Higher education

Students can obtain the following diplomas at South African higher education institutions:

• Higher Certificate
• (National) Diploma
• Bachelor’s degree
• Bachelor honours degree
• Master’s degree
• Doctoral degree (PhD)

• Duration: 1 year.
• Content: professionally oriented programmes with general subjects.
• Admission requirements: National Certificate or National Senior Certificate (NSC) which states that the graduate has met the requirements for admission to Higher Certificate programmes.
• Diploma: Higher Certificate.

• Duration: 3 years.
• Content: professionally oriented programmes.
• Admission requirements: Higher Certificate or National Senior Certificate (NSC) which states that the graduate has met the requirements for admission to (National) Diploma programmes.
• Diploma: (National) Diploma.

• Duration: 3 to 6 years; programmes in humanities, commerce and science usually last 3 years, nursing science and law 4 years, architecture 5 years, dentistry 5½ years and veterinary science and medicine 6 years.
• Content: varies per specialisation, sometimes an internship, usually no thesis.
• Admission requirements: the National Senior Certificate (NSC) which states that the minimum requirements for admission to bachelor's degree programmes have been met + extra requirements, such as certain subjects and/or grades. A (National) Diploma may also grant admission to bachelor's programmes in the same specialisation, with exemptions.
• Diploma: Bachelor, such as Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Technology, Bachelor of Engineering.

• Duration: at least 1 year.
• Content: deepening the knowledge that students have acquired during the bachelor's degree.
• Admission requirements: a bachelor’s degree.
• Diploma: Bachelor Honours, such as Bachelor of Arts Honours and Bachelor of Commerce Honours.

• Duration: 1 or 2 years.
• Content: either research and a dissertation or a package of taught subjects that is concluded with a final paper or research report.
• Admission requirements: a bachelor honours degree or a bachelor’s degree following a 4- tot 6-year programme.
• Diploma: Master, such as Master of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Technology, Master of Commerce, Master of Engineering, Master of Social Science, Master of Philosophy.

• Duration: at least 2 years.
• Content: research and a dissertation.
• Admission requirements: a master's degree and possibly extra requirements.
• Diploma: PhD and Doctor of Philosophy.

Higher education institutions in South Africa can offer both higher professional education and research-oriented higher education. There are 2 types of higher education institutions:

• public universities; and
• private higher education institutions

Public universities

There are 3 types of public universities:

• universities;
• universities of technology;
• comprehensive universities.

Universities

Universities are the traditional academic universities. They offer mainly research-oriented higher education.

Universities of technology

Universities of technology are non-university institutions (technikons) that turned into universities. These institutions offer higher professional education. When students do research, it is practice-oriented.

Comprehensive universities

Comprehensive universities are a combination of the traditional academic universities and universities of technology. They are the result of mergers of technikons and traditional universities. Comprehensive universities offer both higher professional education and research-oriented higher education.

Private higher education institutions

Higher education is also offered by private higher education institutions. These institutions mainly offer higher professional education.