Program Overview

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Master's & Doctoral Degrees

The University of South Africa (Unisa) offers a range of master's and doctoral degrees across various colleges and departments. These programs are designed to provide students with in-depth knowledge and expertise in their chosen field of study.

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for admission to a master's or doctoral degree program at Unisa, students must meet the following requirements:

• An appropriate bachelor's honors degree or a postgraduate diploma
• A 480-credit bachelor's degree with a minimum of 96 credits at NQF level 8
• An average of 60% in the relevant field of study
• Students with foreign qualifications must have their qualifications evaluated by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)

Student Fees and Funding

The application fee for master's and doctoral degree programs is R150.00. Student fees for the 2025 academic year are available on the Unisa website. International students are advised to use the Flywire payment option.

Application for Admission

Applications for master's and doctoral degree programs are open until December 19, 2025. Students must apply for a Unisa student number and upload all supporting documents during the application period.

Registration

Only students whose application for admission was approved and re-registering students who made sufficient progress during the current academic year will be allowed to register online within the approved registration period for the 2026 academic year.

Curriculum

Registration and curriculum information for master's and doctoral degree programs are available on the Unisa website.

Master of Arts in Art History

The Master of Arts in Art History is a full research degree that provides students with in-depth knowledge and expertise in the field of art history.

Purpose Statement

The primary purpose of the qualification is to enable graduates to become specialists in a particular discipline or within an interdisciplinary framework by gaining in-depth knowledge in a complex area of study.

Qualification Code and Type

• Qualification code: 98507
• Qualification type: Full Research
• NQF level: 9
• Total credits: 180
• SAQA ID: 5395

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for admission to the Master of Arts in Art History program, students must meet the following requirements:

• An appropriate bachelor's honors degree or a postgraduate diploma
• A 480-credit bachelor's degree with a minimum of 96 credits at NQF level 8 in Art History
• An average of 60% in the relevant field of study
• Students with foreign qualifications must have their qualifications evaluated by SAQA

Research Focus Areas

The College of Human Sciences has various research focus areas, including:

• Marine studies
• Aviation and aeronautical studies
• Automotive
• Energy
• Space study and square kilometer array
• Fourth IR and digitalization
• Natural sciences (biotechnological studies)
• Health studies/medicine
• Feminist, womanist, and bosadi theorizations
• Student support and co-curricular activities

Research Outline

Students must submit a detailed research outline as part of their application. The outline should include:

• Title
• Summary of topic
• Short literature review
• Expected contribution of the study
• Methodology to be followed
• Availability of data
• List of references
• Reasons why you are interested in the topic

Time Limits for this Degree

The Master of Arts in Art History degree is structured over a defined period. Students must complete the study program within three years. A student may apply for one additional year of study, subject to approval by the supervisor and the Executive Dean of the College.

Research Master's Degree

A research master's degree comprises a dissertation on an approved topic. Students are expected to have a research proposal approved in the first year of study. Failure to complete a research proposal in the first year of study will result in exclusion from continuing with the qualification.