Programme Regulations & The Research Process

• Degree Type & Duration: These are research-intensive doctoral qualifications (180 SAQA credits, NQF Level 10). Duration is 2–6 years (full-time) for the PhD, and 2–5 years (full-time) or 3–5 years (part-time) for the professional doctorates.
• Provisional Admission & Proposal Development: Provisionally admitted students are given a maximum of 6 months (full-time) or 12 months (part-time) to prepare a research proposal. During this period, they are exposed to three optional research modules (A, B, and C) in a seminar format.
• Two-Tier Approval Process: The research proposal must first be accepted by the Departmental Research and Innovation Committee (DRIC) for formal registration. Subsequently, it must be approved by the Faculty Research and Innovation Committee (FRIC) before the student may proceed with the empirical study.
• Termination of Admission: Failure to fulfil the proposal submission conditions within the allotted time may lead to the termination of provisional admission, unless an acceptable extenuating motivation is provided (in which case, one final extension period may be granted).
• Graduation: After successful completion and examination of the thesis, the appropriate doctoral degree will be awarded during an official graduation ceremony of CUT.

Postgraduate & Research Excellence

Pursue your postgraduate studies in the Faculty of Management Sciences through our comprehensive range of research-driven programmes, designed to develop advanced expertise and thought leadership.

Visit our dedicated Faculty Postgraduate page for details, including the step-by-step application process, a full list of available programmes, and the opportunity to review and choose from our esteemed research supervisors.