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What is the primary function of the Doctoral Degrees Board Office?
What is PhD Candidature?
PhD Candidature refers to your formal admittance as a PhD candidate at the University of Cape Town and the endorsement of your PhD study proposal.
How is my PhD proposal approved?
Brief overview of the approval process:
What does the Doctoral Degrees Board Office not do?
What is the minimum registration period before I can submit my thesis for examination?
You must be registered for a minimum of 2 consecutive years before uploading your thesis for examination.
When can I submit my thesis for examination?
You are permitted to submit your thesis at any time. It is recommended that you submit it at least 5 months before the upcoming graduation ceremony to allow time for the examination process to run its course. The submission guideline dates are available on our Overview webpage.
Must I obtain my supervisor’s approval before submitting my thesis?
The DDB will not insist that you obtain your supervisor’s approval but it is recommended that candidates submit with the approval of their supervisors.
When do I submit my intention to submit my thesis?
What is the format of my PhD Thesis?
UCT requires students to submit an electronic pdf copy of your thesis on PeopleSoft. For thesis submission requirements please consider our Thesis Service Request Checklist available under our Downloads section.
What is the recommended length / maximum word limit of a thesis?
What is the minimum word limit of a thesis?
What form do I complete if I want to apply for the suppression or embargoing of my thesis?
How do I access Turnitin?
How to request permission to include publications in your thesis?
Please consider the Guidelines for the Inclusion of Publications in a Doctoral Thesis available under our Downloads section. To request permission to include publications in your thesis, please submit a formal motivation (approved by your supervisor) outlining your contribution to the publication/s you intend including in your thesis:
Refer to page 4 of the guidelines:
“Written letters of support should be obtained from each co-author, attesting to their agreement on the stated contributions that the candidate made to the study and the role they played as co-authors, and that permission is granted to the student to include the co-authored paper in the thesis. In certain cases, where there are a large number of co-authors, the principal investigator and supervisor can sign such support on behalf of the group.”
What is Copyright?
Please consider the following information:
When do I submit my library copy?
The final library copy of your thesis is a requirement for graduation and should be uploaded by the deadline date provided by the DDB Office, prior to the graduation ceremony.
When will I receive an acknowledgement of my intention and PhD Thesis?
The DDB Office will send you an acknowledgement within 7 working days, if possible.
How long does the examination process take?
The examination process can take up to 5 months or longer from the date of submission. The duration is largely contingent on whether examiners are nominated at the time of the submission of your thesis.
Note: UCT does not undertake to reach a decision on the award of the degree by any specific date. You will be notified of the outcome once the examination process has been completed.
Is the examination process confidential?
The DDB Office is required to maintain confidentiality during the entire examination process. During the examination process we are not permitted to disclose the names of examiners and the due dates of examiners’ reports.
What are common delays in the examination process?
How am I notified of the outcome of my examination?
Once your examination process is concluded, the DDB Office will notify you by email of the outcome of your examination.