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 advanced knowledge and skills in their chosen field, as well as the opportunity to conduct original research.

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 an appropriate postgraduate diploma, or a 480-credit bachelor's degree with a minimum of 96 credits at NQF level 8 in the relevant field with an average of 60%.
• Students with foreign qualifications, including those from African countries, must have their qualifications evaluated by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).
• Applicants must submit a transcript or academic record, as well as a document describing their intended research.
• Students will be accepted based on the suitability and viability of their intended research, adequate supervisory capacity and research expertise in the discipline or department, and an approved selection procedure.

Student Fees and Funding

The application fee for master's and doctoral degrees is R150.00, which is non-refundable. Student fees for the 2025 academic year are available on the Unisa website, and the fee information for the 2026 academic year will be available at the time of registration. Students can also apply for funding and bursaries through the Unisa website.

Application and Registration

Applications for master's and doctoral degrees are open until December 19, 2025. Students must apply for a Unisa student number and apply for admission, and upload all supporting documents during the application period. Only students whose application for admission was approved and re-registering students will be allowed to register online within the approved registration period for the 2026 academic year.

Curriculum

The curriculum for master's and doctoral degrees at Unisa includes a range of courses and research modules. Students must register for the required courses and complete a research proposal and dissertation. The research proposal must be approved by the supervisor and the department, and the dissertation must be completed within the specified timeframe.

Research Focus Areas

Unisa has a range of research focus areas across its colleges and departments, including:

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

Master of Arts in Judaica

The Master of Arts in Judaica is a full-research degree that requires students to complete a dissertation on an approved topic. The purpose of the qualification is to enable graduates to become specialists in a particular discipline or within an interdisciplinary framework, and to provide South Africa and other countries with graduates who can synthesize information autonomously in specialized fields of study.

• Qualification code: 98473
• 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 Judaica, students must meet the following requirements:

• An appropriate bachelor's honors degree, or an appropriate postgraduate diploma, or a 480-credit bachelor's degree with a minimum of 96 credits at NQF level 8 in Judaica or a related field with an average of 60%.
• A student who is admitted on the strength of a postgraduate diploma or a 480-credit bachelor's degree with a minimum of 96 credits at level 8 and who has not completed a module in research methodology may be required to complete such a module at NQF level 8 for NDP before he/she will be allowed to register for the dissertation.

Time Limits for this Degree

All master's and doctoral qualifications are structured over a defined period. A student registered for a 180-credit structured research master's degree must complete the study program within three years. A student may make application to their supervisor for one additional year of study.

Research Master's Degree

A research master's degree comprises a dissertation on an approved topic. Students will be expected to have a research proposal approved in the first year of study. If a student does not complete a research proposal in the first year of study, they will not be permitted to continue with the qualification.

Research Outline

Unisa's admission policy has changed, and students are now required to submit a detailed research outline for the qualification for which they apply. The research outline must include:

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

The research outline must align with one of the departmental research focus areas, and students should strive to incorporate at least one of the Catalytic Niche Areas (CNAs) into their research.