University of South Africa

I can't imagine why someone in North America would apply directly, even to a new streamlined system, when it can be done so easily through the agent in Vancouver. He does all the leg work and provides all documents needed. One simply needs to study!
http://www.iaci-canada.com/

 

Brad, agreed, however, I live in Europe!

 

I don't know if he would mind, the director that is. Did you ask? Since all this is done through the Internet, registration with IACI and I used a credit card to pay the fees, I could see it being as easy from Europe for him. Perhaps he could tell you who the Agent in one of the European countries is and you could go that route.

 

Getting a better understanding of the system would be my reason for direct application rather than going through a third-party company.

 

That might be, but the system out there is not interested in your learning how they work. They are simply functionaries doing a job and collecting the fees. If you don't register on time because of difficulties in getting through to them, or banking difficulties, they are not going to be concerned about you on a personal level.

It nearly happened to me in Bloemfontein and the University of the Free State, thinking all was in order for graduation. The person who I e-mailed with a request to have something prepared for me since I had not received it in the post, a document needed for PhD graduation, meant that I arrived and nothing was prepared for me. The same for supplementary fees that I did not know about and was almost refused graduation. Having a third party means you have someone to help. And with the distances we are speaking about, it makes sense to have a person on your side.

 

My understanding from another thread was that IACI will only work with people living in North America. I am a US citizen and have US addresses I could use but I wouldn't want my course materials and other correspondence sent there because of the inevitable delays in getting them, plus what happens when it comes time to take exams?

 

Hi Brad - Can you give us an approximation of your costs per year at UNISA? I'm afraid that I may be underestimating the cost.

 

Yes Brad, please reply to both these post, for I am very interested.

 

I'd be rather surprised if there were a European agent since university tuitions are much lower here than in the US (and sometimes are competitive with UNISA on price).

 

$1910 a year for me.

 

Since Tireman mentions 1910 per year and it has been since 2006 when I graduated I would go with that. The most I had to pay was to copy and forward copies of my dissertation. Six copies at air mail rates from Canada was very expensive. Other than that I paid only the fees required to register. At the PhD level there are no courses so everything can be either mailed as chapter segments for approval or via e-mail.

 

Unisa has made agreements around the world with local centres of education to provide for exams. In most cases these are through universities. It would be worth contacting the registrar's office and asking for the names of centres and a contact person or at least which building the exams are to be sat. For NA there is a complete listing on the IACI web site. There should be a list held at Unisa for the same in other countries around the globe since Unisa students live in Asia and Australia and New Zealand.

 

@Brad- thanks.

 

I wrote for further information and found this in the Unisa web site. Those in Europe will be able to find a contact person in this list I believe.
Unisa Online - list of collaborating institutions outside africa

 

That is who I used. Very good.

 

Sir,
My name is Kalu, John Otisy. Please I base in Nigeria. I have an Msc (thesis) in public policy and administration from university of calabar in Nigeria, with a CGPA 3.60 on 4.00 scale. I wish to run a PhD program in Public Admin.via distance ODL.

Please help answer the following question bothering me if your school has my program of interest.
1.How recognized and acceptable is your degree internationally(being non traditional)?.
2.Does the Doctor of Literature & Philosophy in Pub.Adm., mean the same thing as PhD in Pub. Adm?

Because in Nigeria we honour PhD, evry other one like Doctor of Pub. Adm. DPA are seen as non academic,hence,inferior &discriminated, whereas I want to obtain this PhD for my career advancement as a university lecturer.

4. What is the program structure and requirement?

5.What is the tuition and other charges?

6. Is there any financial aid available to deserving students who can not afford the cost of their education?
7. When is the closing date for application for 2011 admission and when is the commencement date?
8. Can a candidate visit unisa in the cause of the study or may be for the award of the degree during convocation?
9. What is the teaching method and requirements for pass/completion of the programme.
10. Is there any residency requirement(cumpolsory or optional)Thank you for your assistance.

Yours Faithfully,
JOHN K. OTISY +2347038794793

 

I can not believe that their PhD is so inexpensive AND takes two years.

Will anyone who has taken or is currently in a UNISA doctorate be able to comment on the pace of the program? Also, how difficult was the application process? According to their guide to post-doc studies, doctoral applicants need to apply with a research outline/schedule already created.

 

There have been a number of conversations on this topic over the years so I will attempt to distill that info. Hopefully someone who has gone through the process will correct any errors I make.

The application process is very straightforward, much like any other university. Because the program is research only they expect you to have a dissertation (they call it a thesis) topic at the time of application. It's a part of the application process. You probably want it to be 2 or 3 pages long and it's a good idea to write it in a formal way using whatever style they endorse (APA v. Harvard v. whatever) It seems that there's almost universal recommendation to go through IACI-Canada. You credentials will be vetted through SAQA, the South African Qualifications Authority. Sometimes this takes a while. You need to be VERY sure that you've submitted everything they ask for because if something is missing your stuff will just sit there neglect, waiting for that last piece of paper to arrive. They won't call you or email you to say there's a problem. They are unlikely to return your emails. You can calculate the time difference, set your alarm clock and call them on the phone and that might work, especially if you know EXACTLY who you want to speak to.

They want your dissertation topic at the time of application because they have to decide if they have an instructor who is sufficiently familiar with your area of interest to act as an advisor. If they don't they'll turn you down. It makes sense to read up on the staff of your prospective department. That way you can tweak your idea to make it more appealing to one (or more) of their professors. Remember, the goal is to get your PhD, not write your magnum opus. You can do that later.

Once you're admitted you register for the dissertation (thesis) course. It's the only course you'll ever register for. If you are hoping that this degree will give you the 18 grad credits that you need in order to teach then you may be disappointed because your transcript is just going to show that you registered for the same course over and over and over. Also, the timeframe is 2 years MINIMUM. Some of our members have said that it took them a year just to get their formal dissertation proposal approved. Dissertations often run 300-400 pages and take 4-5 years to complete. Don't assume that this is an easy process. The biggest concern I've heard is having your advisor leave the university (this is a concern at any school). Then you get a new advisor and then she doesn't like some part of your dis and you have to write it over, etc.

It's a big, big-time school with a decent world-wide reputation. Combine that with the affordable pricetag and I'd say it's a viable alternative, especially for people who want the higher degree but have concerns about ROI.

 

Linguistics!!!!!