Master's & doctoral research examination process

The examination process

Step 1: Complete the notice of intention to submit form

The examination process for master’s and doctoral students begins when a student submits an intention to submit form. 

Please note the procedure to follow:

• You must be registered for the dissertation/thesis in the current academic year if you wish to submit your research for examination.
• Doctoral candidates must be registered for at least two academic years before submitting a thesis for examination.
• Confirm with your supervisor that your dissertation/thesis is ready for examination and that you wish to submit for examination.
• Confirm with your supervisor that the title is the final and correct one that will appear on all copies of the dissertation/thesis to be examined.
• Complete the notice to submit form and submit the signed form to resexcoord@unisa.ac.za.
• The form must be submitted at least 8 weeks prior to submitting the copies for examination (normally 30 September for the Autumn graduation period of the next year, and 15 April for the Spring graduation period).
• Please use your myLife e-mail to communicate with Unisa. Please indicate your student number in the subject line of your e-mail.
  
  

What are the submission dates?

You may submit a notice of intention to submit form at any time of the year, but please take the following dates into consideration:

• If you submit a dissertation/thesis by 15 June and are successful, you may qualify for the Spring graduation period (September/October). 
• If you submit a dissertation/thesis by 15 November and are successful, you may qualify for the Autumn graduation period of the following year (April/May).
• Should you submit your dissertation/thesis after the end of February, you can expect to graduate in September of the same year. You will, however, be required to formally re-register online during the prescribed registration period and pay the full fee for the academic period.

The graduate timeframes listed above are estimates, since you may be required to make substantial corrections to your dissertation/thesis before the results will be formally approved and released.

Click here for the Procedures for Master's and Doctoral Degrees for the formal/technical requirements of the dissertation/thesis. 

I am registered for the 2025 academic year. What is the last date on which I can submit without having to re-register and pay for the 2026 academic year?

If you submit by 28 February 2026, you do not have to re-register and pay for 2026. If you submit after this date, however, you have to re-register online and pay before the closing date of the next academic year. 

Step 2: Submit for examination

The Master's and Doctoral Research Examination Coordination Section will inform students of the process. You will only be provided with the link after the panel of examiners has been appointed by the college. As soon as you receive the link, you have to request access. After you receive access, you must upload an electronic PDF and an MS Word copy of your dissertation/thesis. Please ensure that it is the final version of the dissertation/thesis you want to submit for examination. Please ensure that your dissertation/thesis was submitted online to Turnitin (to check for originality). Download the one-page digital receipt and the percentage page (not the full report) and include it with your examination copy.

Should you have any enquiries about the process, please send an e-mail to resexcoord@unisa.ac.za  

If you have any Turnitin enquiries/challenges, you can send an e-mail to turnitin@unisa.ac.za

What is the acceptable format for the research component (dissertation/thesis)?

The dissertation/thesis must be in A4 or A5 format, using at least one-and-a-half line spacing (except for footnotes and quotations which may be in single line spacing). Ensure that you leave a left margin of at least 2 cm. The thesis must be neat and legible. The recommended font size for text is size 12 and for footnotes size 10.

I missed the deadline for submitting my dissertation/thesis for examination purposes. What must I do?

If you have submitted your notice of intention to submit form and you have been granted permission to submit your dissertation/thesis via a link provided by the Master's and Doctoral Research Examination Coordination Section, you may submit your dissertation/thesis at any time, provided that you are registered for the current academic year. Should you submit your dissertation/thesis after the end of February, you can expect to graduate in September of the same year. You will, however, be required to formally re-register online during the prescribed registration period and pay the full fee for the academic period. Should you submit for examination three months after the approval to submit, there will be a delay in the examination process as the examiners must again be requested to confirm whether they are still available to examine your dissertation/thesis. 

I want to submit my dissertation/thesis without the consent from my supervisor. What must I do?

This will only be considered in exceptional circumstances. 

You have to submit a fully motivated application to the Executive Dean of the college, who will refer it to the Intercollege Postgraduate Studies Committee with his or her recommendation. The committee will consider the recommendation and submit it to the Vice-Principal: Research, Postgraduate Studies, Innovation and Commercialisation for a final decision. The decision must be approved by Senate. 

How long before I can expect the result to be released?

It will all depend on the reports from the examiners. It can take more than three months before the result is released. Examiners have six weeks to examine and submit their reports to the non-examining chairperson (NEC). If you need to make any corrections, your supervisor will provide you with the anonymised examiners' reports. You should engage with the proposed corrections in consultation with your supervisor. You have to submit the pages where corrections were made to your supervisor, who has to confirm to the NEC that the corrections have been made to his or her satisfaction. The NEC will, on receipt of the confirmation, compile his or her report and submit it to the next level(s) for approval. 

In the case of a doctoral student who registered for the first time in 2022, the NEC will arrange for the oral examination (viva voce) to take place a soon as the confirmation from the supervisor was received. The official result will be released within a month from the completion of the viva voce. It is important to note that your result is only official when you receive the confirmation letter from the College of Graduate Studies: Assessment, Research and Examination Support Section.    

I completed my degree, but the degree certificate does not reflect the specialisation/stream. Why is this the case?

Some qualifications have been approved by DHET as generic qualifications. The specialisations/streams were created for administrative purposes to ensure that your application for the qualification was considered by the relevant department. The stream will, however, display on your academic record.