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Wits University Faculty of Humanities
- Political Studies We have a lively community of doctoral students under the supervision of members of staff in the department. Our PhD students participate fully in the postgraduate life of the department.
- Political Studies We have a lively community of doctoral students under the supervision of members of staff in the department. Our PhD students participate fully in the postgraduate life of the department.

Qualification: PhD

Faculty: Humanities

Duration: 2 years full-time or maximum of 4 years part-time

School: Social Sciences

Study mode: Full-time; Part-time

Overview

All PhD applicants must have 70% or above in their Masters course work or Masters by Research. 

We accept PhD applications for January and July registration, with a preference for January.  Closing dates for applications are typically at least three months before registration.  (See the university website for details.) 

Please check with School

  • 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.

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.