Doctor of Philosophy in Epidemiology

• You must comply with all the provisions for doctorates, as stipulated under "Postgraduate Qualifications" in Part 1 (General Rules) of the Yearbook, and in the briefing document on D degrees,
as well as in the General Information on Doctoral Studies, in the FMHS, which can be obtained from the Tygerberg Doctoral Office ([email protected]).
• You must have obtained an average of at least 50% for every qualification that facilitates your selection for doctoral studies.
• You can be admitted to the degree PhD in the Faculty provided that:
o a minimum period of two years has passed since obtaining the degree MBChB or BChD; or
o you have obtained a relevant honours degree in Medical Sciences directly following an MBChB
or BChD degree; or
o you have obtained a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Nutrition/Dietetics, Physiotherapy, Speech-Language Therapy or Health Related and Social Sciences; or
o you have obtained a relevant MSc degree (Master of Science) of the University, or another university approved by Senate; or
o you have obtained another qualification (and have allowed for the required period following the qualification) that is deemed sufficient by Senate.
• Selection rests with the academic environment and the infrastructure and capacity of the environment are also taken into account.

Curriculum vitae (CV)
A document that outlines your educational level, employment history, description of work experience, especially that is relevant to your application to study and contact details of three referees.

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Curriculum vitae (CV)

Confirmation of prospective supervisor
Applicants must make contact with a prospective academic supervisor who is active in their field of research interest. Please provide details of a prospective supervisor and evidence, in a form of an email, of contact with this supervisor. Upload the email evidence (in a .msg format or as a pdf) as part of your formal application to the University.

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Confirmation of prospective supervisor

Letter of motivation
One-page document explaining what factors are motivating you to apply for the specific programme(s) and describing what makes you a suitable candidate.

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Motivational letter / Essay

Statement of research interest / Outline
This is a brief summary of the doctoral research proposal (1-3 pages in length) which outlines your area of research, aims of the research project and the research methodology you plan to use.

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Research project / Outline / Proposal

Proof of bursary funding (optional)
Letter or official document from the bursary provider confirming that the applicant has been awarded financial support. The document must clearly indicate the value, duration, and conditions of the bursary, as well as the recipient’s details. This document may be uploaded if applicable.

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Bursary award letter

Duration of programme

The programme will normally require three to four years of fulltime studies. The minimum duration is two years and the maximum duration is five years. Your supervisor may submit an acceptable motivation for the extension of the period to the Committee for Postgraduate Research of the Faculty, at least six months prior to the expiry of this period.

Programme description

The programme requires completion of a written research dissertation worth 360 credits at NQF level 10.

Assessment and examination

• The PhD degree is awarded in recognition of high quality, original research and is conventionally
assessed based on a dissertation.
• In addition, a PhD degree may be obtained in an alternative way, namely primarily based on published scientific articles. However, it is not possible to obtain a PhD degree exclusively on the basis of published articles. More details regarding the different formats can be obtained from the Tygerberg Doctoral Office.
• With regard to the date of submission of the dissertation, the documents to be submitted, as well as the further requirements with which you have to comply in order to graduate, the general provisions for doctorates will apply as stipulated under Postgraduate qualifications in Part 1 (General Rules) of the Yearbook, as well as in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences’ guidelines document, General Information on Doctoral Studies, which is available from the Tygerberg Doctoral Office.
• The PhD degree is not regarded as basis for registration as a specialist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa or the South African Nursing Council but can be registered as an additional qualification (Medical Sciences only).