Undergraduate & honours qualifications

Bachelor of Arts Honours in Philosophy

Qualification code: 99420
NQF level: 8
Total credits: 120
SAQA ID: 101086
APS/AS: 60
Rules:
This qualification consists of 5 modules. This qualification can be completed in one year. Students choosing to do it over more than one year are advised to register for the Research Report in their final year of study. Students should note that during the course of their studies they would be required to have access to a computer or laptop, printer and the internet.
Purpose statement:
The primary purpose of the qualification is to provide Honours BA graduates with systematic knowledge, specialized skills and theoretical competence focusing on or within a particular discipline or within an interdisciplinary framework to prepare them for specialist training at an advanced level. A second purpose of the qualification is to provide South Africa (and other countries) with graduates who have in-depth knowledge and the confidence to identify and define complex problems and to apply their skills in finding solutions to those problems, especially within unfamiliar contexts. A third purpose of the qualification is to provide South Africa (and other countries) with people who can demonstrate thorough familiarity with a particular discipline or interdisciplinary framework and have the ability to perform independently as intellectual leaders in their society.
This qualification will be presented using both online and distance learning modes.

Who can register?

  • Applicants (new applicants & Unisa students who applied for admission to a new qualification) may only register if they have received an offer of placement from Unisa and have accepted the offer online. Unisa reserves the right to not process and / or to cancel your registration if it is found that you were incorrectly admitted to a qualification. 
  • Re-registering students may register for the 2024 academic year once the registration period opens.

Please note: Should you wish to start a new qualification, please apply online for the alternative qualification during the prescribed application period.


How to choose your modules

Each Unisa qualification is structured in such a way that you need to pass a certain number of NQF level credits within a certain amount of time in order to graduate.

  • Co-requisite: Module A is a co-requisite for Module B. You want to register for Module B, but have not yet passed Module A. You must then register for both Modules A and B simultaneously. You may NOT cancel your registration for Module A unless Module B is also cancelled.

  • Pre-requisite: If Module A is a pre-requisite for Module B, you must pass Module A before you may register for Module B.

You may not register for more than the allowed maximum number of credits / modules per academic year and / or semester: 60 credits per semester or 120 credits per academic year.

The maximum number of credits do not include supplementary and / or aegrotat examinations from a previous semester. Modules taken for non-degree / non-diploma purposes also count towards the maximum number of credits allowed.

You must take your available time into consideration when choosing your modules, as this will impact your academic performance. You need approximately

  • 6 to 8 hours per week for semester modules.
  • 4 to 6 hours per week for year modules.

Click here for more information on managing your studies.

Curriculum for this qualification

While you are deciding on the modules for which you will be registering, write down the module names and codes so that you have something to refer to when completing your registration.

Please click on the modules below to see further information (eg semester/year module, NQF level)

Module (Please click on the module to see further information) Pre-requisite/Co-requisite/Recommendation
Group A. Compulsory
HPPLS82 - Research Proposal in Philosophy
HRPLS81 - Philosophy Research Report
Group B. Select 3 from the following
CHS4801 - Decoloniality: Africana Thought, Discourse and Critique
PLS4802 - A Thorough Study of a Period in the History of Philosophy
PLS4803 - Trends in Contemporary Philosophy
PLS4804 - A Thorough Study of an Approved Philosophical Problem