Program Overview

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Master's & Doctoral Degrees

The university offers a range of master's and doctoral degrees, each with its own set of requirements and admission criteria.

Admission Requirements

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

• An appropriate Honours Degree, with a minimum of 96 credits at NQF level 8 with an average of 60%.
• An appropriate Postgraduate Diploma, with a minimum of 96 credits at NQF level 8 with an average of 60%.
• A student who is admitted on the strength of a Postgraduate Diploma and who has not completed a module in research methodology will be required to complete such a module at NQF level 8 for NDP before he/she will be allowed to register for the module in research methodology of which the outcome is the research proposal.
• All students with foreign qualifications, including those with qualifications from African countries, must have their qualifications evaluated at SAQA.

Student Fees and Funding

The application fee for master's and doctoral degrees is R150.00. The fee information for the 2026 academic year will be available at the time of registration.

• Students registering for qualifications through the Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) should visit the SBL website for fee information, as the SBL uses a different fee structure.
• Click here for student funding/bursary opportunities.

Application for Admission

Applications for master's and doctoral qualifications are open until 19 December 2025 (some exceptions apply).

• Please ensure that you apply for a Unisa student number (if applicable), apply for admission and upload all the supporting documents during the application period.
• If you already have a Unisa student number, you proceed to apply for admission and upload all the supporting documents.
• You have 10 working days to upload all the 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.

• Coursework master's degree students must await the official approval of their research proposal module, before attempting to re-register for the next academic year.
• Students with outstanding fees or a Library block on their accounts, will not be able to register online until these issues have been resolved.

Curriculum

Registration and curriculum information for master's and doctoral degrees can be found on the university's website.

• The curriculum for each degree is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in their chosen field.
• Students can expect to engage in a range of academic activities, including coursework, research, and dissertation writing.

Master of Education in Open Distance Learning

The Master of Education in Open Distance Learning is a coursework master's degree that aims to educate and train practitioners and researchers in the field of ODL practice and research.

Purpose Statement

The primary purpose of this degree is to contribute to the development of knowledge at an advanced level.

• It is an intensive programme designed to challenge students who intend to enter a career in open or/and distance learning locally, nationally and internationally.
• The programme intends to equip students on ODL matters, policies, theories technology, ethics, quality, change and management skills in ODL with a strong emphasis on research in ODL.

Qualification Code and Type

• Qualification code: 98999
• Qualification type: Coursework
• NQF level: 9
• Total credits: 180

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for admission to the Master of Education in Open Distance Learning, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• An appropriate Honours Degree, with a minimum of 96 credits at NQF level 8 with an average of 60%.
• An appropriate Postgraduate Diploma, with a minimum of 96 credits at NQF level 8 with an average of 60%.
• A student who is admitted on the strength of a Postgraduate Diploma and who has not completed a module in research methodology will be required to complete such a module at NQF level 8 for NDP before he/she will be allowed to register for the module in research methodology of which the outcome is the research proposal.

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 coursework master's degree must complete the study programme within three years.
• A student may make application to the supervisor for one additional year of study.

Coursework Master's Degree

A master's degree by coursework requires a high level of theoretical engagement and intellectual dependence, and a research project culminating in the acceptance of a dissertation of limited scope.

• The curriculum generally comprises subjects where you are required to write examinations, and submit a research proposal module and a mini-dissertation.
• In most cases, you need to pass at least two modules before you may register for the research proposal module.

Research Focus Areas

The university has a range of research focus areas, including:

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

Research Outline

Unisa's admission policy has changed and you are now required to submit a detailed research outline for the qualification for which you 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 you are interested in the topic

African Academic Programme

This programme is compulsory for all research master's and doctoral students.

• Students registered for honours degrees, postgraduate diplomas and coursework master's degrees are also welcome to register for this programme.