The Tygerberg Doctoral Office hosts the prestigious annual SU Pre-Doctoral Short Course in Medicine and Health Sciences.

Date: The course is offered in two block teaching weeks. Students are also expected to complete approximately one week of follow-up work spread over the three to four weeks following the course. The next offering of the course is tentatively planned for April/May 2024.

Aim: The overall aim of this short course is to provide a sound and substantial, interdisciplinary foundation for doctoral studies in Medicine or other Health Sciences, and guidance on writing a doctoral research protocol.

Target Group: PhD proposal development phase students in the SU Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences who are already working on a research topic and dissertation title and are unlikely to change the topic during the course, are especially encouraged to apply. Students are expected to arrive with a strong sense of their research interest. All prospective or proposal-phase doctoral students in health-related domains will benefit from this course, though those outside SU should note that certain parts of the course are dedicated to SU-specific processes.

Application Criteria: To be considered for this course, applicants must be in possession of a master's degree and must be available to attend the full course in person. Preference will be given to applicants who are already working on a protocol and who have supervisors allocated by the academic environment where they intend to register for their PhD study.

Format of the Course: The Predoctoral Short Course in Medicine and Health Sciences is presently an in-person course, though elements of the hybrid classroom are incorporated. The course will be presented in a hands-on manner where possible so that students will have ample time to engage with their protocols and consult with their supervisors. To facilitate this, successful applicants will receive reading material to study in advance. The course is intensive and occupies participants fulltime for the duration of the two teaching weeks.

Venue: Biomedical Research Institute building, Tygerberg campus

Course Content: Click here for an example programme

Language of tuition: English

Certification:  The course is a registered short course for which an SU Certificate of Competence will be issued. Students will be assessed on their progress during the course - on progress with elements of their research proposal and on their presentation at the end of the course. Students are requested to exercise the option for a digital certificate, when submitting their application to enrol for the course.

CPD points:  The course is accredited for 30 CPD points and 5 Ethics points - allocated to those who attend the full course and earn the certificate of competence.

NQF Level: 9

Cost:  R4,895.- per student in 2024

Contact: Ms Chanelle Windvogel - chaneller@sun.ac.za (Course administrator)

Course coordinator: Dr Liela Groenewald - tyg-phd@sun.ac.za

Follow-up: Upon successful completion of the short course, SU students are advised to participate in the PhD Community of Practice for ongoing support for the duration of their doctoral studies, and to make use of the several relevant opportunies for capacity development offered by the SU Postgraduate Office.