Since the early 2000s, programme monitoring and evaluation has rapidly grown as a profession, industry, governance tool, and research field. Many organisations now employ in-house specialists, and in South Africa, the Department for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) drives local demand for qualified evaluators.

When one evaluates a programme‚ one asks: Is it working, and if so, how is it working? To answer these questions, an evaluator applies research design and data analysis to real-world problems. Programme evaluation as a discipline thus appeals to graduate students with a robust solutions-based approach to research who want to apply their academic skills in an authentic way to pressing social problems.

Our students require existing knowledge of research design, research methods, and quantitative analysis.

To qualify for selection into the programme‚ you must have:

• An Honours degree, a four-year professional bachelor's degree, or a postgraduate diploma at HEQF level 8.
• Completed a component of quantitative research methods/statistics in your Honours/4th year/Postgraduate Diploma.
• An average mark of 65% for your honours/4th year/Postgraduate Diploma.

Please note that a bachelor's degree is not accepted.

We accept students from a wide range of backgrounds – including economics, political studies, business science, public health, development studies, sociology, social work, psychology and the applied natural sciences and education. Regardless of background, all students must have met the minimum admission requirements.

Applications must be completed using UCT's online portal. Applications close on 31 October of the year preceding your intended year of study.

Apply Online

When you apply, select Commerce Faculty > Master of Philosophy > Programme Evaluation.

Short-listed candidates and applicants might be contacted and requested to submit additional documentation. Applicants will usually be informed of the outcome of the selection process during the first week of December.

The degree consists of two parts: a 120-credit coursework component and a 60-credit research project.

The curriculum as a whole aims to teach students how to:

• Frame and tailor specific evaluation questions to a given programmatic context.
• Develop an evaluation design or assessment methodology suited to a particular set of questions.
• Adapt principles of research design and analysis to the specific assessment of a social programme's implementation, outcomes and impact.
• Analyse, present and interpret evaluation data and findings to inform programme management and improvement.
• We also provide students with an understanding of monitoring (tracking the progress of the programme) and programme theory (the way in which programmes change a problem or people).

BUS5037W and BUS5056W (Coursework - year 1 and year 2)

The coursework comprises a total of 180 hours of contact time. It is a requirement that students pass all coursework modules to pass the coursework component. The coursework is delivered face-to-face at UCT (no online option), and attendance on all days of every block release is compulsory. Details of the coursework modules are provided below.

Principles of Programme Evaluation
This module offers an overview of programme evaluation methods, teaching you to formulate and conceptualise evaluations that address key questions: What problem does the programme address? How is it supposed to work? Is it implemented as designed? Are its outcomes achieved? What impact has it had?

Statistics for Evaluation
In this module, students learn to apply statistical procedures to evaluate key questions. The module covers descriptive analysis and inferential statistics (correlation, t-tests, ANOVA, and regression) through both theoretical instruction and practical SPSS lab sessions.

Research Design for Impact Evaluation
In this module, you'll explore design options for rigorous impact evaluations, learn about their real-world limitations, and discuss maintaining their integrity. You'll also examine key issues, such as defining impact and assessing reasonable evidence.

Qualitative Methods in Evaluation
This module offers an overview of qualitative research methods. It covers key components of qualitative research design, including paradigms, questions, data collection, and analysis, while emphasising reflexivity and ethical research practices.

Alternate Approaches for Complex Evaluations
This module introduces various evaluation approaches for programmes with an outcomes/impact focus, combining practice with theoretical insights. It expands students' methods repertoire to address complex and diverse programme contexts beyond traditional counterfactual-based evaluations. The course explores alternative frameworks like outcome harvesting and developmental evaluation and includes a focus on transformative approaches, such as gender-responsive or feminist evaluation.

Monitoring using Programme Theory
Monitoring involves tracking a programme's progress and understanding relevant terminology, indicators, and funder requirements. This module teaches students to develop and apply programme theories to design effective monitoring and evaluation frameworks. Students will create indicators and standards for outcomes, track progress, and design monitoring frameworks with appropriate data collection questions.

At the discretion of the Head of Section, modules may be added or withdrawn.

BUS5050H and BUS5150H (Research Dissertation - year 1 and year 2)

The research report assesses students' mastery of programme evaluation principles through a 60-credit dissertation based on a real-life programme. Working with an external client, students develop evaluation questions, conduct a literature review, create and refine a programme theory, select methodologies, collect and analyse data, and present their findings.

Please consult the Fees Handbook for the cost of the programme under the relevant course codes BUS5056W and BUS5037W (Coursework - year 1 and year 2) and BUS5050H and BUS5150H (Dissertation - year 1 and year 2). International applicants should check under the relevant section, International Students, for their fees.

Special concessions on international fee levies are made for SADC residents, but non-SADC international students will be required to pay an international fee levy in addition to the basic tuition outlined in the handbook. All international students (regardless of whether they are SADC or not) need to pay an annual international administrative fee. Details can be found in the Fees Handbook. Please also consult the Before you arrive section of the International Academic Programmes Office (IAPO) website for important information on studying at UCT.

There is currently no dedicated scholarship or bursary programme for the MPhil in Programme Evaluation. However, limited financial support is available to all eligible UCT students through scholarships‚ bursaries and student loans. Limited financial support is available through scholarships, bursaries, and student loans. Please get in touch with the Postgraduate Funding Office for more information. 

Please remember that if you want to apply for an NRF or other scholarship to support your studies, you must submit your application in line with the UCT internal deadlines, usually between June and October in the year preceding your study. Deadlines are listed on the Postgraduate degree funding noticeboard.

You may require an early offer if you want to apply for funding. If this is the case, please apply online as soon as possible.

• Then notify the programme convener, Carren Duffy, that you have applied and wish to be considered for an early offer due to a specific funding deadline.
• Please attach proof of the funding source you want to apply for in your email. The course convenor will then determine if you might qualify for an early offer.
• If possible, the selection committee will review and process your application on an accelerated timeline.

Please contact the programme convener, Carren Duffy.