Page 49 - DUT Annual Report 2024

STAFF QUALIFICATIONS
Table 3: Qualification of instructional/research staff
2022
2023
2024
Total instructional/research professionals
676
678
685
Staff with Doctorates
246
250
249
Staff with Master’s
389
386
376
Doctoral graduates
98
83
117
Ratio of staff with Master’s/Total instructional/research professionals
0.58
0.58
0.55
Ratio of staff with Doctorate/Total instructional/research professionals
0.36
0.36
0.36
Table 3 shows a 2.6% decrease in staff with Master’s qualifications from 2023 to 2024, representing 54.9% of instructional/ research professionals. The proportion of permanent instructional/research staff with doctoral qualifications fell from 37% in 2023 to 36% in 2024. The total number of instructional staff increased slightly from 678 in 2023 to 685 in 2024, but staff with doctorates marginally decreased, from 250 to 249. In 2023 the Faculty of Applied Sciences saw a notable increase in PhD staff, from 52 to 58, accounting for 23% of doctoral-qualified staff, but this dropped to 56 in 2024 due to staff departures. The Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment grew from 44 to 49 PhD staff between 2022 and 2023 but lost one staff member in 2024. The Faculty of Health Sciences remained unchanged at 30 doctoral staff from 2023 to 2024. Losses were also recorded in the Faculty of Accounting and Informatics (-1) and Arts and Design (-2), while the Faculty of Management Sciences was the only faculty to gain three doctoral staff in 2024. The decline in instructional staff with doctorates warrants further investigation to understand the impact of staff attrition. Despite efforts to promote doctoral qualifications, strategies to address staff retention and attrition need to be developed and explored.
300
250
200 150 100
50 0
241
246 243
117 83
2022
Doctoral graduates
211 193
239
98
45 2019
64 78 2020 2021
2023 2024
Staff with doctorates
Figure 19: Staff with doctorates and doctoral graduates, 2019–2024
Figure 19 compares the number of staff with doctoral qualifications and the annual count of doctoral graduates at the DUT from 2018 to 2024. In 2024 staff with doctoral qualifications decreased by 1.2% compared to 2023, while doctoral graduates increased by 41%. The decline in staff doctorates, likely due to resignations, is concerning. The DUT prioritises improving staff qualifications to promote excellence in teaching, learning, innovation, and engagement. The GOOT programme, launched in 2022, aims to increase the representation of Black South African and young emerging researchers in academia, supporting the transformation goals and ENVISION2030’s Sustainability Perspective. Also, recruiting new staff with doctorates to fill vacancies is a key strategy to enhance the University’s doctoral staff profile.
Year
DUT ANNUAL REPORT 2024
47
Number of staff