University of the Witwatersrand

This programme provides students with specialist training in African and diasporic intellectual and literary history. Taught by leading figures in the field, the programme inducts students into core theoretical debates and new approaches in the field while using African literary material to resituate and critique major trends like world literature and postcolonial theory emanating from the Anglo-American world. Capitalizing on Johannesburg as the new intellectual hub of the continent, the programme draws participants from across the continent and beyond. Since its inception under Es’kia Mphahlele in the early 1980s, the Department of African Literature has produced a cohort of graduates who have taken up positions across the African academy and other parts of the world.... [-]

This programme is a rigorous and intellectually challenging introduction to philosophical ethics, and, in particular, applied or “practical” ethics, based in the Department of Philosophy. It is designed for professionals in the Gauteng region with some management and leadership experience and presupposes no background in philosophy. It is not a programme in “professional ethics”—e.g. business ethics, biomedical ethics, technology and ethics, etc.—though some such material is sometimes covered in one or more of the electives. Rather, its emphasis is on learning methods and techniques for thinking about ethical issues of any sort. It includes exposure to the principal ethical theories and critical examination of some well-known work in various sub-fields of applied ethics. It is not a distance-education programme; regular attendance at seminars is required. To accommodate the professional lives of our participants, seminars, exams, and other programme activities are held on Saturday mornings, about 19 in the first year and 10 in the second.... [-]

The MA in Creative Writing at Wits University is a highly regarded two-year MA in which students complete a full-length creative project and an accompanying reflective essay. The programme is housed in the School of Literature, Language and Media but enjoys cross-disciplinary collaboration with lecturers and supervisors from several schools in the Faculty of Humanities. Guest writers and publishers are invited to conduct workshops or give lectures in the programme, giving students the benefits of their experience and expertise. This intensive course combines seminars with one-on-one supervision so that students receive extensive feedback on their work: from their peers, their supervisor and other supervisors in the programme.... [-]

A leading inter-disciplinary postgraduate programme in development studies is currently on offer. The programme is social sciences orientated and specializes in health, labour, gender and rural development. The programme is appropriate for students keen to pursue a career in policy research and in the local and international development organizations. Students will be able to draw upon a vast range of local and international academic expertise in a range of disciplines within the School of Social Sciences and in Economics as they critically engage in current local, national and international debates in Development Studies while promoting professional skills in these fields. Students draw upon local and international expertise in a range of disciplines. The student body is cosmopolitan and admission is highly competitive. Students with practical experience in the world of development are especially welcomed. The Programme has grown steadily since its inception in 2001. On average it is estimated that about a third of the student cohort is non-South African. Topics of student research include many focused on studies within Africa broadly.... [-]

The MA in the Field of Diversity Studies is an interdisciplinary programme that is undertaken by students from various disciplines (although most come from disciplines within the Humanities and Social Sciences). The content of the course can be applied to a variety of fields and professions, and the robustly critical approach to issues of diversity, difference, and otherness that the programme teaches will give you an ‘edge’ to just about any field or profession as diversity is an aspect of just about any contemporary context. Many of our students have gone on to work in areas such as media, non-governmental organisations, advocacy, research consultancies, and have pursued PhDs and academic careers. The programme is ideal for individuals who seek careers in the transformation sector or who are already working in it, and who wish to deepen their critical skills so as to improve their practice.... [-]

Staff members in English at the University of the Witwatersrand are able to offer supervision at Master’s level in areas ranging from medieval texts to contemporary literature, with particular strengths in Renaissance studies, Victorian fiction, modernism, postmodernism and postcolonial writing. Topics in literary theory, as well as inter-disciplinary projects, are equally welcome. Staff undertaking supervision are active researchers, who publish regularly in their fields of specialisation. In the 2014 QS World University Rankings by Subject, the department was placed in the top 51-100 category. Students receive individual mentoring and are given the opportunity to develop a professional profile by participating in undergraduate tutoring. Those with appropriate interests may be invited to share in international research partnerships with specified universities in Great Britain, Sweden and Germany.... [-]

The Masters in Film and Television offers a Professional degree in the discipline of filmmaking and aims to stimulate learning at a postgraduate level through the application of theory with practice. The following Masters' options are available to applicants: (1) MA by coursework with research report; (2) MA by dissertation. MA by coursework requires that students take three semester-long courses (one of which may be taken outside the division with the permission from the Head of Division). Students undertake research which consists of the production of a short film in a documentary, fiction or experimental film genres AND a written research report (10 000 words). Alternatively, students may wish to take the dissertation option without the option of a creative project (the written submission here is 20 000 words). Supervision of the creative work and research report is undertaken by lecturers in the Film and Television division.... [-]

The MArch(SEEC) qualification is a one-year full-time program on sustainability and energy studies with a focus on cities, settlements, buildings, and architecture. With a strong focus on the energy and climate change challenge, this multi-disciplinary program aims to arm the graduates with an integrated range of competencies which will make them invaluable role players in decision making concerning the future/sustainability of cities and their built environment. Besides the basic technical principles on a variety of the interventions/technologies at different scales, courses in the program address a wide range of inter-related issues including policy frameworks, institutional structures, markets, behavior, finance and socio-economic dimensions.... [-]

Applications for 2017 are now closed

The Wits Real Estate Programme is the only one in South Africa that has been benchmarked by independent international academics (who are experts in the field) and judged as compared to similar programmes in Europe and North America. This enables Wits to offer a world-class education featuring internationally trained staff as well as some of the leading experts in the local market. The instructional spaces are modern and house state-of-the-art facilities. We offer you the opportunity to gain a real estate qualification at the doorsteps of the largest concentration of real estate employers on the African continent enabling you to start a career in the most sophisticated real estate market in Africa.... [-]

This Systems Engineering programme has been developed as a practice-based systems engineering (PBSE) suite of courses where the University presents the theoretical background and participating industry organisations, in which the students are employed, provide opportunities to apply the material on real projects. The systems engineering world, as seen through the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), is moving from document-centric approaches to model-based systems engineering (MBSE). Many international projects are using MBSE and tools are widely available today. MBSE requires a curriculum that prepares a new breed of systems engineers. To develop MBSE skills there is a need to shift the focus from systems engineering processes and management to include a technical component which addresses the “how to” (skill). This programme facilitates this shift.... [-]

We offer flexible study options:

The courses cover various aspects of environmental sciences, including conservation of biodiversity, environmental chemistry, environmental management, environmental law, climate change and mitigation, environmental impact assessments as well as remote sensing and GIS. The courses are spread over three Faculties: Science, Engineering & the Built Environment and Commerce, Law & Management.

Applications for 2017 are now closed The Master in Urban studies is a multi-disciplinary master degree, including courses in Planning, Political Studies, Sociology, and History. The degree is research-oriented and suited for students aiming at developing and consolidating their research skills, for careers involving research in academic, NGO, global institutions or government environments. Most lecturers involved have both a strong academic background and activist experience, and the degree focuses more specifically around issues of urban politics and governance, local democracy and justice, processes and politics of policy-making in Cities of the South.

The MCom programme comprises a 50% research component and a 50% coursework component. The research component is one compulsory outcome the final research report. The coursework component has one compulsory module, research theory and design. Students are then required to choose three elective modules out of the four modules offered. Students are required to pass a total of four courses and their final research report in order to graduate with the MCom degree in the field of accounting.

Research (50%)

Course Work (50%)

The Master of Management in the field of Public and Development Management is a rigorous academic programme aimed at providing students with the advanced conceptual and analytical abilities they need to become effective public policy-makers and senior public administrators and development, practitioners.

Candidates will require a foundational knowledge of public and development management. This includes a solid grounding in the theory and practice of governance, policy formation, and the management of large organisations, including public bureaucracies. While the Master's programme itself lasts a year, candidates are required to first complete the PDM course, which will provide them with the requisite foundation. Therefore, the Master's degree is effectively a two-year programme. ... [-]

MBE Housing degree engages with housing issues from a multi-disciplinary, internationalist perspective. Its courses explore theoretical, conceptual, social, technical, managerial, legal, financial and planning aspects of housing both in policy and in practice. Through a substantial research component, students are given the opportunity to critically explore a particular aspect of their interest in housing.

The MBE Housing develops practical, managerial, analytical, and spatial skills as well as social and cultural sensitivities to meet housing challenges in the unevenly developing world.

Curriculum Outline/Modules taught

Wits University offers the International Institute of Welding course leading to the IWE ( International Welding Engineer -[BScEng graduates]) and IWT ( International Welding Technologist [BTech graduates]). Wits University is an Approved Training Body (ATB) for the International Institute of Welding (IIW). Successful completion of the courses (60% min/each module and a 95% attendance record) entitles the candidate to apply for IIW registration.

The intent is to equip candidates for a career in the welding industry, this implying an understanding of the practice of welding engineering underpinned by sound science.

The MEng in Welding Wits is made up of 12 courses divided into four main modules. The modules are welding processes, welding metallurgy, welded joint design and fabrication, and applications and case studies.... [-]

Applications for 2017 are now closed

The Wits MSc Project Management in Construction offers a world-class education featuring international and internationally trained staff as well as some of the leading experts in the local industry. Our instructional spaces provide modern state-of-the-art facilities for postgraduate teaching backed by fully equipped IT laboratories featuring industry standard software. We offer you the opportunity to gain a postgraduate built environment qualification in one of the largest urban settings on the African continent enabling you to develop your academic and industry skills in Gauteng; the economic dynamo of Southern Africa that provides a unique mix of first world infrastructure alongside developing world challenges.... [-]