Stellenbosch - MA or MPhil Linguistics

Hello again everyone,

I recently registered after lurking for a while and am still learning about distance education and also proper etiquette here on DegreeInfo, so please bear with me!

On the Study of Language thread, I posted some remarks about my interest in some of the linguistics courses at Stellenbosch University in South Africa but that perhaps thought I might be able to get some more feedback in a thread. Please forgive me if this is not the proper way to do things here!

Here are a couple of questions I have:

1. I understand (from my previous reading here) that South African degrees may be controversial for some, but I wondered about the reputation of Stellenbosch University and its linguistics department. Has anyone completed a degree at Stellenbosch (or more specifically the ling. department)? How is its quality?

2. Could anyone give me some thoughts on the two degrees that I'm consindering? I have been primarily looking at the programme in Linguistics for the Language Professions, which seems like a nice fit for me as I don't have a lot of prior experience in linguistics but merely the interest. The second option is the MPhil in Second Language Studies. The second option seems interesting for me because of the large number of immigrants in the Midwest, particularly Chicago. My school system has a large of Spanish-speaking students as well as many others, whether they be from Poland or other places. Any thoughts about one degree over the other? Would the MA be less complicated simply from a name standpoint for future employers? It doesn't seem that many Americans are familiar with the MPhil.

3. Finally, for anyone having done a degree from Stellenbosch, is it possible to complete such degrees full time? I'm a relatively new teacher but really miss working at a degree and thought that getting a degree from one of the South African universities would be an inexpensive way to continue to pursue my interests but yet continue to challenge myself intellectually. Yet, I'm cautious about starting too rigorous of a course if I have not yet grounded myself yet in my teaching. Thoughts or suggestions?

I'm sure other questions will come to mind, but those are some of my first concerns. Thanks for any help you guys can offer. I look forward to reading your thoughts.

Messdiener

 

Stellenbosch is generally considered to be one of the better South African universities. Beyond that, prestige is sometimes measured more by the name of your dis advisor.