Occasional Student Route:
Students without a BSc (Eng.) in Electrical Engineering or its equivalent have to undergo a conversion programme of three years duration if they hold electrical engineering diplomas, or two years’ duration if holding science or non-equivalent technology first degrees. During the conversion process, they must register as occasional students, not postgraduate. For those that hold a South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) accredited engineering first-degree at the HEQSF 8 level, we welcome applications straight into either the MSc (Eng.) or MEng (Telecom) programme.
Straight Master’s Degree Routes:
For your information, we have three versions of the masters’ degree (http://www.uct.ac.za/apply/handbooks/): (1) the MSc (Eng.) programme by dissertation only, (2) the MSc (Eng.) by course work (60 NQF Credits) and dissertation (120 NQF Credits), and (3) the MEng (Telecom) by course work (120 NQF Credits) and a minor dissertation (60 NQF Credits).
Master of Science in Engineering:
MSc (Eng.) in Electrical Engineering with research dissertation (minimum 120 NQF Credits) and course work (minimum 60 NQF Credits) – EM024, EEE01.
Students may register for postgraduate courses and also register in the master thesis research course EEE5002W which carries 120 NQF Credits each year to conduct thesis research under the guidance of a faculty member. The master’s degree must be completed in a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 3 years. In general, a well-qualified students working very hard is expected to complete the work within 1.5 years in order to graduate before the end of the second year.
A master’s research thesis is usually accompanied by a peer-reviewed publication in a journal or a good quality conference. Practising to publish early is encouraged and is important to one’s career, and many of our students have indeed been able to start publishing research results within the first year. An MSc (Eng.) candidate with a paper accepted in a good conference may apply for financial support to present the work at one regional conference during the second year of the MSc program.
Master of Science in Engineering: MSc (Eng.) in Electrical Engineering with research dissertation (minimum 180 NQF Credits) – only for Electrical or Electrical & Computer Engineering or equivalent graduates, EM023, EEE01.
Students will register in the master thesis research course EEE5000W which carries 180 NQF Credits each year to conduct thesis research under the guidance of a faculty member. Course work is not required for the degree but many students will need to take some courses to prepare themselves towards thesis research.
The master’s degree must be completed in a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 3 years. In general, a well-qualified students working very hard is expected to complete the work within 1.5 years in order to graduate before the end of the second year. A master research thesis is usually accompanied by a peer-reviewed publication in a journal or a good quality conference. Practising to publish early is encouraged and is important to one’s career, and many of our students have indeed been able to start publishing research results within the first year. An MSc (Eng.) candidate with paper accepted in a good conference may apply for financial support to present the work at one regional conference during the second year of the MSc program. Your research direction depends entirely on the supervisor you get and the topic you decide to work on, with your supervisor’s permission.
Master of Engineering (Telecommunications):
MEng specialising in Telecommunications by coursework (minimum 120 NQF Credits) and research mini-dissertation (minimum 60 NQF Credits), EM017, EEE09
This programme resumed successfully in 2015 due to popular demand and is now on block release. Each course on the programme typically contains a lecture component of 5 full week days, followed by weekly seminars, tasks and a written examination, over a five-week period after the intensive lecture session.
The programme is designed to support the largest cohort of postgraduate students, including those that cannot be resident in Cape Town for the full duration to complete all courses, by using distance learning techniques during the follow up period after the one week intensive lecture period. All students will, however, have to be present in Cape Town for the one week lecture period for each course. Elements of continuous assessment (problem sets, short projects) and a written examination are utilised to assess the course. The MEng (Telecom) provides the strongest theoretical grounding for either PhD studies or higher level responsibilities in industry.
Doctoral Degree in Electrical Engineering
We also have a doctoral degree programme:
Doctor of Philosophy: PhD in Electrical Engineering (minimum 360 NQF Credits), ED001
Students register in the doctor of philosophy research course EEE6000W, which carries 360 NQF Credits, each year to conduct thesis research under the guidance of a faculty member. Coursework is not required for the degree and any course work the student may elect to undertake would be for self-improvement only.
The student must write a research proposal and hold a PhD Seminar within six months of registration to be accepted by the Doctoral Degrees Board as a candidate for the degree. The degree must be completed within three to five years for full-time students. A doctoral research thesis is normally accompanied by a peer-reviewed publication in a journal and at least one good quality conference. Practising to publish early is expected in communications engineering and is important to one’s career, and many of our students have indeed been able to start publishing research results within the first year.
A PhD candidate with a paper accepted in a good conference may apply for financial support to present the work at one international or regional conference during the second and third years of the PhD program. Most of our current and past students have comfortably met this expectation, with some publishing more than ten articles, book chapters and conference papers.
In telecommunications, supervisors are normally happy to work with you, provided you meet all UCT admission requirements. For the MSc (Eng.) by course work and the MEng (Telecom) degrees you would (in consultation with the supervisor) undertake to take at least sixty and one hundred and twenty credits, respectively, from the recommended and approved curriculum.