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Knight's 2009 scholarships for Rhodes University's Media Leadership Institute

The Sol Plaatje Institute for Media Leadership (SPI) at Rhodes University's School of Journalism and Media Studies invites applications for three scholarships from Southern African students who wish to register for the SPI's Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management (PDMM) in 2009.

The scholarships are sponsored by the Knight Foundation. These are partial scholarships which cover only the student's accommodation at Rhodes University, the PDMM tuition fees and books and study materials.

This means that successful applicants must make their own arrangements for transportation to and from Rhodes University; medical insurance and a living stipend during the year. Non-South African students should additionally budget about R3500 (three thousand and five hundred rand) to cover a levy for foreign students studying at Rhodes University.

The PDMM is a one-year, full-time programme designed to provide people working in the media industry with skills and knowledge they need to perform more effectively in their organisations and to fast-track their careers to management positions.

The PDMM is equivalent to an honours degree 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.

Application details and procedures: Students from Southern Africa are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Applicants should ideally come from media companies which are currently using or experimenting with new media, besides their traditional business platforms. Successful applicants will be required to conduct research into the use of new media platforms by a Rhodes University-owned newspaper, the Grocott's Mail.

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.

Students wishing to apply for these scholarships need to:

Complete the Rhodes University's standard Honours application form and the New Student form. Alternatively, they can request these application forms from SPI administrator Linda Snam () or telephone her at +27-046-603-8782.

  • Submit a detailed curriculum vitae, including contact details
  • Submit a certified academic transcript; 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 scholarship. The cv, academic transcript and letter of motivation may be submitted by email to Linda Snam, or faxed to her at +27-046-622-9591, clearly indicating which scholarship the students is applying for.

    Deadline for applications: October 17, 2008. No late applications will be considered.

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