SA Doctorates: UNISA vs UFS

Good evening,

I have been searching for a distance learning doctorate program in public administration, and after doing an exhaustive amount of research have narrowed the field to 2 schools, both in South Africa. I have contacted the universities and am awaiting the arrival of additional information, however I am seeking the opinions of people who have actual experience with distance learning at the doctoral level at these 2 schools. Anyone who has experience with doctoral programs at either

UNISA or

University of the Free State

any advice, opinions, comparisions, etc would be helpful beyond words. I need to make a decision, and want to make sure I have all the information possible.

The important factors for me are that the program be 1) legitimate, accredited, and respected 2) entirely compatable with a distance learning format. (a trip to defend the thesis is acceptable, but my career will not allow for any period of residency) 3) "research only"- I have no desire to go back to class- I got my fill with my BBA and MPA and 4) CHEAP!!! (I am an overworked underpaid public servant.)

So, what do you all think? In your opinion, is one of these a "better" choice?

Thanks in advance!

 

For the question of UNISA being legitimate and respected, there is absolutely no doubt...

 

My experience with both schools is that UFS is more timely in their responses to questions and seemed more interested in helping you to solve problems. You can, with a bit of persistence, actually figure out who the specific person is to contact in these cases and they will actually respond to email. Also, they are not substantially involved in the ZA university merger process and so that distraction is avoided.
Good luck regardless of your choice.
Jack

 

Vrystaaat!

 

UNISA is accredited (GAAP), internationally recognized and has been around for nearly 100 years. If your intention is to begin a doctoral program, I would suggest you contact the good folks at

http://www.iaci-canada.com

 

It's interesting that UFS was once a college of Unisa, as this post points out: http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=33369#post33369

Vrystaaat!

V R Y S T A A A T ! ! !

 

Thank you all for your help so far.

So, it appears that thus far I have 2 endorsements for UNISA, and 2 for Free State (one VERY enthusiastic endorsement for Free State).

I have narrowed it down to these 2 schools because both the DPA at UNISA and the PhD in Public Management at Free State appear to meet all my criteria. Now I just need to decide if one is better for me than the other.

I have been reading the postings on this forum for a few weeks now and have gathered that, generally, people agree with Jack that responses and feedback come faster from Free State. If anyone has experience to the contrary I would be interested to hear it.

I have emailed iaci for more information on UNISA and the department rep at Free State for more info from them, so we will see what I end up with.

If anyone else has input on doctoral programs at these institutions, please chime in! The more facts/opinions I have, the better!

 

Two different processes

The process at Free State is you develop a dissertation proposal and submit it for acceptance to the program. At UNISA, it appears they accept you and then help you develop your proposal. The difference between the two is huge when you are trying to do it from a distance.

I applied to Free State and yes the initial response was terrific. However, it took forever to hear back on my proposal and by the time I did I had already been accepted by and entered into another program. Only later did I get the notice that my proposal had not been accepted at Free State. No other guidance came with it as to what I needed to do to the proposal to make it work. This could make it difficult to proceed and leave you in a lurch if the application dates have passed at other schools. In my current program I had a supervisor who worked with me from the time I was accepted until the proposal passed the committee.

Please don't assume I am criticising Free State. This same process appears to be the norm at most of the main line institutions in SA. In all likelihood, their usual applicant has already made face to face contact with the school and discussed their proposal with a likely supervisor. In fact, some schools even seem to require you to recruit your supervisor in person. This allows them to submit a proposal with some idea of what the committee is looking for in a proposal.

I guess the point is if you feel confident in your proposal go with it to Free State. Otherwise, apply to both.

On another note, I am pretty sure that in the past there was an email posted on this board from the UNISA Public Management department. That may be a good point of contact for you to pursue if you can find it with a search.

 

developing the thesis proposal

This is very useful information indeed. Have any other students noted this difference in the thesis development process?

I have a pretty good idea what the topic of my thesis will be, however, I feel that there will probably be some significant variation in the details before I get it nailed down. For me, it would certainly be preferable to be involved in a program that works with candidates to help develop the thesis proposal as a part of the thesis writing process.

It is a little unnerving seeing the space on these applications for "Thesis title". After all, I have never written a doctoral thesis and I could very well get a few months in and decide to change everything!

I have contacted IACI, and they have been very prompt and responsive to my inquiries, assuring me that a "title only" is necessary at this point in the UNISA application. Next week I think I will probably send in the application and see what happens!

 

I submitted my UNISA application on August 30, 2004, and I am still waiting for a response. All my inquiries just to know whether they received my application and supporting documents have been fruitless. My concern is that they ask you to pay upfront, and you don't even get an acknowledgment as to whether your application is in. Having been unable to secure a response from UNISA, I am quite disappointed about it. I am now inclined to disregard UNISA and find an option in this side of the World which would make me feel at least more in control of the situation.

 

Call

It has been often noted that you need to call UNISA to truly get something done. I have a PennyTalk card and it runs me roughly $.15 a minute to call SA.

 

Here's the letter from previous post on UNISA PA Program

I would contact the mentioned people:

Dear Mr. Fraser

Thank you for your message and the interest you have shown in our Doctoral programme in Public Administration. My apologies for the delay in responding to your message.

The DPA and the D Litt et Phil are the two pathways to a doctorate in Public Administration at Unisa. The first is taught in the Faculty of Ecomomic and Management Sciences and the latter in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. To be admitted to the D Litt et Phil you need to have a MA degree in Public Administration and to the DPA you need to have a MPA degree. In your case you will have to register for the DPA. The curriculum for the two degrees are the same, i.e. the writing of a thesis on a topic of your choice in the field of Public Administration.

Information on the costs involved, registration forms and -procedures etc. can be obtained from the office of the Registrar (Academic). The contact person is Mrs. Nella Geyser ([email protected]). The first step to set the process of registration in motion is to formally apply (in writing) for registration with the Registrar (Academic) at the following address: Department of Postgraduate Student Affairs University of South Africa P.O. Box 392 Pretoria, 0003 South Africa

Please include an original copy of your academic record with your application.

You will not have to visit South Africa as the degree can be completed by means of distance learning. We will, however have to appoint a joint promotor from the USA to assist the promotor at Unisa with the supervision of the thesis.

Kind regards,

Prof. DJ. Brynard
Chairperson: Public Administration and Development Studies
5 May 2003

 

To EMRQ and DTech BA-

Did either of you submit your applications through IACI or did you apply directly to the registrar?

I have to admit that I am a little uncomfortable with the idea of paying for a year of tuition before being accepted to the program, especially if I could anticipate a period of several months without hearing anything.

 

I am not a student at UNISA

I am with the Durban Institute of Technology. They too have a doctorate in PA but it is a DTech and it may require some visits to SA so it might not be your best option. However, there is someone on here who is a student with UNISA. I just don't remember the name.

 

I looked it up

"roysavia" is a doctoral student there.

 

I did submit my application directly with the Registrar. As I was unaware of the existence of IACI, perhaps it was a drawback not to use their services. Although it has been suggested here that you can always call UNISA and that the call may run at 0.15 cents per minute, I still find it preposterous that the burden is on you to make them speak. After all, they are operating an institution and once you make your part (submitting a duly completed application form along with supporting documents and payment), they are supposed to, at least, acknowledge that your documents are there and will be reviewed accordingly. But their silence is unjustifiable. Most of my e-mails to them have been returned to me as undeliverable to their e-mail addresses; but I have also used their own web page to send my inquiries. I have also communicated via airmail without success. Besides, I believe that I should be entitled to have written documentary evidence showing that they received my documents rather than speaking to someone informally. If you decide to go forward with your plans to register at UNISA, you must be mentally prepared to wait a long, long time if you ever receive some acknowledgment by UNISA. After checking on UNISA registration procedures, I have already read stories of people who were already registered at another institution by the time they received a communication from UNISA. Perhaps it would be a good idea if you obtain some support from IACI. Maybe UNISA works with contacts. In my opinion, an institution loses credibility when it works based on the contacts that you may secure.

 

IACI: is it mandatory for UNISA?

Roy - I just checked out the link. I am strongly considering a PhD program in psychology with UNISA. My concern is that there have been some negative posts re UNISA's slow communication. Is this why one would chose to go through IACI? Does it help? Do they charge an extra fee? Is it mandatory to go through a 3rd party or can one apply directly to UNISA?

By my estimates a UNISA PhD should be about $USD 1500 per year, but IACI quotes about $1800. Did I just miscalculate? Still a good deal in comparison.

Going to ZA once or twice does not bother me - would want to go even if it isn't required. Certainly the cheaper tuition would make this easier.

thanks!

 

Hello Matt,
If you deal with UNISA directly you'll encounter red tape and delays. Your best alternative is to deal directly with Dr. Esselen at
http://www.iaci-canada.com

He will assist you with your application, and thesis requirements. Your proposal (and each chapter thereafter) will be forwarded to UNISA via iaci-canada.com

The tuition fees for 2005 are $1,800. The increase is due to policy changes and the amalgamation of several universities into one institution (UNISA). Still, this is relatively inexpensive if you compare UNISA's fees to those of other universities (Australia, UK, or USA).

By the way, UNISA will allow you to defend your thesis (dissertation) via teleconference. There's no need to visit the campus except for graduation.

Best regards,

 

Incidentally, does anyone know what UNISA's "postgraduate diplomas" worth in USA, credit-wise? How much does it cost? My wife does her BS in Accounting through Excelsior and could use some inexpensive upper-level acc. courses (other than available through LSU; she'll take them all) to satisfy CPA requirements for Florida.