I was asked to provide some personal insight into Unisa which is the university for which I am preparing my DEd. I should mention that at the same time as applying to Unisa I also applied to two Canadian universities that were not DL institutions. I have been to the Unisa campus on a previous occassion as well as several other RSA universities. I was living and working in Zambia where Unisa has a good reputation and since it allowed anyone of any colour to attend, it meant nationals of countries outside RSA could gain a first or higher degree without having to live with apartheid first hand. I decided on Unisa partly because of its acceptance within the Commonwealth, therefore Canada, and partly to do with my work. I can continue my full time job and still conduct my research and writing. I have already been given assurance by the government of Nova Scotia Department of Education that the DEd will be accepted. My goal is to teach at university level. >>What were/are your costs? I paid US$1000 for this past year via credit card through the Canadian agent. This coming year the fees have been reduced to US$785 due to exchange rate changes. >>Did you go through the Canadian agent, Dr. Esselen? What was required for acceptance? I used the Canadian agent for registration and to make inquiries as it can be difficult to find answers from Unisa as an individual among 200,000 others. To be accepted I had to follow the same process as I did in applying to a Canadian doctoral programme. Unisa may be "open" in the sense that it is accesable, but it has the same procedures as other universities. I provided a 12 page thesis proposal with 15 page bibliography of related primary and secondary sources, all transcripts of previous degrees, articles prviously published, testimonials from 3 previous advisors and a copy of my MA thesis. This was all sent to a review panel within the Faculty of Education and an advisor was chosen for me based on his interest and expertise in my field. >>What do you have to do to earn your degree? I am required to research and write a dissertation of approximately 300 pages of original work and an article for publication. Since at this point most people, including myself, have been writing research articles for publication, this latter is good as it promotes the work undertaken. It can be published in RSA or any other country as long as it is in a legitimate academic journal. >>Are you required to go to South Africa at some point? This is up to the advisor and the department. There is no need for me to defend the thesis in person, however, I could be required if the university sees fit. The thesis is submitted to an independent examination board for final review and grading. >>What is your understanding regarding the requirements for your thesis? As above. The subject area is my own as I am continuing work I began for my MA at Université Laval. The work is orginal as there has been no one else providing research in the area I have chosen. The thesis has a standard length and must meet the same academic test that a thesis in Canada would have to stand. In the end it will be my name on it and I will have to stand behind the work. I have a co-advisor at the Université de Moncton which gives me a more local perspective on the topic. His name will also appear on the thesis. This dissertation is anticipated by researchers in my field and the fact that it is through Unisa is not a problem and in fact most are very interested in learning about the programme. It has already been mentioned that the dissertation will be published in Canada after completion. Do you have to do any other coursework besides the thesis? >>No course work, but I am expected to publish an article related to the dissertation. >>How long is the program? (Realizing that there might be a wide variance here.) It can be as long as I need. I was under the impression that it was 7 years but I can actually take longer if need be. I would like to finish by 2005 if possible. I hope that this helps and if anyone has questions they can fell free to post here and I will endevour to answer their questions. I have posted some material for anyone who would like to see it on a community site with MSN.Unisa-Canada
Brad: I posted the questions. I just want to thank you for your candid, thorough answers. What a great contribution to this board.
My UNISA Experience to Date I have spoken at least on two occasions with Dr. Esselen and have corresponded via email with him. He is very prompt in his response time. UNISA also sent me information via regular post within a couple weeks after my initial inquiry. My interest is in the Doctor of Public Administration program. The requirements are essentially the same, except no publication is required. If I opt to do a D.Admin in Public Administration, then publication is involved. I still haven't decided for sure if I will pursue the DPA at UNISA. I have a concern as to how marketable it would be for my adjunct faculty aspirations. But, the school seems like a great option.
Research Would it not be as important what you research? I should think that your university faculty would be as concerned if not more concerned about the quality of the research as where you took the degree. I looked recently at both degrees you mentioned and thought they were worthwhile. I like the DAdmin in Development Studies, the way it is oriented. I think it makes it quite practicle at the same time as being scholarly.
Just to help Just glad I could help. There seems to be a lot of confusion out there about degrees from RSA. I should point out that the University of South Africa has received acceptance by the DETC in the United States. University of South Africa
Re: Research From an idealistic standpoint, that would be correct. As many have stated, however, there is still quite a bit of stigma attached to distance learning. That takes on even more significance when the distance degree is from halfway across the world. In addition, the research doctorate (the only type offered at UNISA) is still looked at with some degree of skepticism among some academics in my circle. It should not be that way, since the coursework for the masters and doctorates are nearly identical. Ultimately, I may choose UNISA because of financial constraints and live with the constraints; i.e. I may end up teaching political science courses at a community college. Teaching is one of my great loves. So, I will do it one way or the other. Finally, I would like to comment on DETC's accreditation of UNISA. I don't attach much significance to that. First, the doctoral programs do NOT fall under DETC's accrediation. Second, UNISA, without DETC accreditation, was already the equivalent of a U.S. regionally accredited institution. Note well, I do not disparage the work of DETC. I actually support the organization.
ACU I understand your point. I had a similar discussion with my advisor at Unisa since he thought that this was a great leap forward. I noted that within Canada it didn't make a lot of difference since we look more to accreditation by the Association of Commonwealth Universities that publishes a double volume each year of universities with all the particulars. I was a bit fearful of acceptance at first as well since it was distance learning, but in actual fact I did my MA that way after I completed the required courses at Université Laval in Québec City. I returned to Halifax and completed the research and writing of the thesis here. I forwarded the chapters to my advisors much as I am doing now. In fact I have more contact with mine during this degree than during the last. I feel confident as well, that with a local advisor on side at a university that is highly repected within Canada to back me up, that I could teach after this degree. I am fortunate in that the research I am doing is accepted because of my previous work that has begun to appear in other works.
Re: Re: Research I think there is some stigma with DL but I am not sure that there may not be less associated with an institution like UNISA. With UNISA you are dealing with a venerable institution found in the late 1800's, in a country with a good reputation for higher education based on a British model, with high profile alumni, and academics already in the US & Canadian system with UNISA doctoral degrees. Where with a US DL school like Capella you are dealing with relatively recent DL schools with no where near the track record. North
Hi Brad - Thanks for your posting of the application process, etc. Your description matches well with what I've read of the process. It's good to know that it is "as advertised." This is the first time in quite a while that someone who is actually enrolled at UNISA has posted to the forum (or to a.e.d. for that matter). I am considering UNISA myself but my present life circumstances will not allow me to pursue this immediately. I'd appreciate it if you could give us periodic updates, especially in regards to the effects (if any) of the upcoming SA higher education merger process. Best of luck with your research. Jack
Agree I agree with your take on DL with Unisa. I think the age and respectability go a long way to have made degrees from there acceptable around the globe. If you go to the discussion forums at the university itself you can find people from everywhere imaginable taking degrees. It was because of this respect that students have been fearful of the changes imposed by the Minister of Education. If you change the name you may find that the old institution becomes a new commodity that has little credibility in the academic world.
Re: Re: Research I am in the throes of finishing my doctorate with Union Institute and University. When the subject of how I am earning my degree comes up (rarely), I simply say that it is a research-based degree, which is very true. UIU requires no coursework in the traditional sense. One must identify the major learning areas in one's field, develop methods to master them, then demonstrate that mastery. This is documented in the Program Summary, along with one's Internship, discussion of the degree program's Interdisciplinarity and Social Relevance, and one's Personal Development project. This document, both scholarly and reflective, is the companion to the doctoral project, which is called the Project Demonstrating Excellence, or PDE. The major learning areas are often covered through independent study and research, which can utilize a multitude of methods and experiences. In about 95% of the cases, the PDE is a traditional dissertation. (Although Union allows for some pretty nontraditional research methods, provided the dissertation results in original and significant work.) The Program Summary, placed on file with the university, is a private document. That is, it is not a part of the PDE. Still, the sum total of one's work is often a body of research--although courses, seminars, internships, and other learning experiences are often included. (Those still require reflective analysis and are often accompanied by additional independent research.) I love the model, with its emphasis on scholarly outcomes, not time spent in class. Union didn't invent the process, they just liberalized it for the U.S. learner.
Re: Re: Re: Research Good post on the methodology of a research doctorate (at least from the TUIU perspective) Rich. When is your envisioned completion date? It will be nice to *formally* refer to you as Dr. D. North
Can you tell me the cost of doing a Ph.D. with the UNISA? Do you know the minimum period for registration before one will be allowed to have his or her thesis entered into examination? Will thesis completed in another university be allowed to enter into examination for their Ph.D.? I would be grateful if you could furnish with me information regarding the above. Thank you!
PhD at Unisa Hi Dormuck To the latter question: you are not allowed to submit a thesis/dissertation prepared for any other degree. Are you finished one and need a university to submit to? Unisa requires that each chapter be submitted one at a time during the research and writing. each is then accepted and you may procede with the next. (Of course while the advisor has one chapter you could be working ahead). A minimum time frame listed at the university is 2 years for a PhD. It will take longer than that if the research was not started in advance. Many people undertake the research for each chapter as they move along. You are free to work at your own pace since many people studying through Unisa are working full or part time to pay for their studies. Brad
Re: Re: Re: Re: Research As a returning learner, I must complete a minimum of two semesters. That would be March 2003. I will need most or all of that time anyway, but I don't expect to go past May. (I can't; one of my committee members is retiring in June 2003). BTW: They've apparently abandoned the TUI acronym (althought it is still their url-- www.tui.edu ). Now it seems they're using UIU, dropping the "The." Frankly, I'd hoped for a more inspired re-naming, even if they had to abandon their "Union" legacy completely. Even "The Union Institute" seemed preferable, but I guess they wanted to "universitize" themselves.
Unisa and inbreeding I posted a reply to the thread dealing with Inbreeding as I felt there were some erronious comments about DL universities being posted. I think there is a big difference between a "for profit" private university and state sponsored national institutions like UNISA, Athabasca or Open University.
