In the absence of clear provisions or directives in the University Calendar, and subject to the rules contained in the Statute, the following provisions shall apply:

A.5 Change of subject/field of study for Doctorate
In the case of the Doctorate (the degree of Doctor), the acceptability or otherwise of a change in registration from one subject/field of study to another shall be judged by the Senate on an ad hoc basis: Provided that it shall be borne in mind to what extent the designation of the degree eventually conferred may be misleading from an employer's point of view, and that every possible effort shall be made to ensure that any Doctorate is awarded to a student in that subject/field of study in which he obtained prior postgraduate degrees.

A.6 Conversion from Master’s to Doctorate
In deserving cases, and with due regard to the best interests of the student concerned, the conversion of a registration for the degree of Master requiring a thesis into a registration for the Doctorate may be considered and recommended by the board of the relevant faculty: —

A.6.1 Exceptional progress
Provided that the student shall have shown exceptional progress with his research (after not less than one year’s study);

A.6.2 Originality and Doctoral potential
Provided that in the course of the work done for the Master's study concerned there shall have emerged new and original insights which warrant further inquiry at the Doctoral level;

A.6.3 Scope and integration
Provided that the work done for the Master's study concerned shall have been such that it exceeds the conventional Master's study in scope and cannot reasonably be separated into a Master's component and a Doctoral component;

A.6.4 Acceptance by peers
Provided that the results of the work done for the Master's study concerned shall have been accepted for publication in a learned journal of high quality or shall have been found suitable by virtue of some other acceptable form of peer evaluation;

A.6.5 Initiative by supervisor; convincing research proposal by student; standard channels
Provided that the proposal for such conversion shall be initiated by the supervisor, who shall make a request to the departmental chairperson [If the chairperson supports the request, he shall direct the request to the Dean. (Where the supervisor is himself the departmental chair, he shall make the request to the Dean direct.) The Dean shall appoint a committee of three or four members whose subject expertise equips them to judge the request. One of the members shall preferably not be a member of the University of Stellenbosch staff. The student, after consultation with the supervisor, shall compile a brief memorandum containing (i) a report of the progress made with the Master’s study and (ii) a submission on the proposed Doctoral study. The committee shall consider the student’s memorandum and make a recommendation for consideration by the faculty board.];

A.6.6 Minimum residence
Provided that, before the Doctorate may be awarded to the student concerned, he shall have been registered for the degrees of Master and Doctor jointly for a total of not less than three years, including not less than one year for the Doctorate;

A.6.7 Written Master’s examinations
Provided that, in cases where written examinations are required for the Master’s study in question, all such examinations shall have been taken and passed by the student before the Doctorate may be awarded to him; and

A.6.8 Tuition fees
Provided that the student’s tuition fees shall not be retrospectively adjusted after the conversion.

Back to top