UNISA Doctoral Program - Any Thoughts?

I've searched the forum for comments on UNISA. It appears that a number of people found them cumbersome to navigate. Well, at least the cost is within reach for a "humble" public servant.

I'm considering their Doctor of Public Administration program. I've begun making inquiries early, though I would not really start the program for another 3-5 months.

Any suggestions on how to make the process fluid?

 

Hi David - It seems that we are in similar positions, although my interest doesn't lie in the field of Public Administration. I have quietly come to the conclusion that IF I'm ever to earn a PhD then it is likely to come from UNISA. The cost is a major factor for me as a PhD in my area of interest (Philosophy) is unlikely to result in a high financial return on my initial investment.
I think that the admission/registration process is fairly viscous regardless of how you approach it. My suggestion is that you begin your enquiries through IACI-Canada. They seem to be responsive and will likely be able to help you through the worst of it. They were helpful to me in my initial enquiries. Good luck,
Jack

 

The IACI-Canada suggestion is probably a good one. The US rep was absolutely useless. I don't say that lightly, he may be a nice fellow, I have never met him. I tried to email and received no response, I then called every day, usually several times a day for two weeks. He never returned my calls. So the Canada rep would be better.
Also, I think the UNISA admission process is going to be a monster, no matter how you go about it. Good luck.
I had considered UNISA for post-grad English, but am going with UNIZUL instead. My wife will probably work with UNISA starting later this year. So if you learn any shortcuts, let me know

clint

 

Any contact information for IACI, Jack? And did you disocver that organizations like IACI charge some sort of premium on the tuition? I can imagine organizations here (US) and Canada making their money that way. Incidentally, I am yet to find anyone at UNISA to give me costs. What have you or others found?

 

This info is available on their web site.
www.unisa.ac.za

clint

 

David - here's the url
http://www.iaci-canada.com
I don't know if there's any fee charged. If the answer turns out to be "yes," then I'd approach it like any other consumer transaction...is the service offered worth the fee? My own opinion is that, considering the affordability of the degree and considering the schools reputation for having a difficult admission/registration process, I personally would be willing to spend a few bucks if I thought they could actually make the process easier/smoother. As to your question of costs, please believe me when I say that the information is indeed on the web site. Having difficulty finding it? Welcome to UNISA World! Seriously, though, I don't have a url to send you on that topic. I'd advise you prowl around on the site. I believe that they even have a search function.
Good luck,
Jack

 

No fee. IACI is run by Michael Esselen -- very friendly and helpful. You can reach them at:

• [email protected]
  Phone: (604) 408 2728
  Fax: (604) 408 2764

 

Costs are here: 2002 postgraduate fees.

Some people get confused because the South Africans use the word "fees" instead of "tuition" (with the word "tuition" used as a synonym for instruction or teaching). Also they use a comma instead of a period as a decimal point. There are some general registration fees, but they come to something very modest (less than $100) so I will ignore. For a doctoral program, the standard annual tuition is R3950 plus a foreign student surcharge of R3570. So that's R7520 per year, or about $750. Quite inexpensive. But be careful if you need to have materials mailed to you, because the cost of express mail services can be high.