Doctorate in Journalism and Media Studies
PhD degrees are undertaken by full thesis and under the guidance of supervisors. Students are accepted depending on area of interest, academic records and supervision availability. In consultation with the supervisor, a student may opt to study full time or part-time, on campus or remotely. Prospective students are strongly encouraged to peruse the JMS School’s website and familiarise themselves with the staff’s current areas of research interest.
BEFORE APPLYING
A PhD is a highly academic and relatively long-term project. It entails a workload of 40 hours a week over three years for full time students or 20 hours a week over six years for part-time students. As is the case at other institutions in South Africa, students are under pressure to complete timeously and extensions (for whatever reason) are positively discouraged. Extensions beyond five years may not be possible and failure to complete on time can jeopardise your graduation. For these reasons, we strongly encourage you to reflect on whether you are willing and able to put in the required time and effort before embarking on this journey.
Once you have decided to do a PhD you may want to start by reading at least two PhD theses of your choice (preferably from different institutions), from cover to cover. This exercise might give you a good indication of the scope of such a project, the commitment required and your ability to set time aside for this. You may also want to consult the resources in the section at the bottom of this page and familiarise yourself with the process, support structures etc. While preparing your application please familiarise yourself with the JMS School website, particularly the sections on research activities and staff members.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications should be received by 1 November each year. Only exceptionally strong candidates will be considered after this date and applications received by the School after 15 February will normally be considered for the following year. The below documentation is required:
1. Full academic transcripts. The procedure is very selective and only academically strong candidates are considered for a PhD. This includes those who completed their qualifications timeously and with good marks (65% and above) from reputable institutions. An academic background in Journalism and Media Studies or a closely related discipline is an advantage but not a strict requirement.
2. Curriculum Vitae. While professional experience can be an asset, it does not necessarily prepare one for the type of scholarly work required at PhD level. Whenever possible, try to foreground research and publication activities. Please note that recognition of prior learning and AEG admissions are extremely rare at PhD level.
3. Motivation letter. This is an important document which needs to be well written and carefully crafted. Pay particular attention to your writing as this is the selection committee's first impression of your ability. Please be concise (300 to 500 words). Avoid generic claims about yourself or the JMS School and rather focus on:
a) Your personal circumstances (working, moving across disciplines, personal motivation to choose your topic etc);
b) Reasons for choosing JMS at Rhodes over other similar institutions (e.g. alignment with research interests in the School, wish to work with a particular supervisor etc.);
c) Your proposed topic. While this will be developed further in the draft proposal, at this point the committee should get a clear idea of what you intend to do and why. Focus on the original contribution to knowledge you intend to make.
Draft proposal. Please check the Thesis proposal format (Humanities). This document gives the selection committee and a prospective supervisor a sense of how far you are in your thinking process.
Formal applications are processed through the University's portal [insert link]. To expedite the process, applicants are strongly encouraged to also email the relevant documentation to Ms Belinda De Lange (b.delange@ru.ac.za), Prof Lorenzo Dalvit (l.dalvit@ru.ac.za [make link]) and Dr Priscilla Boshoff (p.a.boshoff@ru.ac.za)). Applicants who submit all necessary documentation via email by 1 November should be notified of the outcome on or before 1 December. Should your particular circumstances require you to know the outcome earlier than that, please signal this clearly in the subject and motivate in the body of your email. PhD students are under enormous pressure to complete timeously so it is important that applicants make the necessary arrangements to start by mid February of each year at the very latest.
RESOURCES
Centre for Postgraduate Studies Programme 2022
Research proposal submission dates
Thesis proposal format (Humanities)
Last Modified: Tue, 19 Sep 2023 11:58:29 SAST