Welcome to the Department of Political Science

The Department of Political Science is a dynamic, research-driven unit with a focus on the political challenges which South Africa and the broader African continent must face in a globalising world.  Through comprehensive research programmes, the department has developed expertise in a wide spectrum of international, African and domestic politics.  Pressing issues such as poverty, development, globalisation and inequality are addressed at the under- and postgraduate levels. The department provides high-level theoretical and analytical training in a variety of subfields of Political Science, with particular focus on political risk analysis, public policy analysis, political behaviour and survey research, foreign policy analysis, global governance, and conflict and peace studies in Africa. Experts from practice and international universities are frequently involved in the presentation of modules.

The popular view that possession of a university degree no longer guarantees success in the job market is simply not true. Over the past fifteen years, the number of degreed graduates in the labour force has more than doubled even as the graduate unemployment rate has fallen and, even after the financial crisis, graduate unemployment remains at around 5 per cent. These are key findings of a CDE Insight, GRADUATE UNEMPLOYMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA: A much exaggerated problem.

To view the report click here