PhD in Public Health (NQF Level 10)

The UWC School of Public Health (SOPH) welcomes your interest in its PhD Programme.

At present we are offering an academically oriented doctorate by thesis only, which implies a very large research project, either written up in a full thesis, or in a format of manuscripts with a beginning and ending sections forming part of the whole thesis. This work should contribute new and original knowledge to your chosen field. It usually takes between three and five years to complete your thesis, depending on the time you are able to commit to your research and writing. There is no course work or structured programme attached to the thesis but additional courses may be taken at any university of your choice as needed. Our programme is small, because we have a limited number of staff who can supervise PhD students. We assess every request on merit, based on the person’s CV and research experience, and if his or her project matches our areas of expertise.

 Our main areas of expertise are:

  • Capacity Building/ Public Health Education
  • Health Policy and Systems
  • Health Promotion
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Maternal and Child Health
  • Non-communicable Diseases
  • Nutrition and Food Security
  • Pharmaceutical Public Health
  • Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • Social Determinants of Health
Admission Requirements

Apart from having completed your Master’s qualification, you should also have research experience and research publications as first or co-authored.

Prospective candidates shall complete an Expression of Interest form in order to be considered for an invitation to apply for a PhD at the School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape.

Cost Estimates

Course fees for the entire qualification (once-off) is approximately R R44 000 for South African citizens and International students with African Citizenship.  The fee for International students without African citizenship is approximately R100 000. All international students MUST pay the full tuition fee upfront at registration. An annual registration fee of approximately R1445 must be paid each year as well.  We do not have any regular on-going bursaries, although occasionally specific research projects will have funds available.