The University of Venda has its strategic focus on strengthening research capacity, enhancing student success, and producing graduates who contribute meaningfully to society. The Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture successfully hosted its Honours Orientation and Induction Workshop on 27 March 2026 at 2Ten Hotel, preparing the 2026 Honours cohort for the year ahead and marking the official start of their postgraduate journey.
Group photo
The workshop was attended by academic leadership, support units, and students to provide a comprehensive introduction to Honours studies in their 2026 academic year. This initiative is to equip Honours students with the necessary academic and institutional support, as UNIVEN continues to advance its mission of being a catalyst for knowledge generation and community development.
Prof Lutendo Murulana
The Deputy Dean: Research and Postgraduate Studies in the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, Prof Lutendo Murulana, on behalf of Prof Natasha Potgieter, duly welcomed students, emphasised the purpose of the workshop, and stressed the importance of academic excellence, research integrity, and resilience in postgraduate studies.
He highlighted that the University of Venda has successfully achieved most of its previous strategic objectives and is now guided by its Vision 2040, which focuses on key pillars such as student-centredness, entrepreneurship, research, innovation, sustainability, and global part-nerships. He emphasised that students are at the core of the university’s mission, with all institutional efforts aimed at enhancing their experience, well-being, and success. The vision reinforces the university’s commitment to growth, relevance, and impact, positioning students as central drivers in achieving its long-term goals.
He said the workshop aims to support honours students by providing guidance, fostering in-teraction, and ensuring they understand key academic processes, expectations, and available support systems. Prof Murulana stressed the importance of knowing faculty structures, meet-ing deadlines, securing supervisors, and progressing efficiently to complete the programme within one year. The session also serves to address student challenges, promote effective su-pervision, encourage use of resources such as the library and counseling services, and ensure students stay on track to successfully submit their research by the set deadlines.
The programme outlined critical support structures available to students, including the Direc-torate of Research and Innovation, Library Services, Student Affairs, and counseling services. Key institutional policies, including research ethics, anti-plagiarism, and postgraduate training frameworks, were also presented to ensure students are well prepared for their research re-sponsibilities. Prof Mwombeki Kabanda talked about the ethics and integrity when conducting research and how to conclude the qualification within the stipulated timeframe.
Presenters during the Workshop Sessions
Sessions on effective supervision, project management, and navigating the Honours journey equipped students with practical tools to manage their academic workload and meet submis-sion deadlines. The afternoon session focused on expectations, including supervisor and proj-ect allocations, ethics clearance processes, and important academic timelines.
Prof Murulana delivered a clear and compelling message outlining his expectations for Hon-ours students. He emphasised that all students must secure supervisors, develop well-defined research topics, and follow a structured research plan supported by regular engagement with their supervisors to ensure consistent progress.
He further stressed that ethical clearance is mandatory before commencing any research ac-tivities. Strong communication, strict adherence to timelines, and early identification and reso-lution of challenges were highlighted as critical success factors.
Students were reminded that an Honours mini dissertation is intended to demonstrate the ap-plication of existing knowledge, underpinned by critical thinking and strong academic writing skills.
Most importantly, Prof Murulana underscored the importance of strict compliance with key deadlines, particularly the submission of the mini-dissertation by 27 November, accompanied by all required documentation, reinforcing a zero-extension culture and a collective commit-ment to achieving 100% on-time submission.
Mr Abel Tleane
The workshop concluded with an open discussion on student challenges and a vote of thanks from the SRC Postgraduate Chairperson, Abel Tleane reinforcing a shared commitment to aca-demic success and collaborative growth. Abel further expressed appreciation to Prof Murulana for arranging the session.
Issued by:
Department of Marketing, Branding and Communication
University of Venda
Tel: 082 868 2218 / 082 868 1811
