College of College of Graduate Studies

Unisa's ground-breaking Online Accelerated Postgraduate Support Programme commences fourth cycle

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The School of Transdisciplinary Research and Graduate Studies, in the College of Graduate Studies (CGS), recently launched the fourth cycle of the CGS Online Accelerated Postgraduate Support Programme. Its objective is to accelerate the progress of Unisa’s postgraduate student cohort, by offering them an array of online resources, training and support.

Prof Tennyson Mgutshini, Project Leader and Acting Executive Dean of the College of Graduate Studies

A product of Covid-19, this research methodology, academic writing and grant-writing programme has proven to be successful in previous cycles. Thanks to this ground-breaking programme, postgraduates have a greater chance of succeeding in their academic journey. The programme is accessible to students and supervisors at any given time, provided that their registration is official. The intention here is also to facilitate the contribution of supervisors and administrators in producing graduates who are competent in the marketplace and/or in academia.

As outlined in the National Development Plan, one of the main responsibilities facing the higher education sector (of which Unisa is a part), is to deliver increasing numbers of doctoral graduates by 2030. Unisa’s programme seeks to achieve this by addressing several challenges related to postgraduate students, including low readiness rates among honours, master’s and doctoral students; the 29–60 per cent drop-out rate among candidates in their first year of postgraduate study; and 73 per cent of students failing to complete their proposals within the 12-month period granted by the Department of Higher Education and Training, to mention but a few. Postgraduate students are encouraged to join the programme, as they will receive excellent direction, through education and training interventions, for enhanced outcomes.

Students who are registered to pursue honours, master’s or doctoral studies with Unisa are urged to register for this six-month programme, which offers individualised support aimed at boosting their academic career success.

Students can register for the Online Accelerated Postgraduate Support Programme here: https://forms.office.com/r/vBwCNeDaVf

To watch or revisit the launch, use this link: https://youtu.be/pqt5uZrKv-k

*By Hanli Wolhuter, Communication and Marketing Specialist and Musa Buthelezi, Intern, College of Graduate Studies

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Publish date: 2023-07-14 00:00:00.0

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