Anatomical Pathology

The Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Anatomical Pathology will empower you to push the boundaries of knowledge, transform challenges into discoveries, and leave a lasting impact on the world through the power of original thought.

Overview

Candidates will conduct independent research, under supervision, culminating in a thesis.

Original research should be aligned with one of the following key research focus areas:

Cancer Pathology: Investigating the pathology of various cancers, including the collection and analysis of high-quality cancer samples from clinics and hospitals in Southern Gauteng.

Infectious Diseases: Studying infectious diseases to understand their pathological mechanisms.

Molecular Pathology: Exploring gene expression profiles and signalling pathways to uncover the molecular basis of diseases.

Biomarker Discovery: Validating novel molecular markers to enhance diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

Candidates may be required to attend advanced courses relevant to their research and to present themselves for assessment as determined appropriate.

Tumour microenvironment: Use cell biology and molecular biology tools to recreate the tumour microenvironment in vitro.

Digital Pathology:  Developing workflows for integrating artificial intelligence and computational methods into diagnostic and research pathology.

The Department of Anatomical Pathology is part of the School of Pathology.

Career Opportunities

Completion of the degree may lead to careers in the following fields:

  • Medical sales representative
  • Lecturer
  • Scientific writing
  • Project management
  • Training in research or diagnostics as well as potentially roles as technicians in labs and universities
  • Consulting
  • Students could also further their education by taking a teaching diploma/business diploma

Curriculum

Research-based course culminating in a thesis. Additional requirements will include attending seminars, workshops, departmental academic meetings and presentations at scientific conferences.

Entry Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master of Science or Master of Science in Medicine or an equivalent qualification.  

A supervisor from the Department must be identified prior to application.

Supervisors list

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. Refer to Wits Postgraduate Online Applications Guide for detailed guidelines. 
  • 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. The University's Postgraduate Funding portal is a database of scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities available to Wits postgraduate students. 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.