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:

Postgraduate Diploma in Management

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
9267	Postgraduate Diploma in Management
ORIGINATOR
University of Witwatersrand
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY			NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education			HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework
QUALIFICATION TYPE	FIELD		SUBFIELD
Postgraduate Diploma	Field 03 - Business, Commerce and Management Studies		Generic Management
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	120	Level 7	NQF Level 08	Regular-Provider-ELOAC
REGISTRATION STATUS		SAQA DECISION NUMBER	REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE
Reregistered		SAQA 1141/23	2021-07-01	2024-06-30
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2025-06-30		2028-06-30

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

Some diplomas are pre-experience diplomas and others are post-experience diplomas. Pre-experience diplomas are referred to as PDM A and post-experience diplomas as PDM B.

PDM A
The primary purpose of the qualification is to prepare candidates for senior administration-level and first line management positions in the public, private and development sectors. The qualifying learner obtains a Postgraduate diploma in a field such as Business Administration, Public Policy and Development Administration and Human Resources. Pre-experience diplomas provide broad exposure to the processes and functions of business and/or public sector management within the context of an integrated, holistic organisational approach and a transforming socio-economic setting.

PDM B
Post-experience diplomas focus on enhancing the learner's problem solving, information management and people management expertise necessary for private- and public-sector managers. Their purpose is to:

prepare students for professional and/or managerial leadership roles in the private, public, development and not-for-profit sectors;

enhance students values, knowledge and skills to act ethically and effectively in the management of organisations in these sectors;

enhance decision-making capacity in middle and senior levels of management in organisations in these sectors;

familiarise participants with conceptual frameworks and current debates in management and contemporary society;

develop skills in the management of people and the management of change.

The qualifying learner obtains a Postgraduate diploma in a field such as General Human Resources Management, Information Management, Public and Development Management, General Management and Education, Training and Development.

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

PDM A
A satisfactory level of analytical, reasoning, written communication and reading skills for post-graduate study.

PDM B

Post-experience diplomas require management, policy or development experience in order that participants are able to relate concept, frameworks and issues to practical experience.

A satisfactory level of analytical, reasoning, written communication and reading skills for post-graduate study.

Formally Accredited Learning:

PDM A
Entrance to the
A. Pre-experience diploma requires the typical learner to have:

a degree or another qualification judged by the University to be equivalent with demonstrated acceptable undergraduate performance.

PDM B
Entrance to the
B. Post-experience diploma requires the typical learner to have:

a degree or another qualification judged by the University to be equivalent;

evidence of at least two years of professional organisational experience appropriate to lower to middle level managers, demonstrating maturity, accomplishment and the promise of future leadership.

Recognition of Prior Learning:

Applicants who fall outside of the normal admissions process who can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the University that they have a qualification or experiential- or work based learning which has taken the learner to an equivalent level of a qualification specified above (under Formally Accredited Learning), may be considered for admission and/or for the recognition of prior accredited and/or prior experiential learning. Applicants who, after such assessment, are deemed to have sufficient potential but are in need of further academic development, may be required to broaden their curriculum to include preliminary programmes prior to admission or parallel programmes after admission.

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

A.1.PDM A

The qualifying learner:

1. Demonstrates familiarity with a broad range of concepts and frameworks relevant to public and private management contexts

2. Identifies, classifies and describes management, policy, leadership and ethical issues in specific public, developmental and business contexts

3. Applies relevant conceptual and analytical frameworks to analyse problems within different business, public and development management conditions

4. Shows awareness of the economic, social and political factors which affect public managers and business people

5. Identifies appropriate procedures and monitoring systems for organisations in the private and public sectors

6. Practically demonstrates the ability to apply the conceptual knowledge and practical skills in a specific work context

7. Demonstrates abilities to work alone or in teams in the achievement of 1-6 above.

PDM A
Critical Cross-field Outcomes:

a) "Identifying and solving problems in which responses display that responsible decisions using critical and creative thinking have been made" - see Exit Level Outcomes (ELO) 3 and Associated Assessment Criteria (AAC) 2.

b) "Working with others as a member of a team, group, organisation, community" - see ELO 7 and AAC 6.

c) "Organising and managing oneself and one's activities responsibly and effectively" - see ELO 7.

d) "Collecting, analysing, organising and critically evaluating information" - see ELO 2, 3 and AAC 1 & 3.

e) "Communicating effectively using visual, mathematical and/or language skills in the modes of oral and/or written persuasion" - see ELO 6 and AAC 4.

f) "Using science and technology effectively and critically, showing responsibility towards the environment and health of others" - see ELO 2.

g) "Demonstrating an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that problem-solving contexts does not exist in isolation" - see ELO 3 & 4 and AAC 1.

h) "Contributing to the full personal development of each learner and the social and economic development of society at large, by making it the underlying intention of any programme of learning to make an individual aware of the importance of:

(i) "Reflecting on and exploring a variety of strategies to learn more effectively" - see AAC 4.

(ii) "Participating as responsible citizens in the life of local, national and global communities" - see ELO 4; note also that learners act in accordance with the code of conduct of the University and, where relevant, that of the professional discipline being studied.

(iii) "Being culturally and aesthetically sensitive across a range of social contexts" - see ELO 3 & 4 and AAC 2.

(iv) "Exploring education and career opportunities" - see ELO (implicit in ELO 2 & 6).

(v) "Developing entrepreneurial opportunities" - see ELO (implicit in ELO 1-6)

B.1. PDM B

The qualifying learner:

1. Demonstrates understanding of a comparative range of management frameworks and to evaluate their applicability to South African contexts

2. Demonstrates knowledge of a broad range of conceptual and analytical fields within management

3. Demonstrates abilities to access, use and manage information

4. Demonstrates abilities to apply appropriate conceptual and analytical frameworks within different organisational management conditions

5. Presents information in a range of written and oral modes and genres appropriate to the audience

6. Has enhanced leadership, problem solving skills and expertise appropriate to complex and rapidly changing organisational environments

7. Develops ethical and practical leadership skills including abilities to exercise judgement within an environment of competing values

8. Presents results of an exploration into how an organisation works and suggests approaches to dealing with problems

9. Demonstrates abilities to work alone or in teams in the achievement of 1-8 above.

PDM B
Critical Cross-field Outcomes:

a) "Identifying and solving problems in which responses display that responsible decisions using critical and creative thinking have been made" - see Exit Level Outcomes (ELO) 1, 3, 6, 7 & 9.

b) "Working with others as a member of a team, group, organisation, community" - see ELO 3, 6 & 9.

c) "Organising and managing oneself and one's activities responsibly and effectively" - see ELO implicit at the Masters level - e.g. see 7 & 9.

d) "Collecting, analysing, organising and critically evaluating information" - see ELO 3, 4 & 9.

e) "Communicating effectively using visual, mathematical and/or language skills in the modes of oral and/or written persuasion" - see ELO 5.

f) "Using science and technology effectively and critically, showing responsibility towards the environment and health of others" - see ELO 7.

g) "Demonstrating an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that problem-solving contexts does not exist in isolation" - see ELO 6 & 9.

h) "Contributing to the full personal development of each learner and the social and economic development of society at large, by making it the underlying intention of any programme of learning to make an individual aware of the importance of:

(i) "Reflecting on and exploring a variety of strategies to learn more effectively" - see ELO 9.

(ii) "Participating as responsible citizens in the life of local, national and global communities" - see ELO 1, 7; note also that learners act in accordance with the code of conduct of the University and, where relevant, that of the professional discipline being studied.

(iii) "Being culturally and aesthetically sensitive across a range of social contexts" - see ELO 7.

(iv) "Exploring education and career opportunities" - see ELO 1-8.

(v) "Developing entrepreneurial opportunities" - see ELO 1-8.

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

A.2. PDM A:
Learners will be assessed on their abilities to:

1. Effectively identify and gather appropriate information needed to analyse the structure and of a complex, rapidly changing organisation

2. Identify and justify courses of action appropriate to the context

3. Demonstrate the ability to present information in a range of oral and written modes appropriate to audience and task

4. Reflect on and evaluate their own and others performances

5. Apply what they have learned to analyse a specific work environment

6. Work together as part of a team to gather information and develop strategies and approaches to addressing specific problems.

B.2.PDM B:
Learners are assessed on their abilities to

1. Analyse and solve complex and ambiguous problems;

2. Manage change as individuals and in groups;

3. Think strategically in a rapidly changing and contested context;

4. Plan and make decisions;

5. Access, use and manage information;

6. Put in place, solve and evaluate processes.

Integrated Assessment:

Integrated assessment occurs in the following ways:

PDM A:

Learners do an internship of seven - ten weeks in a public-, private- or development-sector organisation.

They complete a series of structured tasks in which they analyse the organisation and evaluate their own performance in the organisation.

They also complete an internship report on the organisation and their own performance.

PDM B:
Post experience diplomas
Integrated assessment takes place in one or more of the following ways:

Through written examination tasks requiring synthesis of two or more modules.

Through written, oral and/or groups assignments designed across two or more modules.

Through a case study or simulated task requiring integration of modules.

Through applied project work assessing ability to gather information in specific organisation and analyse and present it using range of approaches.

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

This section specifies with which other qualifications of the University the qualification was designed to articulate, i.e. formal articulation; therefore the qualification can articulate informally with equivalent qualifications offered by the University, or with other qualifications offered nationally and internationally.

Further, an applicant registered at this University or another higher education institution for a similar qualification and who has successfully and satisfactorily completed half or less of the qualification, may be able to complete the qualification at the University, and may be granted credit for similar courses already completed.

Entry to the qualification:
Applicants holding graduate degrees from this or another university will be considered for admission.

Articulation during the qualification:
Pre- and post-experience diploma learners who complete the appropriate sections of the curriculum may exit from the programme and receive a Certificate of Competence in their field of study, and may complete the Diploma if they return in a reasonable, specified period to complete the remaining courses.

On completion of the qualification:

PDM A
Pre-experience diplomates who complete the requisite work experience may proceed to a Masters in Management with relevant Level 7 credits.

PDM B
Post-experience diplomates who satisfactorily complete all the required diploma courses may proceed to complete a research report, research methods course, and additional electives to obtain a Master of Management or a Master of Business Administration of the University, as appropriate. Such candidates will also need to fulfil the work experience entry requirements for these degrees.

MODERATION OPTIONS

Internal University requirements govern how and by whom moderation is performed. For example, external examiners are appointed. Such moderation seeks, inter alia, to ensure that, where appropriate, our graduates will be able to comply with professional and statutory requirements. Further, whether an academic entity has a professional orientation or not, the University ensures that its activities are moderated by internal and external review quinquennially. The moderating body for qualifications of the University is the Higher Education Quality Committee of the Council on Higher Education, currently represented by the Interim Higher Education Quality Committee.

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

Internal University quality requirements govern how and by whom assessment may be performed to ensure that assessors have the competence required to assess a qualification of this nature. Once the Higher Education Quality Committee of the Council on Higher Education is constituted and ready to pronounce on issues of quality, the University will respond to the HEQC guidance on the registration of assessors. In the interim, the academic staff of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, is regarded as registered assessors since SAQA has registered the institution as a public higher education provider.

REREGISTRATION HISTORY

As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2006; 2009; 2012; 2015.

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.	University of Witwatersrand