Program Overview

Programme: PhD Economics

The PhD (Economics) programme is a research degree, requiring the completion of supervised as well as independent research resulting in peer-reviewed publication. Students interested in pursuing the PhD (Economics)-degree programme are expected to have completed the equivalent of the MPhil (Economics) programme, including advanced topics courses.

Programme Information

• The programme is offered by the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.
• Minimum duration of study: 2 years
• Total credits: 360

Admission Requirements

• Relevant master's degree with an average of at least 65%.
• EBW 801 is a prerequisite for the thesis (EKN 995) and the module does not carry any credits.
• The thesis contributes 100% towards the total requirements for the degree.

Additional Requirements

• Capacity limitations: The supervision of postgraduate students is a time-consuming process, and the Department reserves the right to limit the amount of students accepted into the programmes.
• Additional information:
  • All students accepted into the programme will be required to attend an intensive Mathematics and Statistics session.
  • Students who have not completed a full year of Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Econometrics as part of their master's studies may be considered for the programme but will be required to complete additional modules.
  • All students will be expected to work in a research area that is relevant to current staff capabilities.
  • The Department of Economics is serious about the need to develop students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and will allocate additional marks to South African students from these backgrounds.
  • The Department will also allocate additional marks to students who previously studied at the University of Pretoria.

Other Programme-Specific Information

• EBW 801 is a prerequisite for the thesis (EKN 995) and does not carry any credits.
• Continuation Policy: Students are expected to complete the degree within three years, with significant progress each year.
• Examinations and pass requirements: The thesis should be passed in accordance with the stipulations of Regulations G.52 and G.60.2.2, as well as a compulsory module in Research Methodology.

Research Information

• At least one chapter from the thesis must be submitted for publication before the degree can be awarded.
• Students are expected to defend their proposal and present their findings on a continuous basis within the department's seminar series.

Core Modules

• EBW 801: Research methodology
  • Credits: 0.00
  • Module content:
    • Developing the background to a research problem
    • Compiling a thorough literature review
    • Approaches to research
    • Different research designs in quantitative and qualitative methods
    • Qualitative research methodology
    • Quantitative research methodology
• EKN 995: Thesis
  • Credits: 360.00

General Regulations

The General Regulations (G Regulations) apply to all faculties of the University of Pretoria. It is expected of students to familiarise themselves well with these regulations as well as with the information contained in the General Rules section. Ignorance concerning these regulations and rules will not be accepted as an excuse for any transgression.