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: 

Master of Fine Art 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
10611  Master of Fine Art 
ORIGINATOR
University of Cape Town 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education  HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework 
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
Master's Degree  Field 02 - Culture and Arts  Visual Arts 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  180  Level 8 and above  NQF Level 09  Regular-Provider-ELOAC 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Registered-data under construction  EXCO 0324/24  2024-07-01  2027-06-30 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2028-06-30   2031-06-30  

Registered-data under construction

The qualification content is currently being updated for the qualifications with the status “Registered-data under construction” or showing “DETAILS UNDER CONSTRUCTION” to ensure compliance with SAQA’S Policy and Criteria for the registration of qualifications and part-qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (As amended, 2022). These qualifications are re-registered until 30 June 2027 and can legitimately be offered by the institutions to which they are registered.

 

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.  

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION 
Purpose:
1. The Masters of Fine Art qualification provides an advanced, postgraduate study path for visual artists and designers who hold four-year, fine art Degrees and who wish to upgrade their academic.
2. The qualification equips qualifiers with the knowledge and skills necessary for successful professional practice as visual artists, for employment in the field of visual arts, or for further independent research toward the Ph.D. Degree in visual art.
3. The qualification helps meet the cultural and intellectual needs of South Africa in the important areas of visual arts practice and interpretation, and helps provide society with a cadre of trained visual arts practitioners. 

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
Recognition of Prior Learning:
Non-Honours leaners who have shown by examination or publication or a record of appropriate training that they have reached a level in the subject or a cognate subject equivalent to an Honours bachelor's Degree may be permitted to register for the Degree.

Entry requirements:
The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is:
  • Bachelor of Arts Honours in Fine Arts, NQF level 8. 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    (a) Critical cross-field outcomes (generic to all teaching and learning).

    The Master of Fine Art learner is able to demonstrate mastery to depth of a theoretically sophisticated subject matter;
    The Master of Fine Arts learner is equipped with proficiency in research methodology sufficient to proceed to a PhD. Leaners have mastered the skills of critical thinking, problem solving, collection and analysis of data, and effective professional written communication.

    (b) General outcomes (contextually demonstrated general knowledge, skills and values of the qualification).

    The Master of Fine Art learner is able to:
    (i) Conduct independent research in a discipline (or inter-disciplinary field);
    (ii) Communicate verbally and orally with professional audiences;
    (iii) Apply in-depth and specialised disciplinary knowledge and research skills to discipline based problems;
    (iv) Analyse and critique communications of an academic and popular nature;
    (v) Appreciate the ethical issues associated with research and knowledge production in the discipline;
    (vi) Understand the processes whereby knowledge in the Humanities is constructed.

    (c) Specific Outcomes, including professional outcomes, contextually demonstrated.

    The Master of Fine Art learner will be:
    (i) competent to formulate personal approaches, at an advanced level, to complex aesthetic problems relating to, (a) basic design, pictorial and spatial elements; (b) the understanding and interpretation of past aesthetic practices, processes and technologies; (c) the ability to apply them to a contemporary setting; and, (d) to communicate these through expressive mediums;
    (ii) familiar with contemporary philosophical and theoretical issues in Fine Art;
    (iii) able to apply appropriate research methods to creative research problems;
    (iv) able to conduct advanced literature searches to inform review of specialised literature;
    (v) able to prepare papers for peer review;
    (vi) able to evaluate examples of contemporary art. 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    (a) The achievement of these outcomes is assessed in the integrated assessment of the qualification.
    (b) The achievement of these outcomes is assessed in the integrated assessment of the qualification.
    (c) The qualification is by exhibition of practical work and dissertation. Both components are closely supervised and regular, informal, assessments are given throughout the study programme. Learners are required to attend weekly seminars in the Masters Seminar programme and to deliver on paper in each year of registration.

    Formative assessment includes the preparation of seminar papers and regular studio critiques.
  • Summative assessment takes the form of the capstone examination of the learner's primary creative research project.

    Integrated Assessment:
    The integrated assessment of the Master of Fine Art degree includes the measurement of foundational, reflexive, and practical competencies.
    Learners are required to work under the close supervision of a supervisor appointed by the School. Consequently, a week by week assessment of the following elements is available to learners; refinement of the research proposal; completion of an apposite bibliography; research and collation of appropriate visual referents. In addition, learners are required to attend weekly sessions of the Masters Seminar programme and to deliver one paper in each year of registration.
    Learners are expected to conduct creative research at the School throughout the two years of registration. The integration of skills learnt in the MFA degree in is assessed by means of a normal Institution examination that is held at the end of the study period. This takes the form of an exhibition. The dissertation, which is normally 15,000 words is extent, is examined at the same time as the exhibition of creative work.

    The dissertation must demonstrate competence in the following areas, all of which are assessed in the examination of the dissertation:
  • Precise research proposal formulation;
  • Familiarity with and integration of the specialised literature that informs the research proposal;
  • Appropriate correlation with the body of creative work;
  • Use of appropriate illustrations, figures and publication and style conventions of the discipline;
    The exhibition and dissertation is subject to external examination. 
    		•

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    This qualification allows possibilities for both horizontal and vertical articulation.

    Horizontal Articulation:
  • Masters of Visual Arts in Fine Art, NQF Level 9.
  • Master of Fine Arts in Motion Picture Medium, NQF Level 9.

    Vertical Articulation:
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Fine arts, NQF level 10. 
    		•

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    N/A 

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    N/A 

    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 Cape Town 


    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.