2015 OSISA SCHOLARSHIPS FOR AFRICAN WOMEN MEDIA LEADERS AT RHODES UNIVERSITY
The Sol Plaatje Institute (SPI) for Media Leadership at Rhodes University in South Africa, in
collaboration with the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), invites applications for six
postgraduate scholarships from Southern African women media leaders who wish to study media
management at the SPI in 2015.
Applicants should be from Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Lesotho,
Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Successful applicants will
register for the SPI’s intensive, one-year-long fulltime Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management
(PDMM), the only formal media management qualification in Africa and the developing world.
Candidates must already possess an undergraduate degree from a recognised university in order to
pursue postgraduate study. The OSISA scholarships cover:
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The full cost of tuition
Accommodation and meals in one of Rhodes University’s postgraduate residences
Course materials and books
A monthly subsistence allowance
Medical aid
Mid-year media management internship costs.
Employers of the successful scholarship applicants or the scholarship winners themselves will need
to cover their travel costs to and from Rhodes University, including during the University’s
holidays, to encourage greater ownership and appreciation of the scholarship programme
by the beneficiaries and their media companies.
The PDMM is a one-year, fulltime programme designed to provide people who work or aspire to
work in the media industry with critical skills and knowledge they need to perform more effectively
and strategically in their organizations and to fast-track their careers to management positions.
The PDMM is equivalent to an honours degree -- it is pegged at Level 8 on the National
Qualifications Framework set by South Africa’s qualifications-setting agency SAQA -- and combines
rigorous theoretical and practical grounding, a mid-year management internship and a
comprehensive academic portfolio at the end of the year.
The PDMM is composed of eight compulsory modules covering media economics and financial
management; media markets, audiences and advertising; managing media content; managing
circulation and distribution; media management and leadership; media management contexts,
policy and institutions; new media and convergence; and human resources management.
Application details and procedures:
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Only women candidates who are already working in the media industry in the 10 Southern African
countries of OSISA listed above are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Candidates should
already have an undergraduate degree in any discipline from a recognised university.
The application deadline for these scholarships is 7 November 2014.
Students wishing to apply for these scholarships need to:
• Complete the Rhodes University’s standard Honours Application form (available at
www.ru.ac.za/applying/ under the section ‘Postgraduate Studies’ which must be submitted
directly to the Registrar’s Division at Rhodes University and a copy emailed to Linda Snam
(l.snam@ru.ac.za) or to Sibonise Mbengashe at S.Mbengashe@ru.ac.za at the Sol Plaatje Institute
(SPI).
• Submit a detailed Curriculum Vitae, including contact details. This is sent to the SPI only.
• Submit certified academic transcripts of ALL tertiary qualifications (these are sent to both the SPI
and Registrar’s Division at Rhodes University); and
• Submit to the SPI (through Linda Snam at L.snam@ru.ac.za or through Sibonise Mbengashe at
S.Mbengashe@ru.ac.za) a 1,000-word letter of motivation, which explains why the student is
interested in doing the PDMM, how the PDMM will assist the student’s career and why the student
believes she/he qualifies for the OSISA scholarship.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted after the applications close at 12 mid-day (Southern
African time) on 7 November 2014.
OSISA is an African institution committed to the creation of open societies through support for
democracy, human rights and good governance and it works in Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho,
Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The SPI is a pioneering institute of Rhodes University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies. It
educates and trains high-level media managers and leaders for Africa through delivering a unique
and innovative honours degree-level formal qualification in media management, the PDMM, and a
range of professional business and editorial courses that are fully certificated and accredited for
practising media leaders from across the continent.
ENDS
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