University of South Africa

I have had my own issues with the IACI Canada process. Through no fault of thier own, there was a four week mail strike, followed by a month where Dr. Essalen has been out of office in SA. I have yet to find out if my package is complete and it has been over two months. Someone on this board said that it took him a year and a half to gain entrance to UNISA, and I believe it.

 

LOL....Canada has a strong postal union. I have never dealt with IACI or UNISA but I can believe your time line. One guy posted on here a while back and used the word frustrating several times to describe his experience with UNISA. You might try to contact Dr. Sweet and get advice. He earned a doctorate from UNISA and one from Vrystaat (who recently awarded Oprah a doctorate and she went there to receive it). Vrystaat is also very well respected.

 

I am also applying there, but my biig barrier may be a research masters, I only have a taught masters and an ABD at another university. I have a dissertation topic and all reasearch coursework completed. I also must deal with SAQA, but it is difficult to figure out who to send the results to. Even though the SAQA application is in english, the directions are arcane...

 

Here is the link to IACI-Canada

International Academic  Correspo

 

Someone on this board said that it took him a year and a half to gain entrance to UNISA, and I believe it.

That would be me and yes, it took that long. A lot of that would be matching with someone in department to you and your research. Another is that UNISA is selective in the folks they bring in. ( I am speaking for the history department and this is what my co-chair told me)

 

The fact that they are so selective, well ranked internationally and so on, speaks highly of them. How are your studies going?

 

First three rough draft chapters turned into my committee three weeks ago. The next three rough draft chapters should go in last of September. Conclusion, October. Then we go to major rewrites...LOL

 

DId you have a Master's Degree with Thesis or just a Master's Degree?

 

Connie, yes they do require your masters to have contained a research methods class and a final thesis, which in many cases, lays a good foundation for the doctoral dissertation (or thesis as they call it). Another requirement is that both your bachelor and master degree are in the same area; for example, BS in Logistics and MS in Logistics, in order to qualify for entry into a PhD in Logistics. However, I read somewhere (they have tons of program brochures and guides on their website now if you peruse) that there are instances where they'll admit a student without the research methods course, and then include one as a prerequisite for starting the doctoral modules.

My take is that one stands a chance of being admitted without the research methods course with a culminating thesis, if they have alteast two degrees in the same field with a capstone course that is research-based, not a practical project; a practical project capstone is interpreted to mean that the master degree is applied or practitioner oriented, which in many cases, prepares one to enter a practitioner-oriented doctoral program and not a research/theoretical doctorate which is the PhD. In the UK and other countries that share the same educational structure, MSc (MS in the U.S.) is expected to be a research master degree. Since you have taken several courses in statistics and research methods during your stint at NCU, your chance would greatly increase if you can somehow include transcripts that show those courses in your package. Including a published paper also increases your chances, significantly. Goodluck with getting in....

FYI: I'm also aiming to get in Unisa by early 2012.

 

If you are asking me, MA in history with a 150 page thesis.

 

Can you defer your loans while attending a school overseas? I know that you can defer for RA schools and at least some NA schools (WHTU states so on their website) but I do not know about UNISA.
I would start my own thread but I thought someone might know.

 

We know more about what happens on Jersey Shore than we do about what happens on other shores.

 

Research Methods Class

I am posting this somewhat tangential question here on this active thread instead of starting a new one.

I have been researching doctorates for a while and have decided that UNISA is a good option (putting two kids through undergrad and grad school limits the $ I have for my own education). I did not write a thesis for my masters and so I'm looking for grad level research methods classes that will help me prepare for a doctoral program. Primarily I'm looking for "very cheap" and accredited, online only. Asking those who have first-hand knowledge of UNISA or other non-US programs, would a DETC class suffice?

What's the cheapest accredited grad-level school these days? Thanks for any useful info.

 

Unlike online undergrad courses, it's tough to find individual online graduate courses that you can take outside of a degree program.

A really quick search yielded this....tailored towards education, but research is research (scroll down);

CSU Online Plus - Graduate Courses | Online | Distance - Colorado State University

I would be remiss if I didn't mention something.....I'm in a doctoral program, and while I've already taken 2 Master's level research methods courses, with another (doctoral level) coming up, I'm still extremely apprehensive about the dissertation process, even though my American school relies on both coursework and dissertation for the degree, unlike South African schools which are mostly dissertation-only.

I certainly don't want to discourage you, but unless you can find some solid research methods courses before you start a SA doctorate, you're going to be at a severe disadvantage once you start the program.

 

Open University Malaysia is another very solid option worth exploring. With programs modeled after american programs, their doctoral programs do provide optional in-program coursework including courses in research methods and statistics, in addition to the dissertation courses, for those who need it. While not discussed much on DI, in the near future, I think OUM will serve as a viable alternative to UNISA, as many become aware of the quality of the school.

 

I agree with this and wish that someone would enroll just so we could get a report on the process, etc. I forget the actual figures but my memory tells me that it's actually less expensive than UNISA.

 

Thanks Bruce and Cyber and Kizmet

I'm still looking for cheap and then I remembered APU/AMU. I have taken finance classes there and at ~$350/grad credit hour they are as cheap as Aspen, which is only DETC. They offer MGMT501 - Research Methods in Management Science which should fit the bill nicely. It has the added benefit of not increasing the number of transcripts that I would need to send when applying to teach or enroll elsewhere.

So at this point, I'm looking for RA and less than $300/credit.

Bruce, I agree about the disadvantage...if they'll let me in at all, since I have a taught masters and not a research one. Although with my university instruction and business background, I think my CV is pretty strong and I have close to 4.0gpa for grad classes. I will start with the one methods class and then look for more. I've also been looking at syllabi and have a good reading list to start doing work on my own...which is a good indicator of what life as a distance doctoral student will be like.

 

I know that this has been talked about already... but the application process for someone living outside of SA seems really confusing.

 

On the other hand, if you can't figure it out, maybe you don't belong in grad school.

 

I appreciate your feedback, but will let my professors and internship supervisors decide that instead.