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Dear Eric

Thank you for your question regarding admission requirements for university study in the field of electrical engineering. Well done for taking your studies further and for exploring the possibility of being able to apply for an exemption.

For entry into a degree course a person needs a National Senior Certificate with certain designated subjects, or a Senior Certificate with a Matriculation Endorsement. The Matric Endorsement requirements may be found on the Higher Education South Africa (HESA) web page: http://www.hesa-enrol.ac.za/mb/mb/endorsement/210469.htm. The subject groups referred to are explained on the Matriculation Board web page: http://www.he-enrol.ac.za/mb/endsum.htm. These web pages should help you to see if you have met all the requirements.

The next step is to explore the admission requirements of the universities you are considering applying to. For example consult the:

• UCT admission requirements webpage http://www.uct.ac.za/apply/criteria/eligibility/, specifically looking at the section for Senior Certificate applicants. Also use the Student Handbook for Engineering and the Built Environment web page to explore the specific requirements for the BSc Electrical engineering degree: http://www.uct.ac.za/downloads/uct.ac.za/apply/handbooks/fac_ebe_2009.pdf 
• UP’s admission requirements for Engineering may be found on the following webpage: http://web.up.ac.za/sitefiles/file/33/EBIT.pdf while the Faculty Brochure may be explored on webpage http://web.up.ac.za/sitefiles/file/33/Engineering%20Built%20Environment%20&%20ITBrochure%20(final).pdf and Admission Requirements and General Information is documented on the following webpage: http://web.up.ac.za/sitefiles/file/33/A4%20Admission%20requirements%202010_lr_1.pdf

You could also explore applying to a University of Technology for a National Diploma (http://info.cput.ac.za/prospectus/CPUTAdmission2009.pdf); their admission requirements also recognise many N courses. Once you have completed a National Diploma you could try for a BTech degree. This qualification may be followed by a period of work as a technician / technologist and then as a Candidate Engineering Technician/Technologist together with writing the appropriate Certificates of Competence which will lead to eligibility to apply for professional registration. Consult the Engineering Council of South Africa’s (ECSA) website for details: http://www.ecsa.co.za/?x=procedure

You could also consider completing an N6 and following a path of work as an Artisan followed by a few years as a Candidate Certificated Engineer together with writing the appropriate Certificates of Competence which will lead to eligibility to apply for registration as a Professional Certificated Engineer. Consult the Engineering Council of South Africa’s website for further information on the process: http://www.ecsa.co.za/?x=procedure

We hope this information will help you to make an informed decision about your future career in engineering.
The Career Planet Team