PhD International Relations
International Relations (IR), PhD admissions are highly selective. Our admissions committee considers both the academic potential of applicants and the availability of suitable supervisory expertise.
Overview
At present our PhD degree in undertaken exclusively by research culminating in the production of a thesis. In intended field of research much clearly be part of the discipline of IR. Moreover, the topic needs align with the expertise of an IR member of staff.
Applications are accepted throughout the year.
Entry Requirements
- External Applicants
- Certified copy of your degree certificates (unless graduation date falls in the following academic year. However, once your final marks are published, the University will require you to upload your complete academic transcript in order to confirm your acceptance to the programme.)
- Certified copy of an academic transcript for all your academic qualifications
- SAQA evaluation (international applicants and South African candidates who studies abroad.)
- Proof of English proficiency (international applicants, unless medium of instruction was English)
- Curriculum vitae
- Proof of application fee payment.
- Sample of written work (for a PhD this must be a Masters Research Report, Dissertation or published paper (with the applicant as first author))
- Short proposal (2 to 3 pages in length)
- Wits applicants
- Curriculum vitae
- Sample of written work (For PhD this must be a Masters Research Report, Dissertation or published paper (with the applicant as first author))
- a basic research outline or concept paper for the selection committee to assess the feasibility of your proposed PhD topic and whether we have the staff to supervise the degree. The concept paper should be between 4000 – 6000 words inclusive of bibliography and should include:
- Rationale – A concise overview of what you intend to research and why such research is necessary.
- Research Questions or Hypothesis
- Literature Review – well-structured to show the various schools and/or debates present in the literature on your topic.
- Research Questions or Hypothesis
- Research Methodology, namely a paragraph stating the ontological and epistemological stance of the paper.
- Research Method to be adopted and a coherent motivation for this choice of research method.
- A bibliography
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. 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.