University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, any comment?

Dear posters,

Recently I found in the Internet the distance education programs that the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa offers. The fact is that they have several programs at the Master's level in several disciplines that are highly interesting at a very competitive price.
http://www.sun.ac.za/

My problem is that I am not familiar at all with the South African education system, and I do not know if this University is legal (it seems to me), if their courses can be transferred to American or European Universities, for instance (any precedent), or if foreign persons such as myself (I live in The Netherlands) could enroll the program.

I was just hoping that among the growing number of posters of this community of avid distance learners there would be a South African person who could enlighten me about all these questions. Or better, abusing their patience and kindness, I would like that some of the Distance Education gurus such as Dr. Bear or Mr. Tom Head or others could share with the rest of us their opinion on this issue.

Thank you very much in advance for your help and time on this matter.

 

JLV,

Stellenbosch is indeed a reputable university. The South African university system is based on the British model, and those schools which are recognized by the SA Ministry of Education meet GAAP criteria.

I have three RA US degrees, and currently am pursuing a Ph.D. at Potchefstroom University, also in SA. After more than a year of research regarding the SA option, I found it to be a substantive alternative for the DL. For example:

1. AACRAO confirmed that a PUCHE Ph.D. would be considered the equivalent to a US RA Ph.D.

2. University of Texas-Austin confirmed that they would recognize the PUCHE Ph.D. as equivalent to a US RA Ph.D.

3. PUCHE, Stellenbosch, Unisa, Pretoria, etc., are all recognized internationally.

4. Grads from these schools serve as faculty in other GAAP/RA institutions.

So the British, South African, Australian route is certainly a valid option for many DL.

Blessings,
Russell

 

I wasn't aware of the Stellenbosch DL programs. Thanks for bringing it up.

It is certainly one of the highest-regarded South African universities, and if any non-US degree would be accepted in a given situation in the US, it is nearly certain theirs would be.

John Bear, who once spent an extremely
pleasant few days on their lovely
campus, in the heart of the wine-
producing region

 

Stellenbosch is definitely a good school--among other things, they have an internationally renowned music department.

The only caveat I'd throw in here is that there does seem to be an issue with distance education moratoriums in South Africa, so if you're considering a program that is not officially available yet, it may be a little while before it becomes an option; the folks most knowledgeable on this would probably be the registrars and admissions counselors at Stellenbosch itself.

Good luck!


Cheers,

------------------
Tom Head
www.tomhead.net

co-author, Bears' Guide to the Best Education Degrees by Distance Learning (Ten Speed Press)
co-author, Get Your IT Degree and Get Ahead (Osborne/McGraw-Hill)

 

Hey Russell, I am looking at Puch for the MDiv. Can you provide contacts or other information that would prove helpful?

[email protected]

------------------
Howard Rodgers

 

Dear Mr. Morris, Dr. Bear, and Mr. Head,

Thank you very much for the very valuable information you provided. In fact I just received an e-mail from the Admissions counselor at the University of Stellenbosch encouraging me to apply, an option that I certainly will consider since the Mechanical Engineering Program at this institution seems to be very complete and rigorous (and relatively unexpensive).

Thank you again for your time and help on this matter.

 

Dear JLV -
I too have been looking at one of the Stellenbosch Masters degree programs. I have been encouraged by what I've seen on their web site and have also had some very positive contacts with some school administrators. One thing you need to watch out for is the fact that the standard language of instruction at the university is Afrikaans, not English. Some programs are taught in English but some decidedly are not and so you'll want to inquire about this with the appropriate person in the department to which you are interested. Good luck,
Jack