Civil and Environmental Engineering
The Master of Science in Engineering by coursework and research report is a 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time degree offered in the fields of Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical and Materials Engineering, Structural Engineering, Water Engineering and Infrastructure Engineering and Management
Overview
Programme name: MSc (Eng) by coursework and research programme. Also known as the MSc 50/50.
Credit distribution: Five 20-credits courses and a 90-credits research project.
As the 50/50 shorthand implies, students in this programme are expected to dedicate approximately as much effort to their coursework (five 20-credits courses) as to their research (90-credits project).
The coursework and research will fall under one of the following sub-disciplines: Environmental, geotechnical, materials, structural, water, and project & construction management.
Courses offered by the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering typically run every second year. View the PG Timetable 2024 for the latest PG course schedules.
Please note that if a course is listed in the Rules and Syllabuses Book of the FEBE, but has not been offered by our School during the last two years, then it is likely that such course is currently inactive.
In some cases, the School can also grant credit for engineering-related NQF level 9 postgraduate courses taken outside of the School. Specifically, up to two of the five 20-credit courses can be engineering-related. These engineering-related courses may be taken within Wits or at other South African universities. The engineering-related courses cannot be part of any other degree that the student is seeking or has been awarded.
The 90-credits research project is conducted under the supervision of an academic from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Importantly, applicants are required to secure supervision from an academic before submitting their application. If the application form does not include a specific space to indicate the name of your supervisor, you should upload a document simply indicating the name of the academic that agreed to supervise you. Alternatively, you can upload the email exchange in which the academic agreed to supervise you. When your application is processed, your proposed supervisor will have to confirm that they indeed agreed to supervise you.
See the profiles and contact details of the academics of the School to engage with a potential supervisor. Please note that the School does not provide assistance in pairing students with potential supervisors. This is a task that every applicant is expected to undertake individually.
Entry Requirements
- 4-year bachelor's degree in any branch of engineering or an engineering-related field (e.g. geology, project management, architecture, etc.).
- Agreement to supervise from an academic of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Applicants with a BTech qualification or a 4-year degree in a non-engineering field can be considered for admission provided that they have more than three years of engineering-related working experience obtained after the date of qualification. Such applicants are required to fill a differently qualified form Form for Differently Qualified Applicants (DQA) to indicate their qualification and document their experience. Be sure that you fill in and submit a "differently qualified form" when completing your registration. Please ensure to upload the completed DQA document via self-service with your academic record or email it to applications.senc@wits.ac.za
Note: Applicants holding foreign qualifications must subject their highest qualification to an evaluation by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). The outcome of the evaluation must be submitted as part of the application.
University Application Process
- Applications are handled centrally by the Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC). Once your application is complete in terms of requested documentation, your application will be referred to the relevant School for assessment. Click here to see an overview of the Wits applications process. Refer to Wits Postgraduate Online Applications Guide for detailed guidelines.
- Please apply online. Upload your supporting documents at the time of application, or via the Self Service Portal.
- Applicants can monitor the progress of their applications via the Self Service Portal.
- Selections for programmes that have a limited intake but attract a large number of applications may only finalise the application at the end of the application cycle.
Please note that the Entry Requirements are a guide. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee a place. Final selection is made subject to the availability of places, academic results and other entry requirements where applicable.
International students, please check this section.
For more information, contact the Student Call Centre +27 (0)11 717 1888, or log a query at www.wits.ac.za/askwits.
University Fees and Funding
Click here to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees site also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.
For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, click here. Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities. NRF bursaries: The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies. External bursaries portal: The Bursaries South Africa website provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.