SAQA

All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.

SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY

REGISTERED QUALIFICATION:

Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacy

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
117768	Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacy
ORIGINATOR
North West University
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY			NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education			HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework
QUALIFICATION TYPE	FIELD		SUBFIELD
Doctoral Degree	Field 09 - Health Sciences and Social Services		Promotive Health and Developmental Services
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	360	Not Applicable	NQF Level 10	Regular-Provider-ELOAC
REGISTRATION STATUS		SAQA DECISION NUMBER	REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE
Reregistered		EXCO 0821/24	2021-07-01	2027-06-30
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2028-06-30		2031-06-30

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.

This qualification does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification.

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION

Purpose:
The primary purpose of the Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacy is to provide training for an academic career in the field of pharmacy. It requires a learner to research the most advanced academic levels culminating in the submission, assessment and acceptance of a thesis. A learner may also present peer-reviewed academic articles and papers in partial fulfilment of the research requirements.

Through this qualification, learners will be provided with the opportunity to undertake independent research and advanced study under the guidance of a supervisor in a particular subject area within the field of the Pharmacy (Pharmaceutics, Pharmacology, Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Chemistry), building on knowledge normally gained at Masters or an equivalent level. The thesis presented must constitute a substantial contribution to the national and international advancement of knowledge and understanding in the field of pharmacy through original research that meets international standards.

Rationale:
The rationale of the qualification is to provide the learner with highly advanced knowledge, specific skills and applied competence in the field of Pharmacy that presents opportunities for continued personal intellectual growth, as well as the pursuit of gainful economic activity and the ability to make rewarding contributions to society.

The qualification will also provide South Africa with significant numbers of experts in the field of pharmacy to ensure that the local and international leadership base of innovative and knowledge-based scholarly activity is widened. This includes also the development of new knowledge frameworks for the expansion of the field of pharmacy.

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
Where learners do not meet the minimum admission requirements, RPL may be used to grant access to the qualification. RPL will be applied according to the Recognition of Prior Learning, credit accumulation and transfer, and assessment (CHE 2016) and the institution's policy. Learners will be assessed against NQF Level 9 competencies.

Entry Requirements:
The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is:

Master of Pharmacy in Pharmacy Practice, NQF Level 9.

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

QUALIFICATION RULES

This qualification consists of the following compulsory module at NQF Level 10 totalling 360 Credits.

Compulsory Module, Level 10:

Thesis, 360 Credits.

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

1. Demonstrate a depth of knowledge and high levels of theoretical understanding in a complex and specialised area in the field of Pharmacy and/or across specialised or applied areas.
2. Demonstrate intellectual independence and advanced research skills through the ability to apply sophisticated knowledge and research methodologies for the solution of complex, unfamiliar problems in the field of Pharmacy and the competence to integrate and apply theoretical knowledge and research findings within relevant local and global contexts as well as across disciplines.
3. Deal with complexity, lacunae and contradictions in the knowledge base of Pharmacy.
Autonomously generate, synthesise and evaluate information and concepts at highly abstract levels and make sound evaluations based on independently generated criteria.
4. Question existing knowledge boundaries and practices in the field of Pharmacy and create responses to problems that expand or redefine existing knowledge.
5. Show mastery of the literature and state of research in a specific area within the field of Pharmacy.
6. Demonstrate research leadership within the field, including the ability to plan, resource, manage and optimise all aspects of processes engaged in, within complex and unpredictable contexts.
7. Demonstrate high levels of responsibility, self-reflexivity and adaptability, concerning the ethical implications of research, the determination of socially relevant issues and research needs in South Africa, and the ability to relate these issues to international contexts.

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

The following Associated Assessment Criteria will be applied in an integrated manner across the Exit Level Outcomes.

Generate and display specialised knowledge and high levels of theoretical understanding in a complex and specialised area within the field of Pharmacy and/or across specialised or applied areas and make an original contribution to the knowledge society in the discipline they are researching on.

Apply and develop intellectual independence and advanced research skills, sophisticated knowledge and research methodologies to the solution of complex, unfamiliar problems in the field of Pharmacy.

Apply and develop competence to integrate and apply theoretical knowledge and research findings within relevant local and global contexts as well as across disciplines in the field of Pharmacy.

Generate, synthesise and evaluate information and concepts at highly abstract levels and make sound evaluations based on independently generated criteria.

Show mastery of the literature by producing original insights into new and complex ideas, information and issues in a specific area of the field of Pharmacy.

Plan, resource, manage and optimise all aspects of research processes within complex and unpredictable contexts in the field of Pharmacy.

Integrated Assessment:
Formative assessment will be undertaken through research proposal defence and feedback from the Research Committee and other feedbacks from the promoter (supervisor). Learners will submit a thesis on discrete research that was conducted under supervision in which the student is expected to present integrated research findings, interpreted and linked to the existing literature but with a level of novelty, across the entire area of investigation for summative assessment.

INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY

Country: Australia.
Institution: University of Sydney.
Qualification Title: Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacy.

This qualification is similar to the Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacy offered by the University of Sydney in terms of the following:

Both qualifications share a similar purpose, qualification outline and research focus but differ slightly in the admission requirement. In both qualifications, care is taken to provide an opportunity for intensive research training and in allowing learners to only pursue research from one of some fields in which the respective schools have expertise. Similar to this qualification, the research areas for the Doctor in Pharmacy offered at the University of Sydney in Australia focuses on the following themes: cancer; cardiovascular and diabetes; mental health; healthy ageing and respiratory disease. These are common themes reflected in the South African and the Australian Government's national health priorities.

Both qualifications share the same duration of two to three years full-time. Although both qualifications accept a master's qualification performed at high academic standing with a substantial component of original research as an admission requirement, the Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacy offered at the University of Sydney in Australia also accepts a Bachelor's Degree with first or upper second-class Honours. This is not the case with this qualification. Moreover, both qualifications are offered as full-research qualifications.

This qualification compares favourably with the Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacy offered by the University of Sydney. However, this qualification is unique by the generic approach to Pharmacy research that opens the qualifications up for the development of qualifications in Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Practice and Pharmaceutical Chemistry.

Country: USA.
Institution: University of Southern California.
Qualification Title: Doctor of Pharmacy.

This qualification is similar to the qualification offered by the University of Southern California in terms of the following:

Both qualifications share a similar purpose of challenging learners to new possibilities and career opportunities through longitudinal research experience to learners who are interested in pursuing a research-intensive career. The duration for this qualification is three years full-time while for the Doctor of Pharmacy offered by the University of Southern California is five years. However, the School of Pharmacy at the University of Southern California has an accelerated option for learners who want to complete the qualification in three years. They are encouraged to pursue the research Area of Concentration to take advantage of the dedicated time for research. Both qualifications are research-intensive, however, the Doctor of Pharmacy offered by the University of Southern California has coursework components while this qualification is research concentrated only. Nonetheless, learners in both qualifications are expected to submit a thesis or dissertation as part of their summative assessment.

Despite the few differences, it can be concluded that this qualification compares favourably with the Doctor of Pharmacy offered by the University of Southern California. However, this qualification is unique by its generic approach to Pharmacy research and by the extra focus on the South African context.

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

This qualification allows possibilities for horizontal articulation.

Horizontal Articulation:

Doctor of Philosophy in Transdisciplinary Health Sciences, NQF Level 10.

Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutics, NQF Level 10.

Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, NQF Level 10.

MODERATION OPTIONS

N/A

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

N/A

NOTES

N/A

LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION:

NONE

PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION:

This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.

1.	North West University