Doctoral programme: Enriching African practice and scholarship Since its launch in 2000, the SOPH doctoral programme in Public Health has made significant progress. We are experiencing an increasing and differentiated demand for doctoral education and the number of PhD students has grown over the last 20 years from an annual average of 4 to around 50 per year. The programme’s flourishing reputation is seen in the 272 applications we received in 2019 and 2020. In addition to the School’s good reputation, the flexibility of the programme and its niche orientations are big attractions – in addition to its relatively affordable fees. We have a growing pool of available supervisors covering a range of topics, reflecting the expertise of SOPH colleagues and a network of collaborators from other institutions.
Student profile The table below reflects the profile of PhD graduates, current students and recent applicants in the School. In 2020, 46 students enrolled in the programme, three-fifths of whom were female (60%). Just over half (56%) were living in South Africa while one third were from other African countries. These profiles are consistent with those of the PhDs who have graduated to date. The only difference is a slight increase in the ratio of foreign to South African students – which reflects the high demand for doctoral training from other parts of the continent and realises the SOPH’s vision and purpose of promoting equity and dedicating our limited resources to making an impact on the continent.
Total number Gender Female Male Country of residence South Africa Other African countries Countries outside Africa
Graduates to date
Current students
51
46
Recent applicants (2019-2020) 272
60% 40%
65% 35%
35% 65%
60% 27% 13%
56% 33% 11%
25% 69% 6%
The majority of students are embedded in research or programmes, either at the SOPH or in their respective institutions. Some are attached to research projects that carry PhD scholarships, and the rest are self-funded or receive funding from various sources. The majority of candidates work full time and are self-sponsored.
Recent graduates In 2019 and 2020, SOPH graduated nine PhD candidates (see page 14). The topics of their dissertations are given on page 15, reflecting the wide range of fields in which they are engaged. Their careers also vary, from being scholars in academia, leaders or managers in the health or development sector, to practitioners and knowledge workers in various health-related settings.
A streamlined and integrated doctoral programme The expansion of the doctoral programme has necessitated more structured approaches, from selection to supporting students through the doctoral journey, integrating them into the life of the SOPH and maintaining throughput rates.
A PhD co-ordinating team of four SOPH staff screen the candidates’ submissions using a newly developed process which streamlines and systematically manages diverse categories of applicants. They identify those candidates who are most likely to succeed in completing the ‘academic marathon’ that a PhD journey represents, and whose interest and focus matches the supervision expertise and availability in the School.
Facilitating support for candidates Writing a doctoral dissertation can be lonely at the best of times – exacerbated in 2020 by the restrictions imposed by COVID-19. To sustain momentum amongst students and supervisors, we developed a multi-facetted programme of support and learning activities, encouraging communication and engagement, not only with the SOPH, but also among peers. We did the following: • •
Developed and implemented a virtual induction series for incoming doctoral students. Ensured almost daily communications through our Sakai-based on-line doctoral portal (called
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