University of Venda Courses 2025/2026

RULES FOR POST-GRADUATE STUDIES IN SCIENCEHONS B.Sc. Degree

ADMISSION

1. A candidate will be allowed to register for the Honours degree only if he/she possesses a B.Sc. degree or equivalent or subject to Senate approval, if he/she has completed the modules for a B.Sc. degree, or if equivalent status has been conferred on him/her by Senate.
2. Candidates must have passed the final-year modules of the subject in which they wish to study with an aggregate of at least 60%. Candidates with lower level passes may be accepted subject to Senate approval.

MINIMUM DURATION OF STUDY

1. For full-time students, the Honours degree is offered over one academic year and students write examinations and present themselves for continuous assessment during the year of registration. For part-time students the degree is normally offered over two years. Part-time students are assessed at the same time as full-time students during scheduled assessment and examination periods. Except with the special permission of Senate, the duration of the full-time study will not exceed two years, and the duration of the part-time study will not exceed three years.
2. The degree will not be conferred on a candidate before at least one year has elapsed since he/she obtained the Bachelor’s degree or another undergraduate degree as set out in the school rules and unless he/she has been registered for one year at this University.

ASSESSMENT

Admission for assessment

• Candidates will only be assessed in a particular module if they attended lectures, tutorials and prescribed practicals satisfactorily and obtained a semester mark of at least 50%.
• A student must attain a minimum of 50% pass in each of the components of assessment. A student, who fails one of these components, will be allowed to repeat only that component. The written examination component will be conducted during the next normal examination period for that specific module.
• All written examinations will be taken only during official examination sessions.
• A candidate who fails two modules in the learning programme, and obtains an aggregate of at least 50% may be admitted for assessment in those modules on one further sitting.

Minimum pass and distinction

• The minimum final pass mark in any module is 50%. Subject to department rules, a subminimum of 50% in the assessment is required.
• A student passes a module with distinction if the final mark is 75% or higher.
• To obtain the degree cum laude, a candidate must attain an aggregate of at least 75%.

Aegrotat and Special examinations

3.1 An Aegrotat Examination may be granted to a student who has been prevented from sitting for the examination-

(a) by illness on the day of the examination or assessment, or immediately before the examination or assessment, provided that a medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner is submitted to Senate, and/or provided that the student’s application is supported by the invigilator concerned or another responsible person; or

(b) as a result of domestic circumstances such as serious illness or death of a close relative during the examination or assessment, or other reasons, provided that the Senate judges it to be a bona fide case, and the student can provide satisfactory proof of such extraordinary circumstances.

3.2 Special examinations will not be offered to postgraduate students except with special permission of Senate.

CREDITS

To be awarded an honours degree, the candidate must accumulate at least 120 credits at this level.
Master’s Degree

ADMISSION

1. To be admitted to the programme a candidate must have obtained the Honours Bachelor’s degree with at least 60% in the subject for which he/she wishes to enrol, or have had equivalent status conferred on him/her by Senate.
2. The MSc degree is conferred on the basis of a dissertation and an examination, or a dissertation only, as determined by the Academic Board.
3. The Head of Department may prescribe certain ancillary modules which must be enrolled or passed before the date of the Master’s examination.

DURATION OF STUDY

1. The maximum period of study is TWO years full time and THREE years part-time. Senate may refuse to renew the registration of a student who does not complete the study within the prescribed time, or may renew it subject to any conditions it may deem fit to impose.
2. Senate may, at any time, suspend or cancel the registration of any student who, in its view, is not making satisfactory progress.
3. Students who wish to defer their studies at any stage must submit an application to the relevant department. If granted, such deferment will be for a maximum period of one year, after which a further application must be submitted. Deferment will, at most, be granted twice.
4. Unless otherwise decided by Senate and subject to special provision in the school rules, the degree may be conferred if the candidate has been registered for at least a minimum of one academic year.

Doctoral Degrees

ADMISSION

1. To be admitted, candidates must have obtained the Master’s degree or such other qualification as in the opinion of Senate is of equivalent status, in the field where they wish to study, except if Senate approves that it may be in another field, in which case they must satisfy Senate as to their proficiency in the selected field.
2. Before a candidate’s application for registration can be considered, the title or topic of the proposed thesis, together with a brief outline of the research must be submitted to the department and School’s Higher Degrees Committee concerned for recommendation to the School of Postgraduate Studies and approval by Senate. The Research proposal must be approved by the School’s Higher Degrees Committee.

DURATION OF STUDY

Unless otherwise decided by Senate and subject to special provisions in the school:

• the degree may be conferred only after the candidate has been registered for a period of at least THREE years fulltime or FOUR years part-time for the degree concerned at this University, and
• The maximum period of study is five years full time or seven years part-time, subject to Senate approval. Extension may be granted only in exceptional cases and for only one year. A student who desires an extension must submit a motivated application for consideration by Senate.

RE-REGISTRATION AND DEFERMENT OF STUDIES

For the duration of the programme a student must register each year by the stipulated date.

Registration each year is subject to the recommendation of the Head of Department and may be rejected in any year on grounds of unsatisfactory progress. When applying for registration annually, the student must give, on the prescribed form a short exposition of progress to date and study plans for the year concerned. A progress report must be endorsed by the Supervisor

Students wishing to defer studies at any stage must submit a motivated application beforehand. If granted, such deferment will be for a period of one year only, after which a further application must be submitted. Deferment will, at most, be granted twice.