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simon44 · Joined: 15 Mar 2013 Posts: 118

Well, that's really the long and short of it.

Last year, I applied to study for an on-line PhD in Science Education, (my MSc from London University is in Engineering).

I completed the registration process and paid my registration fee. I then needed to propose a research topic for the application to be approved. That research topic needed to be agreed with my 2 research mentors at the college.

Well, try as I might, I was unable to get in contact with these 2 persons. All my emails were not replied to. I did get their contact email addresses from the university registrar, but still no reply from them...

All this time, the registrar was hassling me to complete my application process.

I sent several emails direct to the registrar, highlighting my urgent problem, that I wanted to follow this course of study, but how could I proceed if the research department refused to reply to my emails?

As yet, the registrar has not replied and their applications team are giving me a final warning to submit my pre-approved research topic or have my application rejected!!

Does anyone have any suggestions how to resolve this problem? Perhaps the personal email address of the UNISA Chancellor?

As far as I am concerned, UNISA has scammed me out of my application fee.

Simon

rtm · Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 1003 Location: US

simon44 · Joined: 15 Mar 2013 Posts: 118

HLJHLJ · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 1218 Location: Ecuador

I don't really understand the situation. Did the university advise you to apply like this?

In the UK the usual procedure for a PhD is to find someone willing to supervise you first, then you agree a topic with them, then you agree a second supervisor between you, and then you make an application.

If you just applied to potential supervisors on spec without any previous contact with them, most would probably never even read the email. Taking on a PhD student is a big responsibility and many professors will have a rough 10 year+ plan for the PhDs they are interested in supervising. On top of that, most universities have caps on the number of PhD students a supervisor can have at any one time.

So you would usually be expected to have all of that in place before making a formal application.

simon44 · Joined: 15 Mar 2013 Posts: 118

HLJHLJ · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 1218 Location: Ecuador

It sounds crazy. I assume this is the UNISA in South Africa not the one in Australia?

simon44 · Joined: 15 Mar 2013 Posts: 118

Yes, UNISA, South Africa.

According to my research about UNISA, their distance-learning PhD courses have a reasonable reputation, but other posters have also highlighted problems with the initial registration process.

Simon

PattyFlipper · Joined: 14 Nov 2007 Posts: 572

While UNISA's distance education programme is one of the oldest, cheapest and most extensive of the English medium universities, they do unfortunately have something of a poor reputation regarding their unresponsive administrative systems and indifferent student support.

Sorry, I don't really have any advice to offer. I know a couple of people who embarked on post-graduate degree courses with UNISA who eventually switched to other universities, due to communication difficulties with mentors / tutors and the university administration. Cheap doesn't necessarily equal good. Have you looked at the offerings of either the University of London or University of Leicester? They'll be more expensive, but are a lot more client-focused and easier to deal with.