Program Overview

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Master of Theology in Church History

The primary purpose of this qualification is to provide MTh graduates with the necessary knowledge, specific skills, and applied competence within a specialised discipline or field of study in theology, to do independent research and to act as leaders, educators, and facilitators in their communities and in society at large. A second purpose of the qualification is to provide faith communities and South African society at large with graduates who have the knowledge, skills, and competence required to make a positive contribution to theological, ethical, and environmental debates; and who are able to design, write, and offer courses to foster an awareness of the crucial importance of religion in contemporary society.

Qualification Details

• Qualification code: 98469
• Qualification type: Full Research
• NQF level: 9
• Total credits: 180
• SAQA ID: 6173

Admission Requirements

An appropriate bachelor honours degree, or an appropriate postgraduate diploma, or a 480 credit bachelor's degree with a minimum of 96 credits at NQF level 8 in Church History, Theology, Biblical Studies, Religious Studies, or an equivalent degree 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 (HMKEG80) at NQF level 8 for NDP before he/she will be allowed to register for the dissertation.

All students with foreign qualifications, including those with qualifications from African countries, must have their qualifications evaluated at SAQA. In addition to the above requirements, applicants must submit a transcript or an academic record, as well as a document describing their intended research. Students will be accepted on the following criteria:

• Suitability and viability of the intended research
• Adequate supervisory capacity and research expertise in the discipline or department
• There is an approved selection procedure which is in line with Unisa's policies on equality and diversity in the discipline or department
• Applicants who would like to apply for admission through recognition of prior learning (RPL) must be at least 35 years old; and have at least eight years' relevant work, and research experience in the study field in which they would like to apply for admission to a qualification

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 programme within three years. A student may make application to their supervisor for one additional year of study. The supervisor will consult with the Executive Dean of the College in which the student is registered.

Research Master's Degree

A research master's degree comprises a dissertation on an approved topic. You will be expected to have a research proposal approved in the first year of study. If you do not complete a research proposal in the first year of study, you will not be permitted to continue with the qualification. You will also be excluded from applying for admission to the same college for a period of two years.

Research Focus Areas

Unisa's admission policy has changed and you are now required to submit a detailed research outline for the qualification for which you apply. No application submitted without a detailed research outline will be considered. Although this research outline may differ for each qualification or academic department, the basic information required is as follows:

• 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

Your research outline must align with one of the departmental research focus areas. Please also take note of Unisa's Catalytic Niche Areas; you should strive to incorporate at least one of the Catalytic Niche Areas (CNAs) into your research. These include the following:

1. Marine studies
2. Aviation and aeronautical studies
3. Automotive
4. Energy
5. Space study and square kilometre array
6. Fourth IR and digitalisation
7. Natural sciences (biotechnological studies)
8. Health studies/medicine
9. Feminist, womanist and bosadi theorisations
10. Student support and co-curricular activities

Student Fees and Funding Your Studies

• Application fee: An online application fee is required.
• Student fees: The fee information for the 2026 academic year will be available at the time of registration.
• Student funding/bursary opportunities are available.

Application for Admission

Applications for master's and doctoral qualifications are accepted until a specified date. To apply, you must first apply for a student number and then apply for admission, uploading 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.