Postgraduate Programmes
The Department of Psychology at the University of the Western Cape offers five Postgraduate programmes. Please see the drop-down menus below for more information about each programme.
The Psychology staff research areas document can be viewed to identify potential supervisors for your research.
Applications for the 2026 intake will open on 01 May 2025 and will close on 30 September 2025.
At this stage, applicants must only complete a UWC institutional online application and submit the required documents, including academic transcripts. Provisional selections and additional information may be requested in October/November 2025.
Psychology Honours Programme Structure: This is a 1-year full-time programme.
Kindly review our documents below, which will provide more information regarding the Honours programme:
1. Honours programme brochure
2. Honours programme prospectus
3. Honours programme FAQS
Queries are to be emailed to psych-honours@uwc.ac.za
At this stage, applicants must only complete a UWC institutional online application and submit the required documents, including academic transcripts. Provisional selections and additional information may be requested in October/November 2025.
Psychology Honours Programme Structure: This is a 1-year full-time programme.
Kindly review our documents below, which will provide more information regarding the Honours programme:
1. Honours programme brochure
2. Honours programme prospectus
3. Honours programme FAQS
Queries are to be emailed to psych-honours@uwc.ac.za
This degree leads to registration with the Professional Board for Psychology as a Clinical Psychologist.
The Department of Psychology at the University of the Western Cape does NOT currently offer Counselling Psychology.
Applications for 2026:
• Opens: 1st of April 2025
• Closes: 30th of May 2025
Kindly review the following documentation for more information on the MPsych Clinical Programme. Further note that your question may have already been answered in the FAQs document.
• MPsych Brochure
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Application Process
For further queries, kindly contact us on mpsychqueries@uwc.ac.za
The Department of Psychology at the University of the Western Cape does NOT currently offer Counselling Psychology.
Applications for 2026:
• Opens: 1st of April 2025
• Closes: 30th of May 2025
Kindly review the following documentation for more information on the MPsych Clinical Programme. Further note that your question may have already been answered in the FAQs document.
• MPsych Brochure
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Application Process
For further queries, kindly contact us on mpsychqueries@uwc.ac.za
The University of the Western Cape is the only higher education institution in the Western Cape with an accredited Master's in Research Psychology Programme. This structured degree leads to registration with the Professional Board for Psychology in the category of Research Psychologist. Please view the minimum standards for this category as identified by the Health Professions Council of South Africa.
This programme is ONLY offered full-time. It includes compulsory coursework, practical research activities, and the development of a mini-thesis. An internship year at an accredited site follows your first year of study. Once you have completed all course requirements, you will need to write the board examination that will position you for registration as a Research Psychologist.
Applications for 2026:
Opens: 2 April 2025
Closes: 31 August 2025
Please email queries to: psych-mresearch@uwc.ac.za
Kindly review the research information and application infographic, and the list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) prior to contacting us, since your query may have been covered in one of the documents below.
1. M.Research Information and Application Infographic
2. M.Research Programme Frequently Asked Questions
Regarding Research Psychology Internships: UWC is an accredited research internship site. However, owing to limited resources, our research internships are funding-dependent and limited to UWC master's research students who have successfully completed their first year at our institution. We are therefore unable to offer internships to master's students from external institutions.
This programme is ONLY offered full-time. It includes compulsory coursework, practical research activities, and the development of a mini-thesis. An internship year at an accredited site follows your first year of study. Once you have completed all course requirements, you will need to write the board examination that will position you for registration as a Research Psychologist.
Applications for 2026:
Opens: 2 April 2025
Closes: 31 August 2025
Please email queries to: psych-mresearch@uwc.ac.za
Kindly review the research information and application infographic, and the list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) prior to contacting us, since your query may have been covered in one of the documents below.
1. M.Research Information and Application Infographic
2. M.Research Programme Frequently Asked Questions
Regarding Research Psychology Internships: UWC is an accredited research internship site. However, owing to limited resources, our research internships are funding-dependent and limited to UWC master's research students who have successfully completed their first year at our institution. We are therefore unable to offer internships to master's students from external institutions.
The MA Psychology by Thesis (only) program represents an unstructured Master’s degree in Psychology. It is important to note that the completion of this program does not qualify graduates for professional registration as Psychologists with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), as this degree is primarily focused on academic research. For further details regarding courses that facilitate registration as a professional Psychologist, please refer to the section titled “How to Become a Psychologist at UWC.”
For comprehensive application instructions and detailed information regarding the program, please consult the MA Psychology (Thesis) Brochure for 2025 provided below. Prospective students who wish to apply for the 2025 MA Psychology by Thesis program will find the necessary application guidelines within the brochure. Both departmental and online electronic applications for the UWC MA Psychology by Thesis program will be open from 8 January 2025 and will close on 31 July 2025. To ensure optimal consideration, we strongly encourage applicants to submit their electronic applications as early as possible.
The brochure contains information regarding the research areas undertaken by the departmental staff. Prospective applicants are encouraged to align their research interests with those of the departmental staff members to identify potential supervisors within the Department of Psychology at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).
1. MA Psychology (Thesis) Brochure 2025
For more information, please email us at psych-mthesis@uwc.ac.za
For comprehensive application instructions and detailed information regarding the program, please consult the MA Psychology (Thesis) Brochure for 2025 provided below. Prospective students who wish to apply for the 2025 MA Psychology by Thesis program will find the necessary application guidelines within the brochure. Both departmental and online electronic applications for the UWC MA Psychology by Thesis program will be open from 8 January 2025 and will close on 31 July 2025. To ensure optimal consideration, we strongly encourage applicants to submit their electronic applications as early as possible.
The brochure contains information regarding the research areas undertaken by the departmental staff. Prospective applicants are encouraged to align their research interests with those of the departmental staff members to identify potential supervisors within the Department of Psychology at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).
1. MA Psychology (Thesis) Brochure 2025
For more information, please email us at psych-mthesis@uwc.ac.za
The PhD degree in psychology is an unstructured doctoral program that is attained solely through research and the completion of a dissertation. It is important to note that graduates of this program are not eligible for professional registration as Psychologists with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), as the degree is primarily focused on academic research. For detailed information regarding professional courses that lead to registration as a Psychologist, please refer to the section entitled “How to Become a Psychologist at UWC.”
PhD degrees in Psychology are obtained through the execution of advanced research conducted under the supervision of a doctoral advisor within the department. Generally, a PhD is designed to make an original and significant contribution to the development of new knowledge regarding the psychosocial phenomenon being investigated. Moreover, it should focus on identifying pathways to address both the research and psychosocial issues outlined. For comprehensive application guidelines and program details, please refer to the PhD Brochure 2025. This brochure also contains information about the research areas of departmental staff. Prospective applicants are encouraged to align their research interests with those of existing departmental staff to identify suitable doctoral supervisors within the University of the Western Cape's Department of Psychology.
Prior to registration, candidates are required to engage in a consultation with the department. This process begins with the submission of a concept note, which serves as a foundational outline for the development of a comprehensive research proposal. Candidates will be granted admission to the PhD program only upon the approval of their concept note.
For more information, please contact the course coordinator via: psych-phd@uwc.ac.za
Please also refer to the document outlining the research areas of the Psychology staff for further information and guidance. Prior to submitting the application to the department, applicants must first complete the online admission process to the University via the UWC website (admission-and-financial-aid/apply/postgraduate-applications). This process will provide applicants with a unique application number, which is required for the completion of our departmental application form.
Prospective students who wish to apply for admission to the Psychology PhD program for the year 2025 may find the application instructions detailed in the accompanying brochure.
Closing Date: 31 August 2025
PhD degrees in Psychology are obtained through the execution of advanced research conducted under the supervision of a doctoral advisor within the department. Generally, a PhD is designed to make an original and significant contribution to the development of new knowledge regarding the psychosocial phenomenon being investigated. Moreover, it should focus on identifying pathways to address both the research and psychosocial issues outlined. For comprehensive application guidelines and program details, please refer to the PhD Brochure 2025. This brochure also contains information about the research areas of departmental staff. Prospective applicants are encouraged to align their research interests with those of existing departmental staff to identify suitable doctoral supervisors within the University of the Western Cape's Department of Psychology.
Prior to registration, candidates are required to engage in a consultation with the department. This process begins with the submission of a concept note, which serves as a foundational outline for the development of a comprehensive research proposal. Candidates will be granted admission to the PhD program only upon the approval of their concept note.
For more information, please contact the course coordinator via: psych-phd@uwc.ac.za
Please also refer to the document outlining the research areas of the Psychology staff for further information and guidance. Prior to submitting the application to the department, applicants must first complete the online admission process to the University via the UWC website (admission-and-financial-aid/apply/postgraduate-applications). This process will provide applicants with a unique application number, which is required for the completion of our departmental application form.
Prospective students who wish to apply for admission to the Psychology PhD program for the year 2025 may find the application instructions detailed in the accompanying brochure.
Closing Date: 31 August 2025
