Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Scholarships For Women Media Leaders in Southern Africa


Rhodes University's Sol Plaatje Institute (SPI) invites applications for postgraduate scholarships from southern African women media leaders who wish to study media management and leadership at the SPI in 2012. The scholarships are sponsored by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and they are for women media leaders in OSISA's 10 Southern African countries of Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Deadline for applications: September 30, 2011.

The scholarships cover:

  • The full cost of PDMM tuition
  • Accommodation and meals in one of Rhodes University's postgraduate residences
  • Course materials and books
  • A monthly subsistence allowance
  • Medical insurance
  • The Rhodes University Levy for SADC students; and
  • Mid-year internship costs.

The PDMM is a one-year, fulltime programme designed to provide people working in the media industry with critical skills and knowledge they need to perform more effectively and strategically in their organisations 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.

The diploma 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:
Only female students from OSISA's 10 countries of Southern Africa listed above are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Applicants should ideally come from media companies. Successful applicants will be required on completion of the PDMM to return to their employers in their home countries to work there for a period of at least a year in partial fulfilment of having been granted the scholarship. Applicants should ideally have completed an undergraduate degree from a recognised university. Experienced media practitioners with diplomas in journalism or mass communication studies will also be considered.

Prospective applicants should:

  • Complete the Rhodes University's standard Honours Application form and the New Student form found at www.spiml.co.za under the Courses section or at the main Rhodes University website at www.ru.ac.za under Applying section, Postgraduate Studies. Alternatively, they can request these application forms from the SPI, telephone no: +27-46-603-8851.
  • Submit a detailed Curriculum Vitae, including contact details
  • Submit a certified academic transcript for their highest qualification; and
  • Submit a 1000-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.

The CV, academic transcript and letter of motivation may be submitted by email to Linda Snam at l.snam[at]ru.ac.za or faxed to her at +27-46-622-9591, clearly indicating which scholarship the students is applying for.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted after the applications close on 30 September 2011.

Sol Plaatje Institute

For more information or to apply, please follow this link:  http://www.awid.org/Get-Involved/Calls-for-Participation2/Call-For-Applications-Scholarships-for-Women-Media-Leaders



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