University of Cape Town Course Information Guide The University of Cape Town (UCT) application asks students to provide a preliminary selection of the courses they wish to enroll in at UCT. Please review this document before completing the UCT application (instructions outlined in the UCT Application Instructions document). The courses students select will be reviewed by UCT department heads and considered alongside their transcript in deciding to grant pre-approval for enrollment into these courses. Students can make changes to their course selection after beginning at UCT during a short add/drop period, however the add/drop period is very short and often stressful. This guide is intended to provide further information related to courses available to study abroad students at UCT. Notes to keep in mind when selecting UCT courses on the online application: • It is best to enter 4 courses on the UCT application. This is the maximum number of courses you can select. • Consult with your home school advisor to determine how course credit will transfer back to your home school. Have the courses you list on your application, and additional courses, pre-approved before you submit your application. • Write down the courses you list on your application. You will not be able to access these after you submit your application. • CIEE recommends enrolling in no more than one 3000-level course due to the large amount of independent course work required for these courses.
UCT Course Handbooks (Catalogues) You can find the course handbooks here: https://uct.ac.za/students/study-uct-handbooks/handbooks • Please note that the following year’s handbook will not be available until January of that year. If the handbook you need is not yet available, you should use the current handbook. There are additional courses specifically intended for study abroad students – specifically in the Music and Fine Arts departments. These are not found in the UCT Course Handbooks; however they are included in the UCT application by searching for courses using the appropriate department code.
Courses available to Semester Study Abroad Students Select courses ending in “F” for the February – June term or “S” for the July – November term. • F = first semester in South Africa, which is the spring semester in the U.S. system. These courses are only offered during the February – June term (e.g., HST1234F). • S = second semester in South Africa, which is the fall semester in the U.S. system. These courses are only offered during the July – November term (e.g., HST1234S). • Study Abroad Students are only able to take courses with the above endings. Study abroad students are unable to take courses ending in W, H, Z, or X. • Students can enroll in any undergraduate course for which they met the equivalent pre-requisites, except for courses offered in the Health Sciences department. Health Sciences and graduate level courses are not available to study abroad students.
Updated August 2023
Course Syllabi To request course syllabi, email registrar@ciee.org with the name of the course and the course code.
UCT Faculties Commerce Departments in Commerce Faculty: Accounting (ACC) Economics (ECO) Finance and Tax (FTX) Information Systems (INF) Management Studies (BUS) Popular courses within this faculty*: BUS 3039F: People Management BUS 2018F: Organisational Behaviour and Employee Relations ECO 3016F: History of Economic Thought INF 1002F: Information Systems I Engineering & the Built Environment Departments in Engineering & the Built Environment (END) Faculty: Architecture, Planning and Geomatics (APG) Chemical Engineering (CHE) Civil Engineering (CIV) Construction Economics and Management (CON) Electrical Engineering (EEE) Mechanical Engineering (MEC) Notes regarding departments within the Engineering & the Built Environment faculty: - The Engineering department is demanding. Expect the same quality and high demands as in top U.S. schools. The Engineering courses are credited very differently than other courses. Students enrolled in Engineering courses must meet the credit requirements of the program (this may mean taking 4 or 5, rather than 3 courses). Humanities Departments in Humanities Faculty: African & Gender Studies, Anthropology & Linguistics (AXL) Film and Media (FAM) Fine Arts (FIN) Historical Studies (HST) Languages and Literatures (ELL, SLL) Music (MUZ)
Philosophy (PHI) Political Studies (POL) Psychology (PSY) Religious Studies (REL) Social Development(SWK) Sociology (SOC) Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies (DRM, MUZ)
Notes regarding departments within the Humanities faculty: - UCT courses in the humanities are often politically engaging with active debate. Humanities lecturers are often impassioned and are not afraid to share their personal views and political sensibilities. - The Fine Arts department requires a portfolio of student work to be sent along with your application, including the student’s latest and most relevant studio work. - A limited number of Film and Media courses are available to study abroad students. Many courses in this area are reserved for degree-seeking UCT students. Study abroad students cannot apply for any production courses. Updated August 2023
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A limited number of Social Work/Social Development courses are available to study abroad students. Many courses in this area are reserved for degree-seeking UCT students. Students interested in the Political Studies department should plan on enrolling in 2000 level courses. Students are unable to enroll in 1000 level courses. The Political Studies department is very strict about whom they allow into their upper-level courses. If you are interested in 3000 (or 4000) level courses – please ensure that you have completed a minimum of 2 politics courses in your academic college career.
A sample of popular courses within this faculty*: AXL2200S: Culture, Identity & Globalism in Africa AXL2102S: Gender and Politics of Development ELL2010S: African Literature and Language Studies II FIN1009S: Images in Conflict HST2039S: Africa Since 1800: From Colonial Rule to Independence HST2043S: Subjects to Citizens: South Africa Since 1900 MUZ1201S: African Instrument B1 (SSA) POL2043S: South African Politics PSY2003S: Social Psychology and Intergroup Relations Law Departments in Law Faculty: Commercial Law (CLM) Private Law (RDL) Public Law (PBL) Science Departments in Science Faculty: Archaeology (AGE) Astronomy (AST) Biological Sciences (BIO) Chemistry (CEM) Computer Science (CSC) Environmental & Geographical Sciences (EGS)
Geological Sciences (GEO) Mathematics and Applied Mathematics (MAM) Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) Oceanography (SEA) Physics (PHY) Statistical Sciences (STA)
Notes regarding departments within the Science faculty: - The Science faculty is demanding. Expect the same quality and high demands as in top U.S. schools. - Mathematics courses tend to be more theory than application based. A sample of popular courses within this faculty*: BIO3017S: Marine Resources CSC2003S: Computer Games STA1000S: Introductory Statistics
Credit Conversion Philosophy Used by CIEE for UCT Courses In the South African Higher Education Qualifications Framework (HEQF) credit system, 1 HEQF credit represents approximately 10 Notional Hours (i.e., total hours of classroom instruction and student work, combined). Students are required to take 15-18 U.S. credits, which normally is between 70 and 82 HEQF credits (please use the chart below) and must enroll in three or four classes. Student’s home schools may have requirements in addition to CIEE’s requirements. CIEE recommends the following conversions for HEQF/ UCT course credits into U.S. semester credits: 1 HEQF credit = 0.222 U.S. semester / 0.333 quarter credits (rounded to the nearest half credit). Credits for classes most commonly range from 2.5 – 5.5 U.S. credits. Updated August 2023
Below is a chart with some of the more common HEQF-to-U.S. semester credit conversions: UCT/ HEQF Credits 8 12 16 18 24 30 36
CIEE’s U.S. Semester Credit Equivalent 2.0 2.5 3.5 4.0 5.5 6.5 8.0
CIEE does not permit students to take classes only on a pass/fail basis. CIEE will not provide credit information on the CIEE Academic Record for any classes with only a pass grade noted. If you are planning on enrolling in the CIEE Intercultural Communication and Leadership (ICL) or Independent Research course (later in your Pre-Departure process) you still need to fall within the 15 to 18 U.S. credit limit. Therefore, plan on enrolling in 12 to 15 U.S. credits at the University of Cape Town.
Updated August 2023