University of Pretoria PhD Companion Animal Clinical Studies

This programme is offered by the Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies.

The PhD degree is conferred by virtue of the successful completion of a thesis and an oral defence. Consult the General Regulations.

Before or together with the thesis a student must submit, and achieve acceptance for at least one article for publication in an acknowledged journal, failing which the degree will not be conferred.

The research topic will be determined in consultation with the head of department, following which the research projects will be approved in terms of Faculty guidelines and the General Regulations. Each candidate must satisfy the head of department that he or she is working at an institution with the necessary facilities, to enable him or her to complete the work required for the degree satisfactorily.

Subject to the stipulations of the applicable General Regulations, a candidate must hold an applicable master’s degree to qualify for admission to study for the PhD degree.

A candidate with an MTech degree who has obtained at least 60% for the MTech dissertation may be considered for admission if approved by Senate. Since the PhD is clearly more demanding of a wider (philosophical) scientific background, the selection of candidates for the PhD degree must be stringent, and could include outside evaluation of the dissertation work by nominees selected by the head of department and approved by the Faculty Postgraduate Committee, evidence of peer-reviewed publication, appropriate work-related experience (i.e. in a research environment) and, where necessary, formal coursework to address shortcomings in the academic background.

It remains the prerogative of the head of department to require an admissions test prior to registration for the degree study, in addition to the regulatory requirements. A pass in a proficiency test in English (TOEFL) at an acceptable level may also be required, especially in the case of international candidates.