UCT Archive and Public Culture Postgraduate Bursaries 2022

About Archive and Public Culture Research Initiative

The initiative is part of the University of Cape Town’s History division. Founded in 2009 and headed by the Faculty of Humanities, its objective is to fund projects pertaining to history, identity, and memory in South Africa. The Archive and Public Culture initiative is funded by the National Research Foundation, the country’s largest funder for various kinds of research projects.

UCT Archive and Public Culture Postgraduate Bursary

As part of the initiative, UCT offers a number of bursaries each year to a set number of students. One of them is the Archive and Public Culture postgraduate bursary.

The bursary is available to students of any discipline looking forward to studying at the University of Cape Town. They must be in pursuit of a postgraduate degree at various levels, including Honours, Doctoral, and postdoctoral level.

The topics must be relevant with the South African Research Chair in Archive and Public Culture.

The funding will cover the expenses related to the study. The amount varies from applicant to applicant and will be as per the decision of the Chair. When deciding the amount, the Chair will consider the cost involved in reading groups, R&D workshops, local and international publication projects, etc.

The Chair prioritizes the following areas of interest when deciding the beneficiaries:

• The history of Southern Africa, especially in the late independence era
• Digital humanities and epistemologies

To give you a general idea, bursaries will be granted as per the following values:

• Masters of Arts – Full funding for two years to be around R167,000 per year
• Masters of Arts – Partial funding for two years to be around R100,000 per year
• D. – Full funding for three years to be around R175,000 per year
• D. – Partial funding for three years to be around R90,000 per year
• Postdoctoral fellow – Full funding to be around R200,000 per year. It is renewable for the second year provided satisfactory performance in the first year

Eligibility Criteria

To benefit from the UCT Archive and Public Culture bursary, you must meet the eligibility requirements. Before applying, you must ensure that you satisfy these criteria. Otherwise, your application will be canceled without further consideration.

The eligibility requirements for the bursary are:

• Must have passed undergrad education and hold a relevant degree
• Must be looking forward to a postgrad degree qualification at the University of Cape Town
• Must have either registered or intend to register at the UCT
• Must have passed with at least 65% in the undergrad
• For full funding students, a minimum of 75% is required. Or, the combined family income must not exceed R350,000 per year
• For PhD degree students, the age must not exceed 32 years at the time of application
• For MA students, the age limit is 30 years at the time of application
• Students applying for MAs by coursework and/or minor dissertation are also eligible

After you’ve checked the requirements and confirmed that you meet them, you can move forward with the application process.

How to Apply?

The application process for the UCT Archive and Public Culture postgraduate bursary is rather simple. After you’ve cross-checked with the eligibility requirements, here’s what you need to do:

• Prepare an Application Letter

The most important thing is the application letter. The letter should include the following:

• The particular area of interest for your research project
• Short statements pertaining to your intellect and academic concern
• Information about your studies and work experience, if any
• Academic references along with their name and contact details. You should also explain to what extent they’re familiar with your work

• Prepare Curriculum Vitae

You’re also required to submit a CV along with the application form. The CV should be updated and reflect your current status. It should be brief on the academic qualifications and degrees and certificates you’ve earned.

• Gather Necessary Documents

You’re required to submit the necessary documents. Please prepare the official tertiary academic transcripts. In case you don’t have them currently, make sure to have them if you get shortlisted.

Once you’ve prepared the application letter, CV, and documents, mail them to this email address – apc-admin@uct.ac.za. In the subject head, insert “UCT Archive and Public Culture Postgraduate Bursary” without fail.

Contact Details

To contact the UCT Research Chair, use the following address:

• Phone – 021 650 2077
• Email – admin-apc@uct.ac.za or apc-admin@uct.ac.za
• Post – Private Bag X3, Rondebosch, 7701, Cape Town