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 Art and Design 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
96875  Doctor of Art and Design 
ORIGINATOR
Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) 
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 02 - Culture and Arts  Visual Arts 
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
Registered  EXCO 0733/25  2024-06-30  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 replaces: 
Qual ID Qualification Title Pre-2009 NQF Level NQF Level Min Credits Replacement Status
72334  Doctor of Technology: Fine Art  Level 8 and above  NQF Level 10  240  Complete 

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION 
Purpose:
The Doctor of Art and Design provides the opportunity to contribute original knowledge to a chosen field of specialisation. On completion of this qualification, the graduate will have acquired specialist knowledge in their chosen field and proficiency in criticality with regard to existing research practices and discourses. The candidate will have contributed to the knowledge base of her or his field and be recognised as an expert therein. Graduates will be able to disseminate their research findings in the various for: through publication, participation in conferences, convening research areas, etc.

This qualification lastly addresses the imperatives of ethical and professional practice within academia and the creative industries-based knowledge economy. Accordingly, graduates should be able to critically contribute to the development of ethical standards in their chosen fields of specialisation and in academia.

Upon completion of the qualification. A qualifying learner will be able to:
1 Conceptualise and initiate new research and research projects in order to generate original knowledge or innovative practice as well as scholarship and academic discourses in a particular field, discipline or practice.
2. Demonstrate the ability to apply appropriate and creative methods, processes or technologies and specialist knowledge in critically reflexive ways to complex practical and theoretical problems.
3. Take accountability for the knowledge produced and disseminated and for autonomous ethical decisions; the ability to critically contribute to the development of ethical standards in academia and the creative industries based knowledge economy.
4. Provide evidence of proficiency in accessing, processing and managing information in order to achieve relevant research aims. This entails the ability to analyse and synthesise incomplete and inconsistent information or data in order to generate original insights

Rationale:
The Doctor of Art and Design is a 360 credit, research based module on level 10 of the NQF. The qualification is offered in order to address the following needs: firstly, as a research based qualification, this offering provides learners with the opportunity to apply critical, conceptual and problem solving skills toward contributing original knowledge to the fields of design (including Fashion Design, Integrated Communication Design, Interior Design, Jewellery Design and Surface Design), the Applied Arts (such as ceramics, glass, and fibre arts), and the Visual Arts (including painting, sculpture, printmaking, and commercial photography), depending on the elected module.
The Doctor of Art and Design is thus unique in terms of the range of possibilities offered to candidates across several disciplines The qualification has, furthermore, been designed with the needs of academia as it interfaces with the creative industries sector in mind: South Afri-can society requires an expansion of academically trained professionals who can contribute to the knowledge economy within the creative industries sector, across the disciplined listed above, and within academia.

Occupations, jobs or areas of activity in which graduates will operate include:
  • Self employment: establishing a business as a fine artist or applied artist (focussing on glass, ceramics, or fibre arts), or designer in the fields of information design, fashion design, interior design, jewellery design, surface design, and graphic design), or in commercial photography.
  • A career as an independent practitioner in information / fashion / interior / jewellery / surface and graphic design; fine arts (including painting, sculpture, and printmaking); applied art practice (including a producer of glass, ceramic or fibre art artefacts); or commercial photography.
  • A research-based career at a tertiary institution, the public sector or the creative industries.

    Lastly, this qualification is in line with the objectives of the NQF:
  • It fits the NQF framework.
  • It provides access to academic training within the fields of art and design.
  • The qualification is in line with government policies to provide the necessary professional career paths for learners. 
    		•

    LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
    Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
    The institution has an approved Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy which is applicable to Learners who do not meet the minimum entrance requirements.

    RPL for a research Doctorate degree is limited access and not to provide exemption or credits towards the qualification.

    Entry Requirements:
  • Master's degree in a relevant field of study at NQF Level 9.
    And
  • Candidates should possess adequate professional knowledge and skills for admission to the qualification. 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    QUALIFICATION RULES 
    There are five elective modules within the current qualification (Doctor of Art and
    Design), namely:
  • Thesis: Fashion Design and Technology, 360 Credits.
  • Thesis: Integrated Communication Design, 360 Credits.
  • Thesis: Fine and Applied Arts, 360 Credits.
  • Thesis: Interior Design, 360 Credits.
  • Thesis: Commercial Photography, 360 Credits. 
    		•

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    1 Conceptualise and initiate new research and research projects in order to generate original knowledge or innovative practice as well as scholarship and academic discourses in a particular field, discipline or practice.
    2. Demonstrate the ability to apply appropriate and creative methods, processes or technologies and specialist knowledge in critically reflexive ways to complex practical and theoretical problems.
    3. Take accountability for the knowledge produced and disseminated and for autonomous ethical decisions; the ability to critically contribute to the development of ethical standards in academia and the creative industries-based knowledge economy.
    4. Provide evidence of proficiency in accessing, processing and managing information in order to achieve relevant research aims. This entails the ability to analyse and synthesise incomplete and inconsistent information or data in order to generate original insights. 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
  • Illustrate the ability to formulate a complex research problem/s to contribute original knowledge to a specific area within a chosen field of expertise.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2:
  • Select, combine, or devise relevant, research methods appropriate to addressing the identified research problem/s.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3:
  • Apply rigorous standards with regards to: plagiarism; the acknowledgement of resources ad pre-existing ideas; research ethics; and the responsibilities that devolve from conducting and disseminating original research.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4.
  • Critique existing information / data and generate and manage original knowledge in a way that demonstrates the ability to systematise or otherwise synthesise incomplete, inconsistent or conflicting information / data.

    Integrated Assessment
    A presentation of the research proposal is given, and the learner's understanding of research processes is conveyed by the ability to:
  • Access, process, manage, produce and communicate information.
  • Develop appropriate processes of information gathering and an ability to validate the sources of information.
  • Evaluate manage and communicate the information.
  • Design and present a logical, well-organized presentation with clear main ideas and transitions.

    Formative Assessment:
    Regular supervisor / feedback reports provide the candidate with suggestions for further work and development of the research project.
    A finalised research proposal is produced and the learners' understanding is conveyed by the ability to:
  • Conduct a literature review
  • Formulate a research problem
  • Formulate a hypothesis
  • Formulate aims
  • Set objectives
  • Schedule time
  • Draw up a budget where applicable
  • Correctly and consistently cite and reference resources.
  • Write up an extended research project in an academic register.
  • Conceptualise, produce and curate a body of work for exhibition/presentation where applicable.

    Summative Assessments:
  • The concluding dissertation, evaluated by an external examiner, serves as a summative assessment of the learner's capacity to perform independent research, critically evaluate literature, and contribute to their chosen of study. 
    		•

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    As there is no professional international body that ranks nations in fine and applied arts or design as there is for example Accountancy or Information Technology the countries used for comparison are those celebrated for vibrant creative sectors, long established tertiary provision, and strong positions in the IMD ¿World¿ Competitiveness Report, whose 300-plus indicators encompass tertiary education quality, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and access to opportunity. Against that backdrop, South Africa remains the only state in the sub-continent offering a doctoral qualification in visual arts: the Doctor¿of¿Art¿and¿Design at NQF¿Level¿10. No other SADC country provides an equivalent doctorate.

    The Doctor of Art and Design's three- to four-year, 360-credit structure aligns with the highest tiers of global frameworks EQF and RQF¿Level¿8 in Europe and the United Kingdom, AQF¿10 in Australia, the doctoral tier of the Hong¿ Kong Qualifications Framework, and ISCED¿Level¿8 in the United States. Direct comparators include Aalto University's Doctor of Arts (Art, Design &¿Architecture) in Finland, the Royal College of Art's PhD (Arts &¿Humanities) and University of the Arts London's PhD in Art, Design &¿Communication in the UK, Harvard Graduate School of Design's Doctor of Design (DDes) in the USA, RMIT University's PhD (Design) and UNSW Sydney's PhD in Arts, Design &¿Architecture in Australia, Hong¿Kong Polytechnic University's PhD in Design and the University of Melbourne's PhD in Fine Arts &¿Music (Design Media). Each of these doctorates demands an original contribution to knowledge, often through a creative portfolio accompanied by an exegesis, and requires candidates to disseminate findings via exhibitions, publications and conference presentations mirroring South Africa's thesis-plus-practice model across its communication design, photography, motion picture and hybrid art and design streams.

    Because these qualifications are situated in economies that consistently score near the top of the IMD index, their alignment substantiates the South African doctorate's international standing. Converting the 360 SAQA credits to roughly 180¿ECTS positions the qualification squarely within Europe's doctoral norm, while the shared emphasis on research leadership, ethical practice and global creative industry engagement underscores that graduates of South Africa's Doctor¿of¿Art¿and¿Design are fully equipped to contribute to and shape the worldwide discourse in art and design research. This congruence supports SAQA and CHE expectations and creates fertile ground for co supervision, joint examination, and collaborative projects with the institutions named above. 

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    Vertical Articulation:
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Arts and Social Sciences, NQF Level 10.
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Arts Studies, NQF Level 10. 
    		•

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
  • External moderation.
  • SERTEC quality assurance. 
    		•

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    Assessors will demonstrate the ability to:
  • Develop an assessment.
  • Prepare learners for an assessment.
  • Carry out a pre-developed assessment.
  • Monitor an assessment.
  • Carry out an integrated assessment.
  • Moderate the assessment process.
  • Supply feedback and reporting. 
    		•

    NOTES 
    N/A 

    LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: 
    When qualifications are replaced, some (but not all) of their learning programmes are moved to the replacement qualifications. If a learning programme appears to be missing from here, please check the replaced 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. Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) 


    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.