Degree Description

I. Prerequisites

Prerequisites for an Honours degree in International Relations include a BA degree in International Relations or Political Studies, or when these disciplines have been unavailable at other institutions, Public Administration and Public International Law. Students who have achieved a mark of at least 65% at Wits, or the equivalent at other universities will be eligible for consideration. The departmental screening committee will evaluate all eligible applications on a competitive basis for the available places in the programme. Applicants should include with their application a curriculum vitae, transcript of marks, letter of motivation and, if possible, an example of recent academic or professional writing.

II. Duration

An Honours Degree takes 12 months full-time and 18-24 months part-time. Every effort will be made in scheduling classes to accommodate the needs of part-time students.

III. Requirements

Students in the honours programme will choose three semester long units plus the compulsory unit on International Relations Theory. They are also required to produce a long honours essay of between 10 000 and 15 000 words. For each unit students are required to attend weekly seminars, prepare and submit research essays and write examinations.

IV. Examinations

Students will be required to write an examination in each of their units.

V. Assessment

Unit grades will be based on class participation, research reports, and the examination, in accordance with a formula set by the instructors at the start of each term. The long essay will count for 20% of the overall mark. Students must pass all components and attain an average of 50% or more for the award of the degree; students who attain a combined average of 75% or more for unitwork and the long essay will be awarded the degree with distinction.

Please Note: Not all units are on offer every year. Please check with the Department.