CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR THE PGDip IN PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH FOR 2026 DUE DATE: 31 August 2025

The Alan J. Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health (CPMH) is a joint initiative of the Department of Psychology at Stellenbosch University (SU) and the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at the University of Cape Town (UCT). CPMH is an independent inter-disciplinary academic research and teaching centre for public mental health promotion and service development in Africa. We are proud to invite applications from across the African continent for the Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in Public Mental Health in 2026. Applicants should apply at either UCT or SU.

POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH

The PGDip in Public Mental Health is a one-year Africa-centred coursework-based diploma that aims to guide students in developing a good understanding of the discipline of public mental health, as well as the skills required to: (i) undertake research, (ii) participate in improving services and access to mental health interventions, and (iii) advocate for increased attention for public mental health in Africa. Further, completion of the PGDip will introduce students to the public mental health community and prepare graduates for further Masters level studies should they wish to continue their studies. The programme is designed to be accessible to practitioners who work full-time, and who are from a range of backgrounds including social work, psychology, psychiatry, medicine, occupational therapy, nursing, health economics, public mental health, public health, health service management, policy making and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The training aims to build the professional capacity and leadership of the participants in their work, while contributing to public mental health expertise in Africa.

The programme comprises the following 4 courses: Introduction to Public Mental Health, Mental Health Epidemiology, Research Methodology for Public Mental Health and Interventions for Mental Health. In addition, the programme includes instruction on research integrity and other academic and professional skills such as academic writing, leadership and presentation skills. The PGDip faculty are academics, clinicians and practitioners active in the public mental health sphere in Africa.

The diploma requires:

• The completion of a 2-week residential training block in January 2026;
• The resources necessary to access asynchronous learning material, and complete activities or assignments either individually or with fellow students;
• The resources necessary to participate in at least 1 synchronous online session per week during the courses;
• That students make time to engage in learning activities weekly in order to complete the PGDip within the 12-month period;
• The completion of several assignments and activities throughout the PGDip, as well as a research/project proposal of approximately 5000 words.

* Note: a reliable internet connection is necessary for downloading material, watching videos online and attending video calls every week.

Two-week residential training block

The course will start with a 2-week residential training block in Cape Town from 19 January –30 January 2026. Students will attend lectures, seminars and workshops at one of the University of Cape Town campuses and/or at Stellenbosch University. The training block will include an orientation to online postgraduate learning and university resources, and an introduction to the PGDip programme as well as the field of public mental health and academic writing skills. All students are required to be available for full weekdays during the 2-week training session. Following the training block, students will commence online learning with ongoing support and mentorship via online platforms.

Registration

Registration is for 1 year at either UCT or SU, although students who need to repeat a course may reregister to complete the programme requirements. The course content and requirements will be the same for both universities. The diploma will be awarded by the university at which the student is registered.

Admission Requirements

Candidates for this programme should be in possession of a bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent three-year qualification, in a health- or development-related field (e.g. occupational therapy, medicine, nursing, social work, psychology, public health, anthropology and sociology). In addition, candidates should:

• have experience of working in a mental health, health or a development-related field (at least 1 year);
• have the capacity for a management or leadership role;
• show evidence of adequate English language and writing proficiency for postgraduate academic studies, and evidence of computer literacy in basic Microsoft Office (or equivalent) packages
• preferably be currently working in a workplace setting related to public mental health, such as a Ministry of Health, NGO or mental health service.

Please Note:

• A programme of this nature requires dedicated time and the ability to work independently. You will require a minimum of 15 hours per week on average to complete the PGDip. Please consider this carefully before applying.
• The PGDip in Public Mental Health does not lead to a professional qualification which can be registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa or any other professional council. It is strictly an academic course with no clinical components.
• Students may not be registered for another PGDip/degree programme while they are registered for the PGDip (Public Mental Health).

Fees

The fees for this course for 2025, at the respective universities, were as follows:

	UCT	SU
Tuition Fees per Year	ZAR 45 920 (full programme of 4 courses)	ZAR 47 343
International Students Administrative Fee   Additional Fees for Students from non-SADC Countries	ZAR 5 300 Non-SADC African countries: ZAR R56 900 Non-SADC countries beyond Africa: ZAR 75 900	ZAR 1 647 SADC** countries (which includes Namibia) and Rwanda: R44,600 AFRICA (beyond the SADC** countries and excluding Rwanda): ZAR 44 600 REST OF WORLD (Outside of Africa): ZAR 73 500
Application Fee	ZAR 100 (RSA and SADC**) ZAR 300 (rest of world)	ZAR 100

** SADC countries (Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe)

Fees for 2026 will be finalised in October/November 2025. See information on fees for Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town.

Selection Process

Admission to the programme is highly competitive, and is based primarily on academic merit and the potential to contribute to mental health development in under-served areas in Africa. We will engage in a rigorous selection process to identify the candidates who are most likely to successfully complete the PGDip within the prescribed period. In addition to the online application, we will request that short-listed applicants submit a letter of support from their employer for attendance of the 2-week course in January 2026. We may also request that short-listed candidates send additional material and attend a teleconference interview.
The deadline for applications is 31 August 2025. The outcome of the selection process will be communicated to all applicants by 31 October 2025.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Please read these instructions carefully and follow the outlined steps:

• Navigate to the online application page for either Stellenbosch University or the University of Cape Town, complete the online form and submit the necessary documents. See links for SU (programme code: 12194 – 788(120) and course codes: 12193, 12196, 12198 & 12199) and UCT (course codes: PRY4003W, PRY4004W, PRY4005W & PRY4006W) online application instructions.
• For UCT applicants, email Ms Songelwa Mobo (Songelwa.Mobo@uct.ac.za) to confirm that you have submitted an online application by the 31 August deadline. There is no need to attach any documents to this email.
• If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Songelwa Mobo (Songelwa.Mobo@uct.ac.za) for UCT applicants or Gaynöhl Andrews (andrews@sun.ac.za) for SU applicants.