Media Studies
The PhD in the field of Media Studies is a 3 year full-time or 5 year part-time degree.
Overview
The Wits Department of Media Studies is one of the pre-eminent centres for the critical, interdisciplinary and theoretical study of media in the southern hemisphere.
Our work touches a wide variety of fields, including economics, sociology, anthropology, geography, visual culture, international relations, popular culture and literature and is unified by a shared concern with the diverse influences of media on lived experience, culture and society in the global south.
A PhD is a long-term, intensive research degree, which is best suited to those with a strong interest in pursuing careers in academia or high level policy and research. PhDs in our department typically take at least three years, and require an independent work ethic, commitment and hard work from the candidate.
Students complete a major original piece of research of approximately 80,000 words under the close supervision of a member of the academic staff of the department.
Entry Requirements
Doctorate:
- A masters degree from Wits or another university with a 70% total mark aggregate
- A supervisor from the Faculty of Humanities must be identified and approached prior to application
Admission to this programme is limited to students with a strong Media Studies background and an average score of 70% or a distinction for their Masters. Students can only be admitted if there is an appropriate supervisor available.
Please contact the postgraduate coordinator directly in order to complete the internal processes before making a formal application online.
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.