Program Overview

Master's & Doctoral Degrees

The university offers a range of master's and doctoral degrees, providing students with the opportunity to advance their knowledge and skills in their chosen field.

Admission Requirements

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

• A South African LLB degree, or a foreign LLB degree of minimum 4 years' duration, or a B Proc or a Postgraduate Diploma in Law on NQF level 8.
• Candidates may also apply for admission via recognition of prior learning (RPL).
  • Option 1: The minimum requirement to apply for direct access to LLM through RPL is NQF level 8 qualification in cognate discipline.
  • Option 2: Applicants who would like to apply for admission through RPL must hold NQF level 7 qualification in cognate discipline and have at least 10 years' relevant work experience.

Student Fees and Funding

The application fee for master's and doctoral degrees is R150.00. Student fees for the 2025 academic year are available on the university's website. Students registering for qualifications through the Graduate School of Business Leadership should visit the SBL website for fee information.

Application for Admission

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

Registration

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 includes a range of subjects, research proposal modules, and mini-dissertations. Students must pass at least two modules before registering for the research proposal module.

Master of Laws in Corporate Law

The Master of Laws in Corporate Law is a coursework master's degree that provides students with the knowledge, skills, and applied competence in corporate law.

Purpose Statement

The primary purpose of the qualification is to provide Master of Laws (LLM) graduates with the knowledge, specific skills, and applied competence in corporate law to ensure opportunities for continued personal intellectual growth, gainful economic activity, and valuable contributions to society.

Qualification Stream

The qualification stream for the Master of Laws in Corporate Law is Curriculum 2017.

Qualification Code

The qualification code for the Master of Laws in Corporate Law is 90046 - N17.

Qualification Type

The qualification type for the Master of Laws in Corporate Law is coursework.

NQF Level

The NQF level for the Master of Laws in Corporate Law is 9.

Total Credits

The total credits for the Master of Laws in Corporate Law is 180.

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

Time Limits for this Degree

All master's and doctoral qualifications are structured over a defined period. Students 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.