South African National Space Agency (SANSA) invites applications for the Postgraduate Bursaries Programme 2025.
Closing date: 30 September 2024
This is Spacce calling! Are you interested in working within the space sector to bring real benefits to society? Are you ready to take on exciting space challenges? SANSA is looking for individuals who are driven and forward thinkers!
About the SANSA Postgraduate Bursaries 2025
South Africa needs an increase in science and engineering graduates if we are to effectively resource the country with necessary and scarce skills to achieve goals of the National Development Plan and ensure a successful and sustainable future for our citizens.
SANSA provides post graduate degree bursaries to contribute to the national target for qualified post-graduates in science and engineering.
Bursary study fields available
Earth Observation (Hons, MSc, PhD)
- Remote sensing
- Geospatial programming
- Earth system science with remote sensing
- Earth observations in ecosystems accounting
- Applications of remote sensing in environmental management including oceans and marine, agriculture and rangelands, water resource management, mineral resource and spatial planning, air quality and climate science
Engineering (MEng, MTech, MSc, PHD, DTech)
- Software and software systems engineering
- Aeronautical, aerospace, mechanical, material, process, electronic, mechatronic and computer engineering
- Space, systems, antenna and RF engineering
- Electromagnetic Compatibility
- Digital signal processing, onboard earth observation mission management, onboard data analysis and reaction, ground operations, earth observation and science data analysis and reporting.
Space Science (Hons, MSc, MPhil, PhD)
- Solar physics and space weather forecasting
- Antarctic radar studies of atmospheric gravity waves
- Multi-instrument studies of space weather
- Multi-scale ionospheric physics, structure and dynamics
- Ionospheric and radio propagation modelling
- Theory of waves (solitons) in plasmas
- Atmospheric radiation studies
- Verification of space weather forecasting
- Modelling geomagnetically induced currents in power systems
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
- Space Weather impacts on global navigation satellite systems
- Statistical analysis of ionospheric scintillation
- Evaluation of the space weather near-real-time products
Bursary funding levels
SANSA are currently revising the bursary values which may change for 2025 and these will be communicated in due course. They fund the individual programmes as follow:
- Honours – one year @ R100 000
- Masters – two years @ R120 000
- Doctorate – three years @ R140 000
Masters and doctoral bursars MUST reapply every year for continued funding.
Bursary criteria
The main criteria used in the selection of 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 properly and in full.
- Documents that accompany the application form must be uploaded and certified.
- SANSA or university testimonial forms must be completed by the supervisor and uploaded to the application form.
How to Apply
Applicants may only hold a merit award and not a combination of bursaries that exceed the amounts above.
Should an applicant have another bursary of lessor amount, SANSA will consider providing a top-up bursary amount to the student provided the student meets the criteria mentioned above.
Support for continuing years is not guaranteed and will depend on satisfactory progress during the previous year.
The completed application must be submitted no later than 30 September 2024 if you want to be considered for a bursary for 2025.
All enquiries to be sent to [email protected]
