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SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION: 

Master of Laws 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
110199  Master of Laws 
ORIGINATOR
University of KwaZulu-Natal 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
-   HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework 
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
Master's Degree  Field 08 - Law, Military Science and Security  Justice in Society 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  180  Not Applicable  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:
The purpose of the qualification is to enable learners to become effective legal researchers and to critically engage with legal principles within this broader context, so ensuring their professional development as legal scholars and/or practitioners. The purpose is to engage relevant material for use in the national, African regional and international contexts, thus enabling students to interpret law in the broader context to effect positive legal change. The aim is to develop various competencies and skills that facilitate life-long learning.

Rationale:
As the legal field is ever changing and developing within a broader constitutional, national and international context, new knowledge generated by trained researchers as professional practitioners is necessary for the enhancement of the broader legal profession, private and public practice, the judiciary and the court system, and government and the legislature. Learners are assisted to engage with the underlying legal theories and to assess the legal principles that ultimately impact on society as a whole. An opportunity is provided for learners to obtain detailed knowledge of a specific chosen legal area, and to critically reflect, analyse and synthesise divergent legal concepts in the chosen area. 

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
The principles underlying outcomes-based, source-based and life-long learning, in which considerations of articulation and mobility play a significant roleare subscribed to. Recognition of Prior Learning, whether acquired by formal education curricula or informally (by experience) is an indispensable element in deciding on admission to and awarding credits in an explicitly selected qualification.

Entry Requirements:
  • Bachelor of Laws, Level 8. 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    QUALIFICATION RULES 
    This qualification comprises f the following compulsory module at Level 9 worth 192 Credits:
  • Master's Thesis Subsequence Registration, 192 Credits. 
    		•

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    1. Demonstrate advanced legal research skills pertaining to national, regional and/or international laws.
    2. Apply a critical and evaluative approach to analysing complex issues in the chosen field of research.
    3. Critically engage with legal principles pertinent to the issues in the chosen field of research.
    4. Undertake independent legal research and write a dissertation, which reflects advanced research skills, independent thinking, critical analysis and advanced insight into the chosen field of research. 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
  • Produce a dissertation that is relevant to the topic and has depth of coverage.
  • Use of appropriate methodology in terms of structure and argument.
  • Produce the dissertation that is logically structured, meets validity requirements in planning and execution and shows an independent approach.
  • Utilise analysis and critical evaluation rather than mere descriptive accounts.
  • Develop persuasive and coherent arguments and accurately and logically interprets data/evidence.
  • Acknowledge sources and provides consistent and detailed citations.
  • Utilise an appropriate and sufficiently up-to-date range of sources.
  • Write fluently and grammatically using correct spelling and make proper use of paragraphs.

    Integrated Assessment:
    Dissertation work of learners will be assessed to see whether it meets the requirements in relation to whether it focuses on the following criteria:
  • Focus and coverage is relevant to the topic and has depth of coverage,
  • Methodology is appropriate,
  • Findings and argument are logically structured.
  • Validity requirements in planning and execution are met,
  • An independent approach is used.
  • Analysis and critical evaluation rather than mere descriptive accounts is used.
  • Develops persuasive and coherent arguments and accurately and logically interprets data/evidence.
  • Acknowledges sources and provides consistent and detailed citations.
  • Utilises an appropriate and sufficiently up to- date range of sources.
  • Is written fluently and grammatically.
  • Uses correct spelling and makes proper use of paragraphs.
  • Is of approximately 20,000 words, without undue repetition. 
    		•

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    The Master of Philosophy in Research offered by the University of Oxford, the Master of Letters and Law by Research from the University of Edinburgh, and the Research Master of Letters and Law from York University in Canada are all analogous with the Master of Law, Level 9.

    They are all research-intensive qualifications, offered over one-year full time, but the Master of Law, Level 9 extends over 18 months. In all cases the entry requirement is a recognised undergraduate qualification in law.

    The Edinburgh qualification, like the Master of Law, Level 9, does not include any coursework. The Oxford qualification requires learners to complete a compulsory legal research methods module, while the York University qualification calls for learners to take one elective module, if they choose the thesis option, and three electives if they go for the Major Research Paper option, in addition to a Legal Research seminar. In this respect the Research Master's Degree at York University offers the greatest degree of flexibility. But it also has a residency requirement component which distinguishes it from the others.

    At Edinburgh, learners are required to attend initial training seminars, which include research methods components. Similarly, the Master of Law, Level 9 also requires its learners to attend a research methodology workshop.

    All three international qualifications, comparable to the Master of Law, Level 9, require learners to undertake a substantive piece of research under supervision, to be written up as a thesis.
    The aim across all four qualifications is to enable to learners to undertake independent legal research, engage critically with theories and concepts, apply these to a case study and present a sustained argument backed up with evidence. The Master of Law, Level 9 calls on learners to "Apply a critical and evaluative approach to analysing complex issues in the chosen field of research". Edinburgh promotes its master's degree by research as a qualification that "will enhance and develop learners' ability to manage and engage with both primary legal sources and academic literature on learners' chosen topic, present critical and engaged legal arguments, and maintain the coherence of those arguments over a substantial piece of written work". While the York University Research Masters calls on learners to produce a piece of work that contains "an analysis of the scholarship on the topic and the results of research based on primary sources in the form of a sustained argument."

    A final point of comparison is the assessment. The Oxford, Edinburgh and York University qualifications all incorporate an in-depth oral examination process, but the Master of Law, Level 9 does not, but uses an in-depth oral defence of the research proposal. As such, the Master of Law, Level 9 defence process is formative rather than summative in nature. 

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    This qualification allows for both vertical and horizontal articulation options:
    Vertical articulation:
  • Doctor of Laws, Level 10.

    Horizontal Articulation:
  • Master of Laws in Labour Studies, Level 9. 
    		•

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    N/A 

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    N/A 

    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.
     
    NONE 


    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.