III. MASTER'S DEGREE
G.30 TYPES OF MASTER’S DEGREE
1. There are three types of master’s degree (NQF exit level 9, 180 credits) in terms of the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF), namely:
(a) master’s degree by dissertation: a single advanced research project, culminating in the production and acceptance of a dissertation or other forms of research such as a technical report, one or more creative performances or works, or a series of peer-reviewed articles or other research-equivalent outputs,
(b) master’s degree by coursework and mini-dissertation: a coursework programme requiring a high level of theoretical engagement and intellectual independence, and in some cases demonstration of the ability to relate knowledge to a range of contexts for professional practice. It must contain a research project comprising a minimum of 60 credits at NQF level 9, culminating in the acceptance of a mini-dissertation or other forms of research such as technical reports, creative performances or works, or series of peer-reviewed articles or other research-equivalent outputs, and
(c) professional master’s degree: the successful completion of a coursework programme requiring a high level of theoretical engagement and intellectual independence as well as demonstration of the ability to relate knowledge to the resolution of complex problems in appropriate areas of professional practice. In addition, a professional master’s degree must include an independent research component that comprises at least a quarter of the credits at NQF level 9, consisting of either a single research or technical project or a series of smaller projects demonstrating innovation or professional expertise.
G.31 ADMISSION
1. As required by the regulations of the faculty in question and subject to the stipulations of G.1.3 and G.54, the minimum admission requirement is a relevant bachelor honours degree or a relevant postgraduate diploma. A relevant bachelor’s degree at NQF level 8 may also be recognised as meeting the minimum entry requirement to a cognate master’s degree.
2. A candidate may be refused admission to a master’s degree by the head of department if he or she does not comply with the standard of competence in the discipline as determined by the department – provided that a candidate who does not comply with the required level of competence, may be admitted, provided that he or she completes additional study assignments and/or examinations as required by his or her supervisor.
3. A candidate, who is refused admission to a master’s degree, may request that the dean reconsider his or her application for admission in terms of the prescribed procedure.
G.32(a) REGISTRATION
1. (S.58) A student registers at the University at a time and in a manner determined by Council from time to time. By virtue of such registration, the student subjects himself or herself to the rules of the University.
2. Registration takes place in accordance with the regulations applicable to the particular degree for which the student registers, and on condition that compliance with the requirements of that degree is the student's responsibility.
3. After registration, a student is obliged to pay the fees due on or before the date stipulated by Council and a student who cancels his or her registration is not entitled to any refund and remains liable for the full amount.
G.32(b) RENEWAL OF REGISTRATION
1. Students of the University are registered for one year of study. After a year has expired, students wishing to continue their studies at the University must renew their registration and pay such fees for renewal of registration as are prescribed by Council from time to time.
2. Subject to exceptions approved by the dean, on the recommendation of the head of department, a student may not enter for a master’s examination in the same subject more than twice. This applies to both modules and the dissertation.
3. Students who are given permission by the dean, on the recommendation of the head of department, to present themselves more than twice for an examination in the same department, must pay the full fees for this examination.
4. Students enrolled for a master’s degree must complete their studies within two years after first registering for the degree, except for programmes which require a longer period and are specified in faculty regulations.
5. Renewal of registration after the two-year period is permitted only under special circumstances in which case the head of department may give approval for a limited fixed extension of this period in terms of the set procedures.
G.33 CONCURRENT REGISTRATION FOR TWO FIELDS OF STUDY AND DUPLICATION OF MASTER’S DEGREES
The purpose of this provision is to avoid the awarding of multiple degrees for the same work undertaken and to ensure that degrees with different purposes are not embedded within each other.
1. With the permission of the dean(s) concerned, a student may register simultaneously for a degree, diploma or certificate and another degree, diploma or certificate, whether undergraduate or postgraduate, subject to the regulations applicable to the fields of study in question and to any other stipulations the dean(s) may prescribe on condition that there shall be no overlap in the course content of the first degree, diploma or certificate and the second degree, diploma or certificate. Such a concession may be withdrawn by the dean(s) concerned if the student does not perform satisfactorily.
2. A duplicate master’s degree is one at the same level and in the same field as a degree already awarded. Applicants are allowed to enrol for a second degree at master’s level only if the second degree is in an unrelated field. A coursework degree at master’s level is not regarded as a duplicate of a research master’s degree, and therefore applicants who hold a coursework master’s degree may be admitted to a research master’s degree and vice versa if there is no duplication in the subject matter involved.
G.34 MINIMUM STUDY PERIODS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR MASTER'S DEGREES
1. A master’s degree is conferred on a student only if at least one year has expired after obtaining the qualifications required for master’s study – provided that the student is registered for at least 12 months for a master’s degree at this University, although the dean may approve a shorter period.
2. A master’s degree is conferred on a student only if he or she complies with all the requirements laid down in faculty regulations.
G.35 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF MODULES
1. For a master’s study, a dean may acknowledge examinations passed at other universities or at this University in a department other than that in which the master’s study is undertaken – on condition that the mini-dissertation is prepared and examined in terms of these regulations and is completed under the guidance of a supervisor at this University and, on the further condition that at least half of the required modules for that degree are attended and passed at this University.
2. If there is overlap in the course content of the degree for which the student wishes to enrol or is enrolled and a degree already conferred, the dean may not acknowledge any examinations and modules that form part of the degree already conferred.
G.36 REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO EXAMINATIONS
1. A student is permitted to enter an examination in a module only if the lecturer of that module, in consultation with the head of department, certifies that the student has prepared himself or herself satisfactorily by due performance in his or her work and has fulfilled the attendance requirements.
2. A student may be refused admission to the examination if the prescribed tuition fees have not been paid. A student’s final marks may also be withheld should his or her tuition fees be outstanding.
3. A student may be refused admission to the examination if he or she has failed to fulfil the attendance requirements.
4. Subject to exceptions approved by the dean, on the recommendation of the head of department, a student may not enter for any master’s examination more than twice.
G.37 EXAMINATIONS
1. General
A master’s degree is conferred on a student by virtue of a dissertation, or an examination and a dissertation or another relevant form of research, or examinations and a mini-dissertation or another relevant form of research (see G.30). Examinations may be written in and/or oral form.
2. Oral and written examinations
G.38 MASTER’S DEGREE BY COURSEWORK AND A MINI-DISSERTATION
1. A coursework master’s degree is conferred on a student by virtue of examinations (per module) and a mini-dissertation or other research-relevant output.
2. Decisions on the size (number of credits) of the research component of a master’s degree by coursework should be made keeping in mind that the University is an internationally recognised South African research-intensive institution of higher learning.
3. Mini-dissertations or other relevant forms of research are prepared and examined according to the instructions that are laid down in the faculty regulations.
G.39 MASTER’S DEGREE BY DISSERTATION
1. General
All approvals relating to the preparation and submission of dissertations are given by the dean on the recommendation of the head of department. However, the dean may, at his or her own discretion, delegate such approvals to the head of department or to the Chairperson of the Postgraduate Committee of the faculty.
2. Designation of supervisors
(a) The head of department concerned should designate a supervisor from within the faculty for a particular master’s study candidate, within one month after the candidate has been registered. The designation by the head of department should be confirmed by the dean.
(b) A person designated as supervisor, should hold a qualification equivalent to or higher than the qualification of the postgraduate concerned and have the appropriate stature and experience to supervise postgraduate candidates.
(c) A person designated as the supervisor should be appointed to an academic position in the University.
(d) On the retirement or resignation of a supervisor from the University’s service, he or she may, with approval of the head of department concerned, still act as supervisor for the student for whom he or she was appointed as supervisor, in order to enable such a student to complete his or her dissertation. For this purpose and for this period such a supervisor will be deemed to be an accredited lecturer of the University. This arrangement is allowed to continue until such time as the head of department deems it to be no longer appropriate or necessary. If on the retirement or resignation of a supervisor from the University's service, he or she is no longer prepared to act as supervisor for the student for which he or she was appointed as supervisor, a new supervisor is appointed.
(e) The designation of supervisors is submitted to the faculty board for notification.
3. An agreement between the student and the supervisor
(a) An agreement between the student and the supervisor should be signed. The document serves as the basis for the interaction between the student and the supervisor. It indicates their individual roles, responsibilities and expectations and makes it clear that they are entering into a binding undertaking with each other.
(b) It is the responsibility of the head of department concerned to monitor the progress of a candidate in regard to his or her signed agreement.
4. Approval of topic and title
(a) Applications for approval of a topic and title of a dissertation, as well as changes to titles, are submitted to the head of department, for approval by the dean (who may delegate this approval, (see G.39.1(a)).
(b) The dean or delegate approves the application or refers it back to the head of department for amendment by the student.
(c) Approved titles of dissertations are submitted to the faculty board for notification.
5. Non-disclosure of the contents of a study
(a) Where part or all of the contents of the master’s study must remain confidential, the supervisor will be required to submit an application to the dean setting out the grounds for such a request and indicating the duration of the period of confidentiality. This period would normally not exceed 2 (two) years.
(b) The dean considers the application and either approves it or refers it back to the supervisor.
6. Preparation and submission of the dissertation
(a) The supervisor is responsible for advising the student with regard to the proper preparation of the dissertation.
(b) A dissertation should only be submitted with the written permission of the supervisor. Should the supervisor refuse to grant permission for submission, the candidate may request permission to submit from the dean. The dean may allow the dissertation to be submitted for examination or may turn down the request. Should the dean turn down the request, the candidate may refer the matter to the Vice-Principal responsible for research and postgraduate studies, who should convene the Postgraduate Appeals Committee to consider the matter based on reports from the candidate, the supervisor and the Postgraduate Committee. The decision of the Postgraduate Appeals Committee is final. Should the Postgraduate Appeals Committee agree to the request of the candidate, the supervisor has the right to remove his or her name from the dissertation if he or she so wishes.
(c) A dissertation is submitted to the Head: Student Administration, before the closing date for the various graduation ceremonies as announced annually.
(d) On submission of the dissertation the student should also submit a written statement by the supervisor, confirmed by the dean, approving submission of the dissertation.
(e) A student for the master’s degree, on submission of the dissertation, has to declare the following in writing: "I declare that the dissertation, which I hereby submit for the degree ........................ at the University of Pretoria, is my own work and has not previously been submitted by me for a degree at this or any other tertiary institution."
(f) For examination purposes, a student must, in consultation with the supervisor, submit a sufficient number of bound copies of the dissertation, printed on good quality paper and of good letter quality, to the Head: Student Administration. Permission to submit the dissertation in unbound form may be obtained from the supervisor concerned on condition that a copy of the final approved dissertation is presented to the examiners in bound format or electronic format.
(g) Should the supervisor deem it appropriate, an electronic copy of the dissertation must be submitted to the Head: Student Administration for examination purposes in the format specified by the faculty and in accordance with the minimum specifications set by the Department of Library Services. The head of department may determine whether the electronic copies should be submitted instead of or in addition to the paper copies. [The specifications are available at: http://upetd.up.ac.za/authors/publish/standards.htm#specs]
(h) If a dissertation is accepted, but the student is required to make certain amendments in accordance with the examiners’ decisions, the amendments should be made to all copies to the satisfaction of the supervisor concerned, who must submit a declaration to this effect to the Head: Student Administration before 15 February for the Autumn graduation ceremonies and before 15 July for the Spring graduation ceremonies.
(i) In addition to the copies already mentioned, each successful student must submit a bound paper copy as well as two electronic copies of the approved dissertation to the Head: Student Administration in the format specified by the faculty and in accordance with the minimum standards set by the Department of Library Services, before 15 February for the Autumn graduation ceremonies and before 15 July for the Spring graduation ceremonies, failing which the degree will only be conferred during a subsequent series of graduation ceremonies.
[The specifications are available at: http://upetd.up.ac.za/authors/publish/standards.htm#specs].
7. Progress reports
(a) The supervisor must report once a year in writing to the head of department on the progress of his or her candidate.
(b) Registration for the second year is conditional on satisfactory progress in the first year as confirmed by the head of department. The head of department must record the approval on the electronic system.
8. Intellectual property
(a) All rights in regard to intellectual property that is produced by a student during his or her studies or as a result of any research project conducted at the University or through the use of the equipment of the University, vest in the University, in terms of the contract entered into by the student and/or his or her parents or guardians at registration. This stipulation applies amongst others, where the student works under study guidance or as a member of a project team of the University. It also applies where the student does contract work for a third party as a member of a research team of the University. The University and the student may, however, agree in writing to another arrangement.
(b) A student and the University may conclude an agreement regarding the publication of a research report, a mini-dissertation, a dissertation and/or any article. Should the copyright of the research report, mini-dissertation, dissertation and/or article be the only exploitable intellectual property that arises from such research report, mini-dissertation, dissertation and/or article, the University would normally transfer the copyright to the student, subject to certain conditions. A faculty may, in consultation with the Office of the Registrar, make arrangements that apply to that specific faculty.
(c) In the absence of any agreement, the University has the right to reproduce and/or publish, in any manner it may deem fit, the research report, mini-dissertation, dissertation and/or article, and to distribute such reproduction.
(d) On publication of the research report, mini-dissertation, dissertation and/or article, or an adaptation thereof, it should be stated that it emanates from a master’s study at the University. The name of the supervisor and the department, in which the study was completed, should also be acknowledged. Reprints should state the title and date of the original publication.
(e) A student may not submit an article reflecting the content of the dissertation for publication without the permission of the supervisor.
(f) The above should be read in conjunction with the University’s Intellectual Property Law Policy: Personnel and Students, as amended from time to time.
9. Technical editing of the dissertation
Subject to exceptions that have to be approved in writing by the head of department, in consultation with the supervisor, the technical editing of a dissertation should comply with the following requirements:
(a) Title page
The title page of the dissertation which is submitted should contain the following:
(i) (The full title of the dissertation) ……………………
by
(ii) (Full name of the student) …………………………...
(iii) Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
…………………………………………………………
or
Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree ………………….……… in the Faculty of …………………………….., University of Pretoria
(iv) (Year and date of submission) …………………….
(b) Format and cover
The dissertation should be submitted in a format not larger than A4. The bound copies must be bound in a hard cover, on which the title of the dissertation and the name of the student are printed. The name of the student and the year of submission of the dissertation should appear on the spine of each bound copy.
(c) Ethics statement
The dissertation should contain a statement by the student that he or she has complied with the University’s Policy on Research Ethics and Integrity and has in general observed the principles of honesty, objectivity, the duty of care and fairness in giving credit and appropriate acknowledgement to the work of others.
The ethics statement, which should appear after the declaration and before the summary of the dissertation, must contain the following:
Ethics statement
The author, whose name appears on the title page of this dissertation, has obtained, for the research described in this work, the applicable research ethics approval.
The author declares that he/she has observed the ethical standards required in terms of the University of Pretoria’s Code of ethics for researchers and the Policy guidelines for responsible research.
10. Synopsis of the dissertation
(a) A summary of the dissertation in English of not more than 250 words should be compiled by the student and included in each bound copy of the dissertation.
(b) A list of key terms to ensure recovery of the source should also be submitted together with the examination copies of the dissertation.
(c) The student submits the summary of the dissertation for approval by the supervisor before final presentation thereof.
11. Evaluation of the dissertation
(a) Appointment of the examination panel
(i) A student should inform the Head: Student Administration, in writing, of the intention to submit the dissertation at least three months prior to submission, in order that examiners can be notified accordingly.
(ii) The supervisor, in consultation with the head of department concerned, compiles a list of names of potential examiners both inside and outside of South Africa from which the dean appoints examiners, provided that at least one internal examiner and at least one external examiner from outside the University are appointed.
(iii) The supervisor may not be an internal examiner.
(iv) An external examiner should not be associated in any way with the candidate or in any way be involved in the research that the candidate has done previously, neither should a substitute examiner in any way be involved in the research that the candidate has done previously.
(v) External examiners must be from different institutions.
(vi) A summary of the dissertation in English of not more than 250 words compiled by the student will be made available to potential examiners in order to enable them to decide whether they have the expertise to accept the nomination.
(vii) As soon as a potential examiner has accepted his or her appointment as examiner, he or she is supplied with a formal letter of appointment as well as the criteria for evaluation. Examiners must sign an acceptance form, which is to be returned to the Head: Student Administration.
(b) Identity of members of the examination panel
(i) The identity of the examiners may not be revealed to the candidate until the examination process has been completed and then only with the consent of the examiner and the head of department.
(ii) The identity of the examiners is made known in the programme of the graduation ceremony at which the degree is to be conferred on the candidate.
(c) Criteria for evaluation
(i) A dissertation must be proof of a candidate’s ability to work independently.
(ii) A dissertation should comply with the requirements stipulated by faculties and is also evaluated on the following:
(aa) scientific and academic standard of research; research procedures and techniques; methodology; definition and extent of research; theoretical foundation; coverage of literature and comprehension of field of research;
(bb) scientific and academic quality of processing; presentation, analysis and synthesis of data; structure and logical development and arrangement of content; as well as critical findings, conclusions and recommendations;
(cc) editing and use of language;
(dd) technical finish and layout which must meet the requirements set by faculties; and
(ee) whether the dissertation or parts thereof is publishable.
(d) Examiners’ reports
(i) Every examiner independently and individually submits a report to the Head: Student Administration. The reports are treated confidentially.
(ii) Every report has to contain one of the following recommendations:
(aa) that the degree be conferred without any changes to the dissertation by the candidate;
(bb) that the degree be conferred as soon as minor changes have been made to the dissertation by the candidate, to the satisfaction of the head of department;
(cc) that the degree be conferred as soon as the candidate has made major changes to the dissertation to the satisfaction of the examination panel;
(dd) that the dissertation does not meet the required standard, but that the candidate be invited to review the dissertation and to resubmit the dissertation at a later stage for re-examination;
(ee) that the dissertation be rejected and that the candidate does not pass;
(ff) that the candidate should be called for oral questioning by the examination panel prior to finalisation of the result;
(gg) in addition to the above, the mark that the candidate has achieved: on condition that at least 50% be regarded as a pass mark and at least 75% as a pass with distinction.
(iii) The examiners’ reports are made available to the head of department by the Head: Student Administration.
(iv) In the case of a dissertation, the supervisor and the head of the department review the examiners’ reports and submit a consolidated report with one of the following recommendations to the Postgraduate Committee:
(aa) that the degree be conferred;
(bb) that the degree be conferred as soon as minor changes have been made to the dissertation by the candidate to the satisfaction of the head of the department;
(cc) that the degree be conferred as soon as the candidate has made major changes to the dissertation to the satisfaction of the examination panel;
(dd) that the dissertation does not meet the required standard, but that the candidate be invited to review the dissertation and to resubmit the dissertation at a later stage for re-examination;
(ee) that the dissertation be rejected and that the degree not be conferred on the candidate;
(ff) that the candidate should be called for oral questioning by the examination panel prior to finalisation of the result;
(gg) in addition to the above, the mark that the candidate has achieved: on condition that at least 50% be regarded as a pass mark and 75% as a pass with distinction.
(v) If a dissertation has been rejected the student may submit an amended version or another dissertation within two years, and in such a case the student must bear the full cost of the examination.
(e) Treatment of examiners’ reports
(i) Under no circumstances shall any party modify any examiner’s report.
(ii) The contents of the examiners’ reports or the consolidated examiners’ report may only be revealed to the candidate with the permission of the head of department and with the consent of the examiners.
(iii) In the event that the candidate has to make corrections to the dissertation, the relevant section(s) of the examiners’ reports will be made available to the candidate by the supervisor in consultation with the head of department in order for the necessary changes to be made to the dissertation.
(f) Finalisation of reports
(i) Should the examiners’ reports not reflect substantial consensus, the head of department in consultation with the supervisor, submits a report to the Postgraduate Committee, with a recommended solution. Under no circumstances shall a report of any examiner be ignored.
(ii) Should it be impossible to reach consensus, the dean, after consultation with the Postgraduate Committee and the head of department, appoints an additional external examiner who has international standing in the field of research to evaluate the dissertation and report to the Postgraduate Committee on the matter.
(iii) The Postgraduate Committee, after considering all the reports makes a preliminary decision on the conferment or not of the degree. The recommendation, together with all relevant documentation, is submitted to the dean.
(iv) Should the dean concur with the recommendation, he or she takes a decision accordingly.
(v) Should the dean not concur with the recommendation, he or she consults with the Postgraduate Committee. For purposes of this meeting, the dean becomes a member of the committee and also acts as chair of the committee. The extended committee takes a decision by means of a majority vote. Should there be a tie of votes, the dean has a deciding vote.
(vi) After a decision on the result of the dissertation has been reached, the Head: Student Administration has to
(aa) address a letter to the examiners to thank them for their participation in the examination and for their recommendations;
(bb) inform the examiners of the final result and indicate to them what their further involvement, if any, will be in the remainder of the process; and
(cc) inform the candidate, the supervisor, the co-supervisor and the head of department of the final result.
12. Draft article for publication
(a) A dean may require, before or on submission of a dissertation, the submission of a draft article for publication to the supervisor. The draft article should be based on the research that the student has conducted for the dissertation and be approved by the supervisor concerned.
(b) The supervisor should then have the opportunity to take the paper through all the processes of revision and resubmission as may be necessary and/or appropriate in order to achieve publication.
G.40 COMPLIANCE WITH DEGREE REQUIREMENTS AND DEGREE PRIVILEGES
With the exception of an honorary degree, a degree will be conferred on a student only if the student has complied with all the requirements for the particular degree and has reached the level of competence prescribed for the degree, and on condition that no one is entitled to any privileges pertaining to a degree before the degree has been conferred on him or her at a graduation ceremony.
G.41 CONVERSION OF MASTER’S BY RESEARCH TO DOCTORAL STUDY
1. Purpose
“The defining characteristic of this qualification is that the candidate is required to demonstrate a high level of research capability and to make a significant and original academic contribution at the frontiers of a discipline or field” (2013 HEQSF, p 34).
These regulations give recognition to the achievements of exceptional postgraduate students conducting promising and competitive postgraduate research projects.
2. Requirements
(a) Under special circumstances, the dean of a faculty may convert the registration of a candidate for the master’s degree to registration for a doctoral degree.
(b) For such a conversion, the head of department and the supervisor must be satisfied that the student’s completed work is of a standard that would be expected of a doctoral student, that the student is capable of completing a doctoral degree, and that the project is of a standard and scope appropriate to constitute a doctoral study.
(c) For such a conversion, the head of department and the supervisor must be satisfied that the student has demonstrated that he or she has the potential to fulfill the requirements of a doctoral degree without having completed a master’s degree.
3. Process
(a) Application for conversion may be submitted at any time during the course of study for the master’s degree.
(b) The application for the conversion must include the following documents:
(i) A detailed progress report by the candidate of the work completed for the master’s project. The report must provide proof that the results obtained thus far are of such a standard and scientific significance that conversion to a doctoral project is justified. The report should include details of presentations made at conferences and of material that has been submitted for publication and/or has been published.
(ii) A detailed proposal for the intended doctoral project, written by the candidate, including the objectives of the project.
(iii) A recommendation by the supervisor with specific comments on the ability of the applicant as a potential doctoral candidate as well as the feasibility of the conversion, especially with regard to the information provided by the candidate in his/her reports (items (i) and (ii)).
(iv) A recommendation by the head of department, if he or she is not the supervisor, in which the ability of the candidate as a potential doctoral candidate is confirmed.
(v) If the dean considers it advisable for the faculty, the candidate may be required to present a seminar to the department in support of the application. In this case, the head of department should include a report on this in his or her recommendation.
(c) The application of the candidate, together with the reports and recommendations, is submitted for consideration to the dean, (who may delegate to the Chairperson of the Faculty Postgraduate Committee) for approval. The decision should be submitted to the Faculty Board for approval.
Copyright © University of Pretoria 2024. All rights reserved.
Virtual Campus
Get Social With Us
Download the UP Mobile App