The Push for Differentiation in South African Postgraduate Research

South Africa's higher education landscape is at a crossroads with postgraduate studies. Universities are churning out more master's and doctoral graduates than ever, yet questions linger about their readiness for diverse career paths. Recent discussions at the third Enabling Quality Postgraduate Education (EQPE) colloquium, hosted by Universities South Africa (USAf) in March 2026, spotlighted the need to differentiate postgraduate research based on its primary inclination: towards academia, industry, or broader societal needs. This approach aims to align programmes more closely with real-world demands, addressing longstanding mismatches between academic outputs and employment realities.

With postgraduate enrolments standing at around 160,573 in 2023—representing 15% of total university headcount—the sector faces pressure to grow this figure to 217,000 by 2030, or 18% of enrolments, according to the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) enrolment planning statement. However, the National Development Plan's (NDP) ambitious 25% postgraduate share remains elusive, hampered by undergraduate demand and throughput challenges.

Insights from the EQPE Colloquium: Key Voices and Debates

The EQPE event, funded by DHET and organized under USAf's Advancing Early Career Researchers and Scholars (AECRS) programme, drew 120 senior academics, supervisors, and leaders to interrogate structural, institutional, and epistemic pressures in postgraduate training. Professor Stephanie Burton, Chair of the Community of Practice for Postgraduate Education and Scholarship (CoP PGES) at USAf and a professor at the University of Pretoria's Future Africa campus, set the tone by distinguishing master's degrees—focused on advanced knowledge acquisition—from doctorates, which demand original knowledge creation and high-level research proficiency.

"A master's degree is about advanced knowledge acquisition, while a doctorate is about creating new knowledge," Burton emphasized, highlighting the need for intellectual independence and methodological sophistication in PhD work. Professor Anil Chuturgoon, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), critiqued blurred boundaries, blaming funding constraints and overburdened supervisors. "Supervisors are stretched, managing multiple postgraduate projects, and this inevitably affects the depth and quality of supervision," he noted.

Academic Track: Cultivating Original Scholarship

The academic track prioritizes original contributions to knowledge, preparing graduates for university lecturing, research leadership, and policy roles. In South Africa, where doctoral graduates numbered just 3,620 in 2023 against a 2030 target of nearly 5,000 annually, this pathway remains vital for building research capacity. Yet, challenges like limited supervisory bandwidth and publication pressures—such as mandatory articles before graduation—undermine quality.

Professor Jonathan Jansen, renowned education scholar, warned against reducing postgraduate education to a "production system" driven by subsidies. He advocated cohort-based models fostering interdisciplinary seminars and collaborative intellectual communities, rejecting narrow disciplinary silos evident during COVID-19 responses. At institutions like UKZN and the University of Pretoria, academic tracks emphasize analytical depth, but experts call for safeguards against unethical practices like salami-slicing publications or predatory journals.

Industry Track: Professional Doctorates and Applied Research

Professional doctorates, bridging theory and practice in fields like education, healthcare, and management, represent the industry-oriented track. Professor H. B. Klopper from Belgium Campus iTversity argued that these programmes demand rigorous applied research, often collaborative with industry, focusing on practical impact rather than traditional theses. "Differentiation does not mean dilution; it means recognising multiple pathways to rigorous and impactful knowledge creation," Klopper stated.

South African universities lag in such models, with most PhDs lacking coursework due to Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF) restrictions. Chuturgoon proposed reserving doctorates for original scholarship while directing master's towards applied research, urging industry partnerships for outcome evaluation. This alignment is crucial as many graduates enter non-academic jobs, exacerbating brain drain when innovation skills go unused.

For more on thriving in research roles post-graduation, see USAf's detailed colloquium report.

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Societal Needs Track: Addressing National Priorities

The societal track targets real-world challenges like innovation, inequality, and sustainable development, aligning with continental agendas. Burton stressed programme designs reflecting national priorities: "If we are serious about impact, we must ask what skills we are developing and how they align with the future we are trying to build."

Examples include UKZN's industry-linked evaluations and interdisciplinary engagements at Future Africa. However, epistemic pressures—such as uniform assessment favouring academic outputs—hinder progress. Reforms propose practitioner-involved supervision and metrics tracking practical changes, ensuring postgraduates contribute to South Africa's knowledge economy.

Supervision and Readiness: Core Challenges

Overburdened supervisors perpetuate outdated models: "We supervise the way we were supervised," lamented Professor Sechene Stanley Gololo at the colloquium. With master's enrolments at 60,295 and PhDs at 25,475 in 2023, quality suffers amid funding cuts and enrolment incentives. Solutions include co-supervision, professional development, and pipeline fixes starting at undergraduate level, where research exposure is minimal.

• Explicit programme handbooks defining qualification purposes.
• Industry-expert panels for applied theses.
• Cohort seminars for intellectual community-building.

Enrolment Trends and Production Targets

DHET's 2026-2030 plan projects postgraduate enrolments rising to 217,102 by 2030, with doctoral spots at 34,079—up 4.2% annually from 2023. Graduates are targeted at 47,996 total, including 4,895 PhDs, yet reports deem the 25% share unrealistic due to undergraduate pressures. Black students now comprise 80% of postgraduates, women 57%, but access to research-intensive universities remains unequal.

Case Studies: Universities Leading the Way

At UKZN, Chuturgoon's team experiments with fee remission for timely completions (master's in one year, PhD in three), tying incentives to quality. The University of Pretoria's Future Africa promotes interdisciplinary societal research. Private providers like IMM Graduate School leverage public-private partnerships, while Rhodes University grapples with rural contexts affecting student success. These examples illustrate pathways forward, though systemic reform is needed.

Explore DHET's enrolment planning details for full projections.

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

Prof Jansen's Vision for Renewal

Jansen challenges corruption in supervision—like co-authorship claims—and calls for cohorts replacing solo models, fostering curiosity over credentials. "Institutions must safeguard standards against unethical practices," he urged, envisioning programmes nurturing deep thinkers for South Africa's future.

Future Outlook: Reforms and Actionable Steps

Experts recommend institutional readiness audits, policy tweaks for coursework in PhDs, and employer-led assessments. With brain drain accelerating and innovation lagging, differentiation promises tailored pathways: academic for scholars, professional for practitioners, societal for changemakers. Students should seek programmes matching career goals, while universities invest in supervisor training. As South Africa eyes G20 leadership in 2025, revitalized postgraduate research could drive equitable growth.

For career advice, check USAf's dilemma analysis.