A number of the MSc and PhD projects offered could be based at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), as a number of our academic staff have joint affiliations at UCT Astronomy and the SAAO. For a full list of projects offered at the SAAO, please see the SAAO web site.
Application process
If you are interested in any of the projects listed above, please do the following:
contact the academic staff member of the project you are interested in and send them a copy of your CV;
discuss the research with them to determine if you have the required qualifications, skills and abilities to undertake the project. You may contact as many potential supervisors as you like;
if the academic staff member agrees to supervise you, discuss details about registration and funding.
Note that the internal deadline for applications through the University of Cape Town for NRF 2021 MSc and PhD scholarships is 30 June 2020. For details see this notice. Completing the NRF application will take time, and requires various documents and letters. It is essential that you complete your discussions with your potential supervisor(s) well before the deadline.
If you require NRF funding, you must ensure that you qualify for NRF support as this is the primary mechanism we have to provide you with a bursary. Once you have applied for NRF funding, send your application number to your prospective academic supervisor.
The lists of projects offered for 2021 also include a number of SARAO-approved projects, eligible for SARAO scholarships. Applications also go through the NRF application portal, and the internal UCT deadline is also 30 June 2020.
