Degrees & Courses Overview

Degrees and Courses

Academic information on ACMS degrees

1. Bachelor of Arts Honors (Hons) in Migration and Displacement (AHA00)

Intended to advance candidates’ critical engagement with the theory and practices of migration and displacement, this degree is suitable for those who would like to advance their scholarly training in migration studies. Successful applicants need to have a good undergraduate degree (typically with an average of 65% or above) in any social science or related discipline. Candidates with relevant professional experience may also be considered.

Requirements: Students are expected to complete two mandatory courses, two additional courses and a research essay over a period of 1 year for Full time registered students and 2 years for part-time registered students.
The Mandatory Courses

Additional Course (choice of 2 courses)

Required Submission:

Research Essay to be submitted before the end of November.

2. Master of Arts (MA) in Migration and Displacement by Coursework and Research Report (ACA00)

Intended to advance candidates’ critical engagement with the theory and practices of migration and displacement, this degree is suitable for those who would like to advance their scholarly training in migration studies. Successful applicants need to have a good Honours or four-year undergraduate degree (typically with an average of 65% or above) in any social science or related discipline. Candidates with relevant professional experience may also be considered.

Requirements: Students are expected to complete two mandatory courses, an additional course and a research report over a period of 1 year for full-time registered students and 2 years for part-time registered students.

The Mandatory Courses

Additional Course (choice of 1 course)

Required Submission:

Research Report Submission 12 months after enrollment (Mid February the following year)

3. Master of Arts (MA) by Research – Dissertation Only (ARA00)

The MA by research is intended to advance candidates’ critical engagement with the theory and practices of migration and displacement. The Masters by Research is intended for advanced students with prior social-science research experience and a background in migration studies. Evaluation is based solely on the successful completion of a research report of around 50 000 words.

Requirements: Submission of a research report based on substantial primary source research is normally expected 12 months after enrollment for full-time students. Part-time students have up to two years to complete the project.

4. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Migration and Displacement (ADA02) 

PhD applications are considered on a rolling basis throughout the year. More information on the PhD degree is below.

The PhD in Migration and Displacement is suitable for those who intend to have a career in research either inside or outside the academy. The degree generally requires no coursework. Successful applicants for the degree must have a strong undergraduate degree and Masters qualification; a substantive background in a migration-related field; and a demonstrated ability to conduct methodologically sound, independent research (academic or otherwise). Strong students who do not meet all of these qualifications may be admitted on the condition that they register for a research methods course and/or the core course of the MA by coursework, or complete a Masters degree through the programme. Full-time students have three years – and part-time students four years – to complete the degree.

Honors and Masters Courses offered by ACMS

Please note that ACMS students are encouraged to explore the many other courses offered in the second semester throughout the School of Social Sciences and elsewhere in the University. A copy of the annual Graduate Centre Handbook can be obtained from the Humanities Graduate Centre.

The following are provisional descriptions intended to provide students with a general overview of the units/courses on offer. Students are encouraged to contact the course co-ordinators directly for further information and to click on the names of each course below for links to detailed descriptions.

Semester 1

Introduction to Migration and Displacement

Unit presenters: Dr Jean Pierre Misago

Human migration and displacement affect societies around the world. Nowhere are the impacts more visible than in Africa, where movements of people in search of profit, protection and passage continue to shape the continent’s political, economic and social configurations. Beyond mobility’s practical and political importance in an era of globalization and urbanization, this course builds on migration’s analytical utility. As an empirical phenomenon and heuristic, people’s movements may be simultaneously destabilizing and empowering: they challenge not only the organization of socio-economic and political structures, but our presumptions about them. Course material focuses primarily on African experiences, but draws from, questions, and problematizes core concepts and broader debates within the social sciences.

Logistics and Methods of Inquiry for Migration Research

Course Coordinators: Prof Loren Landau

This course is intended to strengthen your understanding of, and capacity to conduct, social research on issues related to migration. The focus is on developing an understanding of what social research is, the various methods employed and their logics and the challenges and questions different kinds of social research presents. You will also work to develop your skills is evaluating the merits of published material, analysing data and developing strategies for conducting methodologically sound and theoretically relevant research in the environments in which migrants are typically found.

Semester 2

Migration, Mobility and Health in Southern Africa

Unit presenter: Prof Jo Vearey

This course provides a critical introduction to the health and psychosocial consequences of migration. The primary purpose of the course is to examine the intersections of humanitarianism, vulnerability and displacement from a health perspective. In order to do this, the course introduces fundamental concepts and analytical tools to understand the interaction between health, disease and illness in social contexts. It investigates the differential impacts of integrated public health responses on migrants with respect to ethnicity, gender, age and legal status. Case studies are provided of a number of common interventions with migrant populations including HIV/AIDS interventions (particularly access to services and treatment), psychological and psychosocial interventions and the provision of basic services such as water, sanitation and immunization. Throughout the course, the focus is on the complexity and politics of humanitarianism and the assumptions that underpin such interventions.

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