Southern Africa

OSISA Scholarships for African Women Media Leaders at Rhodes University 2018

Published by

Ifeoma Chuks

Spread the love

The Sol Plaatje Institute (SPI) for Media Leadership (www.ru.ac.za/spi/) at Rhodes University in South Africa, in collaboration with the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), invites applications for 10 postgraduate scholarships from Southern African women media leaders who wish to study media management at the SPI in 2018.

Application Deadline: 24th November, 2017

Offered Annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

To be taken at (country): Rhodes University, South Africa

About the Award: 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, the DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The PGDip in Media Management, popularly known as the PDMM, equips participants with critical knowledge, understandings and work competencies that emerging media leaders need to perform more effectively, strategically and ethically in their organizations and to fast-track their careers to management positions.

The programme combines rigorous theoretical and practical grounding. It has a mid-year practical media management internship and a comprehensive reflective academic portfolio at the end of the year. It is composed of eight compulsory modules covering media management contexts, policy and institutions; financial management and media economics; management of media markets, audiences and advertising; management of media content; management of circulation and distribution; media management and leadership; human resources management for media; and management of digital and social media and media convergence.

Type: Postgraduate

Eligibility:

Applicants should be women who are already practising journalists or are working in various fields of the media industry in 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 (PGDip in Media Management), the only formal qualification in media management in Africa and the developing world. The PGDip in Media Management is pegged at the honours degree level.
Candidates must already possess an undergraduate degree from a recognised university in order to pursue postgraduate study.

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Program: The OSISA scholarships cover:

The full cost of tuition
Accommodation and meals in one of Rhodes University’s residences
Course materials
A monthly subsistence allowance
Medical aid cover
Mid-year media management internship costs.

Employers of the successful scholarship applicants or the scholarship winners themselves have 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 organizations.

How to Apply: 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.

Students wishing to apply for these scholarships need to:

Complete the Rhodes University’s standard External Honours Application form (available at http://www.ru.ac.za/postgraduategateway/honours/honoursapplication/, which must be submitted directly to the Registrar’s Division at Rhodes University and a copy emailed to Wendy Dyibishe (w.dyibishe@ru.ac.za) at the Sol Plaatje Institute (SPI) for Media Leadership. They must also complete the application form for the Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management (PDMM), which is also available on http://www.ru.ac.za/postgraduategateway/honours/honoursapplication/ and send it to the Registrar’s Division and the SPI.
Submit a detailed Curriculum Vitae, including email and phone 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 Wendy Dyibishe at w.dyibishe@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.