs over a period of at least one year (full-time).
- The programme directorate may admit students with an average from 62-64% in the preceding qualification in a cognate field of Africa Studies pending the successful completion of an additional predetermined assignment as part of the selection criteria. The assignment [a research-based essay] will form a central part of the candidate's application process.
- A master’s degree or an equivalent qualification (65% for full master’s dissertation) in accordance with the general admission requirements of the university is the minimum requirements for the PhD.
Note: The detailed admission requirements for each qualification are included in the complete application packages. For more detailed admission requirements, please contact us directly.
Application procedure
Prospective students should contact our offices directly for further information. Please note that international students will also have to submit their international qualifications to a process of evaluation by SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority). The preferred application procedure is online (online application). Should online application be out of the question, please contact the Programme Management for alternative processes.
Application ends by 1 December of a preceding year.
Method of instruction
Admitted students attend blocked contact sessions four times per year on the Bloemfontein Campus. Each contact session can last for up to a week. These sessions are compulsory and students who do not attend all sessions will forfeit their place in the programme. Examinations at master’s level can be written at external centres in accordance with the university system.
Fees/Funding
UFS Centre for Graduate Support
The UFS Centre for Graduate Support can assist in postgraduate capacity-building through the offering of workshops and seminars.