South Africa needs more science and engineering graduates to effectively equip the country with the necessary and scarce skills to achieve the goals of the National Development Plan and ensure a successful and sustainable future for its citizens. To this end, the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) invites interested individuals to apply for its 2024 postgraduate bursaries to contribute to the national target for qualified postgraduates in science and engineering.
Earth Observation (Hons, MSc, PhD)
- Remote sensing;
- Geospatial programming;
- Earth system science with remote sensing;
- Earth observations in ecosystems accounting; and
- Remote sensing applications in environmental management include oceans and marine, agriculture and rangelands, water resource management, mineral resource and spatial planning.
Engineering (MEng, MTech, MSc, PHD, DTech)
- Software and software systems engineering;
- Aeronautical, aerospace, mechanical, electrical, electronic, mechatronics and computer engineering; and
- Space, systems, antenna and RF engineering.
Space Science (Hons, MSc, MPhil, PhD)
- Antarctic radar studies of climate change;
- Multi-instrument studies of space weather;
- Modelling geomagnetically induced currents in power systems;
- Multiscale ionospheric physics, structure and dynamics;
- Ionospheric and radio propagation modelling;
- Theory of waves and solutions in plasmas;
- Solar physics; and
- Space Weather forecasting and verification aligned to navigation and radiation applications.
All SANSA divisions (Hons, MSc, PhD)
- Computer science;
- Information systems;
- Software and systems engineering;
- Data Science;
- Field of your choice related to key SANSA objectives; and
- Space, systems, antenna and RF engineering.
Bursary Criteria
The main criteria for selecting successful applicants are financial need, academic potential and career-oriented study programmes.
Please note the following:
- You should upload your FULL academic record as well as your fee statement for ALL study years;
- An application will only be considered if it has been completed correctly and in full;
- Documents that accompany the application form must be uploaded and certified; and
- The supervisor must complete the testimonial form and upload them to the application form.
SANSA is revising the bursary values for 2024, and the result will be communicated in due course. However, funding will be available for the following individual programmes:
- Hons – USD 5,606 (R100,000) one year (excluding allowance to be determined on a case-to-case basis);
- Masters – USD 6,743 (R120,000) per year for two years (all inclusive); and
- PhD – USD 7,867 (R140,000) per year for three years (all inclusive).
How to apply
Interested individuals must submit a completed application here before 30 September 2023 to be considered for a bursary for 2024.
Furthermore, applicants may not have a combination of bursaries exceeding these amounts. Should an applicant have another bursary of a lesser amount, SANSA will consider providing a top-up payment if the student meets the criteria mentioned above.
Support for continuing years is not guaranteed and will depend on satisfactory progress during the previous year.
For more enquiries, email grants@sansa.org.za; or students@sans.org.za.
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