University of Cape Town campus

Health Sciences

Master of Philosophy in Forensic Mental Health at University of Cape Town

University of Cape Town, South Africa

Programme overview

The Master of Philosophy in Forensic Mental Health is a subspeciality programme that trains medical specialists to become subspecialists in forensic mental health. Candidates complete clinical training, the relevant College of Medicine examination (credited towards Part 1) and a 60-credit minor dissertation for the degree (plan MM155PRY03).

Faculty: Faculty of Health Sciences  |  Department: Psychiatry and Mental Health  |  Duration: Two years full-time, or three years with a reduced load.  |  Study mode: full-time  |  Location: Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

What you will study

Courses are MPhil Forensic Mental Health Part 1 (120 credits) and a Forensic Mental Health Minor Dissertation (60 credits), with subspeciality clinical training in Year 2; 180 NQF credits at NQF level 9. It is delivered through seminars, supervision and demonstrations; students need at least 90% attendance at seminars and academic activities and a pass mark (50%) in Part 1 coursework assessments in the first year to be eligible for the Part 1 examination.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Master of Philosophy (MPhil) subspeciality programmes, Faculty of Health Sciences: applicants must show that, before starting subspeciality training, they have met all requirements for registration as a specialist in the relevant base speciality, and must have been appointed against an HPCSA-approved training number. Foreign-qualified doctors hold limited HPCSA registration, renewed annually, and may not be able to complete all training and examination requirements in the time allowed. Programme-specific requirements: a Fellowship from the College of Psychiatry or equivalent postgraduate medical qualification, or a master's degree in clinical psychology of UCT or another recognised university (or equivalent), or a professional four-year qualification in a mental health discipline such as social work, occupational therapy or nursing; candidates must practise in, or intend to practise in, the psycholegal field.

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

View all study programmes →

Ready to start your study abroad journey?

Book a free consultation with our expert counsellors and take the first step towards your dream university.

Copyrights © 2026 StudyMapped. All rights reserved.