Science

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) may be taken over a minimum period of 2 years full-time or 4 years part-time.

Overview

The Doctor of Philosophy is offered in the following areas:

  • Animal Plant and Environmental Sciences
  • Chemistry
  • Computational and Applied Mathematics
  • Computer Science
  • Archaeology
  • Geography and Environmental Studies
  • Geology
  • Geophysics
  • Palaeontology
  • Mathematics
  • Molecular and Cell Biology
  • Physics
  • Statistics and Actuarial Science
  • Science Education

 

Entry Requirements

Doctorate:

  • A Master of Science from Wits or another university;
  • A graduate of this or another university who holds a degree in another faculty whose curriculum has ordinarily extended over not less than four academic years of full-time study;
  • A supervisor from the relevant School must be identified and approached prior to application.

University Application Process

  • Applications are handled centrally by the Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC). Once your application is complete in terms of requested documentation, your application will be referred to the relevant School for assessment. Click here to see an overview of the Wits applications process.
  • Please apply online. Upload your supporting documents at the time of application, or via the Self Service Portal.
  • Applicants can monitor the progress of their applications via the Self Service Portal.
  • Selections for programmes that have a limited intake but attract a large number of applications may only finalise the application at the end of the application cycle.

Please note that the Entry Requirements are a guide. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee a place. Final selection is made subject to the availability of places, academic results and other entry requirements where applicable.

International students, please check this section.

For more information, contact the Student Call Centre +27 (0)11 717 1888, or log a query at www.wits.ac.za/askwits.

University Fees and Funding

Click here to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees site also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.

For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, click here. Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities. NRF bursaries: The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies. External bursaries portal: The Bursaries South Africa website provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.