PhD

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education is offered by full research only.

Areas of research supervision in which the Faculty can offer support include the following:
Academic Development
Academic Literacy
Psychology in Education
Environmental Education
Education Leadership and Management
Language Teaching
Mathematics Education
Science Education
Information Communication Technology in Education
Technology Education
Indigeneous Knowledge Systems
General Education Theory
Higher Education

Prospective applicants need to be in possession of a suitable Masters degree (or equivalent).

Application
Application may be made at any time of the year, though applications received after June will be registered as first year students for the following year.

Applications need to be accompanied by the following documents:
1. Full transcripts of previous degrees (unless they are Rhodes
University degrees)
2. An abbreviated CV, highlighting the areas which are of
relevance to the proposed study
3. A full motivation, including reference to:
3.1 Why you wish to undertake the research
3.2 What you think you bring to the research
3.3 What you hope to achieve by doing the research
3.4 How the research ties into your work or other interests, and
3.5 How you and others will benefit from the research.
4. A draft research proposal. Guidelines for writing a research
proposal are provided later in this document.

After receiving your application the Faculty will decide whether it has the capacity to provide you with appropriate supervision. If the decision is favourable you will be called to a personal interview with your potential supervisor(s). The interview will focus on your research interest (as described in your draft proposal). Pending the outcome of the interview you may then be advised to register formally.

If you are accepted as doctoral student your next task will be to present a seminar to the Faculty on your proposed research. You will be mentored by your supervisor in preparing for this seminar. The purpose of the seminar is to obtain critical feedback in preparation for your final proposal and your research programme. Your final proposal needs to be approved by the Education Faculty Higher Degrees Committee before you may proceed with your research.

Doctoral students are expected to attend a research methodology course, which is offered twice a year and lasts for 6 days. The course focuses on research design, and will provide support for the process of preparing a research proposal.

Fees

Fees for PhD in 2009 are about R7,480p.a. full-time for the first 3 yrs of study, and R10,510p.a. for subsequent years thereafter.  Part-time PhD(Education) fees are R5,670p.a. for the first 3 yrs of study, and R8,660p.a. for subsequent years thereafter. There is likely to be an increase of about 7% per annum. There is also a charge of R700 per annum for printing and photocopying. The expected duration of the degree is 2-3 years full-time, and 4-5 years part-time. There is no initial registration fee.

Further information

Please contact:
Prof Rob O'Donoghue
PhD Coordinator
Education Department
Rhodes University
Grahamstown, 6140
South Africa

Tel: (046) 603-7275
Fax: (046) 622-8028
E-mail: r.odonoghue@ru.ac.za

Application Forms are available from:
The Registrar
Rhodes University
Grahamstown, 6140
Tel: (046) 603-8276
Fax: (046) 603-7350
E-mail: Registrar@ru.ac.za
Website: http://www.ru.ac.za/applying