BA Honours or an MA?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Pelican, May 23, 2011.

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  1. Pelican

    Pelican Member

    I see two kinds of degrees in the College of Human Sciences at UNISA: BA Honours and MAs. Assuming they are okay with a US-earned BA, I think I could meet the entrance requirements for the BA Honours and MA programs, however, as for the curriculum, I'm not sure if I should pick a BA Honours or MA.

    My goal is to gain a very broad understanding of the subject, to explore potential interests, to strengthen my research skills, and to open more doors for further subsequent studies.

    An MA seems to obviously be a more valuable degree on paper, but it appears that unlike a US MA degree (which have courses), the UNISA MAs only consist of 1 very long dissertation. Is that so? Would I be correct in my assumption that the MA wouldn't fit my goals so well and are more suitable for student who has already thoroughly studied the topic, has settled on (or is near settling on 1 very narrow subject which they'd like to study exclusively and intensively), and they'd like to produce original research in a previously unexplored area?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 23, 2011
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    You haven't said which subject area has caught your interest but typically the Honors program consists of 4 specific courses. They can be completed in one year but you may need to be prepared to travel to the closest regional testing center for exams. The Masters will be a research-based degree (dissertation only) and while they say that it can be completed in one year I believe that is based on full-time status. You will be required to provide a preliminary description (2-4 pages) of your research topic at the time of admission (tip: do it right. well written. formatted properly. references/bibliography. etc.) Regardless of which program you choose, all indicators suggest that using IACI is a good move:

    http://www.iaci-canada.com/
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 23, 2011
  3. Pelican

    Pelican Member

    I'm looking at the Near East Asian Studies programs. I'm near an approved test center, but have no library, furthermore, I don't live in North America; should I still go through IACI?
     
  4. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I think they'll take virtually anyone at IACI, regardless of their location. In any case, it can't hurt to ask. All they do is facilitate the admissions process.
     

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