Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences at University of Cape Town

Programme overview

The PhD (MD001) in the Faculty of Health Sciences is a research degree by full thesis, offered in a large range of health-science disciplines under the guidance of a supervisor. The thesis is examined by three external examiners.

Faculty: Faculty of Health Sciences | Department: Varies by specialisation (Anaesthesia, Pathology, Human Biology, Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, Surgery, Medicine, Public Health, Family Medicine, Psychiatry and others) | Study mode: full-time | Location: Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

What you will study

A research thesis of up to 80 000 words, with the research proposal developed in the first year and approved by the UCT Human Research Ethics Committee where required. Some specialisations add requirements: PhD in Disability Studies runs for at least two years full-time (or five years reduced load); PhD in Computational Health Informatics and PhD in Sports and Exercise Medicine are full-time programmes of about three years; Public Health and Family Medicine candidates present their proposal to a three-assessor panel and may audit pre-requisite courses; Exercise Science candidates without the UCT BMedSc(Hons) complete its coursework in year 1.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants must have a relevant master's qualification or equivalent postgraduate study recognised by Senate, with at least 60% at master's level and at least 60% in a relevant research methods course. Admission by Recognition of Prior Learning without a master's degree is possible for strong MBChB graduates (above 70% throughout the degree or a progressive improvement to a GPA of 65%), who must show research experience (for example an intercalated degree, a comprehensive research project during medical school, or certified research methodology courses), have an experienced supervisor willing to supervise and a clear plan for research support; RPL is managed at departmental level and signed off by the postgraduate and research committee chairs and the head of department. Specialisation-specific rules: Disability Studies applicants need a master's related to Disability Studies, Health, Rehabilitation or Education and Development; Computational Health Informatics applicants need an NQF 9 master's in that field or in Bioinformatics, Public Health, Computer Science, Biostatistics, Population Genetics or Genetic Epidemiology with at least 60% average; Sports and Exercise Medicine applicants need an MBChB together with an MSc, MPhil or MMed in Sports & Exercise Medicine.

Tuition is charged per module, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

The application fee is R100 for undergraduate and postgraduate applications from South Africa and the SADC region, and R300 for applications from outside the SADC region; it is non-refundable and payable by direct deposit, EFT or credit card (online). UCT students and graduates are exempt except for GSB programmes.

Apply through the official page: https://applyonline.uct.ac.za

Explore more study programmes

Health Sciences