The African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) at the University of the Witwatersrand invites graduate students to apply to undertake the programmes in Migration and Displacement with us. ACMS enrols a maximum of 25 Hons, MA and PhD students each year from various academic backgrounds and countries.

Based in the School of Social Sciences, migration and displacement is an interdisciplinary field encompassing a wide range of disciplines including economics, public health, political science, sociology, urban planning, and development studies. With migration and displacement being such important and hotly-debated topics, the course has a wide-ranging academic and practical scope. The programmes are taught by ACMS staff who are widely published and have conducted innovative research projects.

Our postgraduate programmes are designed to give students a comprehensive conceptual framework for understanding and analysing a wide range of topics in the field of migration and displacement. They also equip graduate students with the practical skills necessary to understand, analyse and advise on the drivers, impacts and management of migration within academia, government, business and non-profit organisations, where many of the programme’s alumni are currently employed. Students are strongly encouraged to partake in the Centre’s research activities and are frequently invited to publish and present their work done as part of this programme.

The Migration and Displacement (coursework and research) programmes can either be undertaken full-time for a year or part-time over two years and consists of four courses and a research essay for Honors while the MA students have three courses and a research report. The compulsory courses are an Introduction to Migration and Displacement  (SOSS4055A-Hons/7082A-MA) and Logics and Methods of Inquiry for Migration Research ( SOSS4059A-Hons/7026A-MA). A third elective can be chosen from either ACMS electives which include Migration, Mobility and Health in Southern Africa (SOSS 4057A-Hons/7088A-MA) and Critical perspectives on labour migration and livelihoods (SOSS4058A-Hons/7083A-MA), or from the School of Social Sciences. The PhD degree can be taken full-time for a duration of 3 years or Part-time for a maximum duration of 4 years.

Hons and MA applications for 2025 are currently open. PhD applications are considered on a rolling basis throughout the year.

Please note that some departments under the School of Social Sciences use the same generic codes for our teaching programmes, whilst having specific/different academic plans as indicated below:

Hons
Program:   Bachelor of Arts Honours (AHA00)
Plan:   Migration and Displacement (AFAMIG41)

MA by coursework
Program:   Master of Arts by Coursework and Research Report (ACA00)
Plan:   Migration and Displacement (AFAMIG60)

MA by Research
Program:   Master of Arts by Research (ARA00)
Plan:   Migration and Displacement (AFAFMIG70)

PhD
Program:   Doctor of Philosophy (ADA02)
Plan:   Migration and Displacement (AFA80FMIG)

Please visit the information for applicants page for application requirements and the funding opportunities page. If you have any further enquiries feel free to email: teaching@migration.org.za or call +27-11-717-4033.