Stellenbosch University (SU) will be awarding 3 315 degrees and diplomas at its March 2018 graduation ceremonies this week. Among these will be a record number of PhD and master’s degree candidates – 164 and 1 061, respectively.
As part of its centenary commemoration?, SU will also bestow honorary doctorates upon 13 foremost thought leaders. The recipients are Mr Max du Preez, Prof Musa Dube, Mr Trueman Goba, Prof Peter Jones, Prof Mervyn King, Archbishop Thabo Cecil Makgoba, Mr Patrice Motsepe, Mr Jannie Mouton, Prof Andre Nel, Prof Brian O’Connell, Ms Sandra Prinsloo, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, and Baroness Christine van den Wyngaert.
Du Preez and Prinsloo are honoured with the degree Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil). Dube and Makgoba will receive Doctor of Theology (DTh). The degree Doctor of Engineering (DEng) is presented to Goba. Jones, Nel and Sooliman will be awarded the degree Doctor of Science (DSc), while King, Motsepe and Mouton are honoured with the degree Doctor of Commerce (DCom). O’Connell will receive the degree Doctor of Education (DEd) and Van den Wyngaert the degree Doctor of Laws (LLD) – all honoris causa.
Click here for more information on the recipients of honorary degrees.
SU promoting excellence
Among this year’s PhD graduates, the Faculty of AgriSciences produced excellent and innovative research on the ‘smell’ of wine, fungus-farming mites in Protea flowers, and the restoration and conservation of Cape palmiet wetlands.
In the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the first MPhil in Disaster Risk Science and Development will be awarded and the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences celebrates its 100th doctoral graduate since the programme’s inception in 2010. The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences has contributed a record number of graduates to the December 2017 and March 2018 graduations: 1 664 in total, compared to 1 495 in 2016.
From the Faculty of Engineering, there has been an increase in the number of female students over the past decade. Since 2003, four women from the Faculty have been awarded the Chancellor’s Medal. During the March graduation ceremony, 261 students from the Faculty will receive their degrees – an increase in the number of graduates when compared with previous years.
Creating inclusivity and accessibility at SU
SU continually strives towards inclusivity and accessibility to people from diverse backgrounds. The SciMathUS programme at the Education Faculty is one shining example of the way inclusivity and accessibility can be supported and promoted. The programme offers learners who have already passed Grade 12 but who do not qualify for higher education an opportunity to improve their National Senior Certificate results in specific subjects. This may enable them to re-apply for degree programmes. During the March graduation ceremony, 16 students who had previously completed the SciMathUS programme and obtained entry to SU will be graduating. They will receive degrees from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and the Faculty of Science.