my Choice @ Unisa 2012 master's and doctoral qualifications

Make the right choice
How ready am I for my master’s and doctoral postgraduate studies at Unisa?
You are a successful student. You have completed the necessary undergraduate or honours degree to qualify for
postgraduate study. Can you remember what it was like and what you wish you had known before you started?
The aim of this section is to stimulate your thinking about, and planning for, further studies.
How does your postgraduate choice influence your career development?
It is an opportunity to re-examine your career vision and consider what needs changing. We suggest that you look
at this from three points of view: personal development needs, knowledge of the field and career prospects. While
these three points are interlinked, they may have different emphases according to your circumstances. If these three
points are in balance, you increase your chances of completing your studies successfully and reconnecting more
purposefully with your career path.
Integrating personal and career needs
At this point, your postgraduate studies may be motivated by a balance between experience and academic
sophistication. From a professional and personal point of view, you may see it as a sense of completion or as a way
of enhancing your career. Or it might provide “entertainment value”, that is, a useful way of occupying your time or
your contribution to humanity. The degree is not about career mobility as such, but rather about life enhancement.
Are your expectations of postgraduate studies in balance with your current career needs, as well as the changes
you anticipate for the future? How much information have you gathered in order to assess the possible value of
the “future” of your studies? Were you able to do some job shadowing? If not, we recommend that you conduct at
least an informational interview to refine your career ideas.
Demands of postgraduate study
Would you enjoy training in research where, on the one hand, you have to be skilful with the
practical elements (research, analysis, writing and presentation) and, on the other hand, be
masterful in the theory and methodology of a knowledge domain?
Postgraduate study demands time, energy and commitment. How well are you able to tolerate
frustration when faced with negative feedback, for example?
This section on motivation and goals indicates how deeply you have thought about the possible
impact of your postgraduate studies on your life. The more clearly defined your goals are, the
better your chances of completing your studies. Internal sense of control refers to how well you
focus your will, your heart and your mind on the task at hand. You take responsibility for your
actions, and you manage your stress and your relationships.
my Choice @ Unisa 2012
19