A warm Cape Town welcome!

Thank you for your interest in pursuing a PhD degree in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of Stellenbosch University. Our campus is situated in the picturesque Tygerberg area of Cape Town, South Africa, and incorporates a ground-breaking, world-renowned Biomedical Research Institute (BMRI). The faculty ranks among the top 175 medical and health schools in the world (Times Higher Education rankings 2024) - up from the top 200 in 2022). Candidates from across South Africa and the world compete for the limited number of places in our PhD programmes. Information on the basic requirements for admission to one of our fifty odd doctoral programmes, can be found in our Faculty Yearbook.

Applications are accepted online nearly year-round. This does not imply that all opportunities to apply are equal. Optimally, please apply in July, August or September for enrolment in the following academic year staring in January. This is because most academic environments do consider applications in cycles. In the case of international students, earlier application is advisable, due to the time needed for formally evaluating the comparability of international qualifications.

Picture: Riaan Huysamen @SuperDroneGuy #SkyPixels.co.za

A supervisor will only be confirmed by Senate after your project has been formally approved for PhD studies. Yet, as is common in PhD programme across the world, you are expected - before you apply online - to reach out to a potential supervisor to initiate a conversation about a mutual area of research interest; allow this conversation to influence your Statement of Research Interest; and obtain written confirmation that the person would in principal be willing to supervise you. You are welcome to view our SU Researcher Profiles, or browse the senior staff of the specific academic environment where you wish to enrol, to identify someone working in your field. But do not neglect to submit your online application on SunStudent (on your Chrome browser), as that might cause delays at a later stage.

Your application checklist

Make sure you have the following documents ready to upload with your online application:

A referenced research concept paper of 2 to 3 pages, aligned with SU & FMHS research priorities
Certified degree certificates and full academic records (for all qualifications)
Up-to-date applicant CV with 1-page motivation letter included as cover
In most cases, confirmation of an internal academic's willingness to supervise you
Sufficient funds for your application and study fees
Where applicable, confirmation of bursary or scholarship
Read the background information at www.maties.com

You may then submit your application online on the SUNStudent platform at http://student.sun.ac.za using the Chrome browser.

Following the steps above, applications from international students are routed to the Postgraduate Office for the verification of qualifications, while applications from South African students are routed directly to the academic department for formal selection. Only after your academic department has formally selected you, you will receive a written offer of placement in an academic programme from Stellenbosch University (registrar's division).

Conversions

In exceptional cases, a supervisor may recommend a master's student whose research exceeds the scope of master's-level work, for a conversion, with the support of their academic environment and HoD. The formal requirements for such conversions are covered in the SU Yearbook.

A student is not permitted to apply for this option independently.

The department will need to complete the Application for Conversion; and follow the FMHS application process described in this document (including a domain expert external to SU as a review panel member).

The full set of documents should ideally reach the Tygerberg Doctoral Office ([email protected]) before the last CPR agenda closing date of the previous academic year.

Please also reach out to the Tygerberg Doctoral Office on [email protected]. This office should be kept abreast of all developments, and will partner with you through the doctoral journey. Our best wishes with your application.

What to expect next

Your milestones

Once enrolled, all students entering the doctoral programme are expected to see a research proposal through the review process and submit an ethics application within 6 to 9 months; to complete the ethical approval process within a further 3 months, and on approval, to complete the full PhD dissertation within a further period of two to three years. Much of this work will be your own, independent responsibility. The programme is rewarding, but intensive, benefiting from project management.

Supervision relationship

Your supervisor/s will play a critical part in your success. It is important that you establish a positive relationship right away and request supervisor feedback on your work on a regular basis. For the most part, the required contact time will be determined by your allocated supervisor/s. The most urgent deliverable after selection is the research protocol, developed for presentation to a review panel, under guidance of your supervisor/s, within six months.

Enquiries

You are also most welcome to follow up at [email protected] on any further information that could assist. Should you wish to explore possible funding opportunities, please visit the Postgraduate Funding Office, or the RIDS Research Funding page.

Do watch this video for an introduction to our campus and faculty, featuring our inspirational dean - Prof Elmi Muller, who is an A-rated researcher and a global authority on kidney and liver transplantation, having played a leading part in making organ transplants possible for people living with HIV.