Program Overview

Master's & Doctoral Degrees

The primary purpose of the Master's and Doctoral degrees 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. A second purpose of the qualification is to provide South Africa (and other countries) with graduates who can synthesize information autonomously in specialized fields of study in order to provide leaders who can handle contradictions and evaluate highly complex problems independently.

Registration

Applicants may only register once they have received confirmation from Unisa that their application for admission has been accepted. Returning students must please check their emails for confirmation. New Unisa students will receive confirmation via the email address they provided at the time of application.

• Re-registering students (who made sufficient progress during the current academic year) and students who officially deferred their studies must register online during the approved registration period for 2026.
• Should you wish to start a new qualification, please apply for admission during the next application period and check whether the qualification for which you intend to apply is on the list of qualifications that you can apply for until the end of June 2026.

Registration Period

• Registration opens for Master's & doctoral qualifications: 7 January 2026
• Registration closes for Master's & doctoral qualifications: 31 March 2026
• Final date for payment for Master's & doctoral qualifications: 31 March 2026
• Registration opens for MCompt, Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Business Leadership (MBL) qualifications: 7 January 2026
• Registration closes for MCompt, Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Business Leadership (MBL) qualifications: 21 February 2026
• Final date for payment for MCompt, Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Business Leadership (MBL) qualifications: 21 February 2026

Time Limits for this Degree

All Master's and Doctoral qualifications are structured over a defined period.

• Coursework master's degree: A maximum of three years with an option to apply for one additional year.
• Research master's degree: A maximum of three years with an option to apply for one additional year.
• Doctoral degree: A maximum of six years with an option to apply for one additional year.

Catalytic Niche Areas (CNAs)

Unisa has identified the following 10 Catalytic Niche Areas (CNAs) to be operationalised within the colleges:

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

Curriculum

The curriculum consists of a dissertation that incorporates a research proposal to be completed within the first year of study.

Module

• DFJCA95 - Dissertation: Judaica

Master of Arts in Judaica

Qualification code: 98473 Qualification type: Full Research NQF level: 9 Total credits: 180 SAQA ID: 5395 Rules: The curriculum consists of a dissertation that incorporates a research proposal to be completed within the first year of study. 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. A second purpose of the qualification is to provide South Africa (and other countries) with graduates who can synthesize information autonomously in specialized fields of study in order to provide leaders who can handle contradictions and evaluate highly complex problems independently. A third purpose of the qualification is to provide South Africa (and other countries) with people who can demonstrate specialized leadership, self-reflexivity and adaptability.