Program Overview

Introduction to the EGS Honours Degree

The EGS Honours degree is a postgraduate program offered by the University of Cape Town, designed for students who have completed a Bachelor's degree in Environmental and Geographical Science or a related field. The program aims to provide students with advanced knowledge and research skills in their chosen field.

Eligibility and Admission Criteria

To be eligible for the EGS Honours degree, applicants must have completed a Bachelor's degree in Environmental and Geographical Science or a related field with an aggregate mark of at least 65%. Three different degrees are offered at the honours level, depending on the applicant's specialisation and faculty of registration.

Program Structure

The EGS Honours degree involves completing four courses and a supervised research project leading to a dissertation of 10,000 words. Each course comprises 20% of the final mark, and students may take up to two courses in other departments at the University of Cape Town, subject to approval from the Honours programme convenor.

Coursework

• The coursework component of the program consists of four courses, each contributing 20% to the final mark.
  • Students may take up to two courses in other departments at the University of Cape Town, subject to approval from the Honours programme convenor.
  • The choice of courses must be formally approved by the Honours programme convenor.
• Students may not take more than three courses in the first semester.
• Progress is assessed in July, at the beginning of the second semester, and students who are not meeting the required standard may be advised to discontinue the program.

Research Project

• The research project is a supervised project that counts 20% of the final mark.
• The project must be carried out under the supervision of an academic based in the EGS department.
• The dissertation is an integral component of the Honours degree program and cannot be awarded without passing this component.
• The topic and research design must be approved by the supervisor before starting work on the project.
• The research project provides an introduction to research in the chosen field and involves preparing a project proposal in collaboration with the supervisor.
• The proposal is presented before the department, and students receive constructive critical comment from EGS staff and students.
• Projects that involve the collection of data from human subjects require ethical review by the Science Faculty's Ethics Committee.

Dissertation Requirements

• The dissertation should be between 7,000 and 10,000 words.
• The dissertation should demonstrate an appreciation of research design, be set in a relevant philosophical and theoretical context, propose appropriate methodologies, analytical procedures, and techniques, and strive for the highest standards of description, discussion, interpretation, and presentation.
• Prior to submitting the final dissertation, students are required to present their project and its findings at the Annual EGS Postgraduate Colloquium.
• The presentation should outline the focus of the research topic, state the argument clearly, explain the methodology, and arrive at a clearly stated conclusion.

Assessment

• The assessment of the research project places emphasis on the conceptual framework and literature survey, problem formulation and research design, application of theory/concepts in empirical analysis and interpretation, data collection, manipulation and interpretation, and the quality and style of presentation.

Application Process

• To apply for the EGS Honours degree, applicants must submit a completed online application.
• A cover letter that includes a statement of interest, explaining why the applicant is interested in doing the Honours degree, is required.
• Students who have completed their degrees elsewhere are required to submit reference reports from two referees through the departmental reference form.