my Choice @ Unisa 2012 master's and doctoral qualifications

College of Education
The newly established College of Education, which previously operated as the School of Education within the
College of Human Sciences, is proud to have been mandated by Council and the university’s management to play
a pivotal role in assisting the Ministry of Basic Education in the education and training of qualified and professional
teachers from the Foundation to the Further Education and Training levels in this country. Our ultimate goal is
not only to play a critical role in improving the quality of teaching and learning in our schools and classrooms –
particularly in the fields of science, mathematics, early childhood education, special needs education, educational
management, technology and languages education – but also to be engaged in transdisciplinary research that
helps us gain deeper insights into curriculum and instruction, student learning, assessment, teacher learning and
educational reform in general. As a postgraduate student within this college you will have the opportunity to
participate in groundbreaking and life-changing research initiatives, both for South Africa and the African continent,
supported by a team of committed and passionate lecturers who are not only organic intellectuals but some of the
best NRF-rated education researchers in the country.
The College of Education focuses on research into specialised areas of education, which include the following:
• Adult Basic Education and Training
• Comparative Education
• Didactics
• Early Childhood Education and Development
• Education Management
• History of Education
• Inclusive Education
• Philosophy and Psychology of Education
• Socio-education
• Adult Education
• Curriculum Studies
• Environmental Education
• Guidance and Counselling
• Mathematical and Natural Science Education
• Technology Education
As a college that is committed to the study, research and teaching of education as a discipline, an Institute of Higher
Education Research is also being established to focus on the study of policy and practice issues in higher education
and training. In addition, continuing and professional teacher education will be handled by the newly established
Centre for Continuing, Professional Training and Development by utilising an inquiry model to CPTD that focuses
on the teacher as a researcher in enhancing their pedagogical content and subject matter knowledge in particular.
The college currently comprises four departments and one school. As of 1 January 2012, plans are underway to
establish a second school and six more departments. These departments are supported by a fully-fledged Teaching
Practice Department which will soon be expanded to assist foreign students, an office of Tuition and Learner
Support and an Office of Graduate Studies to support our master’s and doctoral postgraduate students. To fulfil our
mandate of being an engaged university, the college is re-establishing the Unisa Centre of Early Childhood Education
into a state-of-the-art multifunctional unit that will be used for teaching and research, as well as assisting children
from the neighbourhood.
Ours is a continuous quest for a new democratic vision of learning, teaching, and school and classroom management
that results in effective and transformative education for our children – today and tomorrow as we remove barriers
to learning.
my Choice @ Unisa 2012
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