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SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION: 

Master of Laws in Labour Studies 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
110200  Master of Laws in Labour Studies 
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 the broader context, so ensuring their professional development as legal scholars and/or practitioners. Learners will engage with relevant material for use in the national, African regional and international contexts, thus enabling them 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, the 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 role are 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.

A learner who does not met the minimum entry requirements , but who can demonstrate (through the production of substantial and satisfactory evidence) experiential or work-based learning or a non-formal qualification (or a combination), may be considered for admission. The Recognition of Prior Learning may be used for the achievement of the qualification in part or in full.

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

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    QUALIFICATION RULES 
    This qualification consists of compulsory and elective modules at level 9 totalling 192 Credits.

    Compulsory modules Level 9 totalling 120 Credits:
  • Mini Dissertation, 96 Credits.
  • Research Methodology, 24 Credits.

    Elective modules Level 9 totalling 72 Credits:
  • Employment Discrimination, 24 Credits.
  • Labour Dispute Resolution, 24 Credits.
  • Adv. Labour Law, 24 Credits. 
    		•

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    1. Identify, describe, critically evaluate and apply the main concepts and legal principles pertaining to the selected area of legal study within a broader constitutional and international context.
    2. Identify issues and solve practical and perceived legal problems through analytical thinking and evaluative techniques. With regard to the dissertation component, the student will.
    3. Demonstrate advanced legal research skills pertaining to national, regional and international labour laws.
    4. Apply a critical and evaluative approach to analysing complex issues in the field of labour law.
    5. Analyse complex legal problems relating to labour law and motivate the appropriate way of dealing with these problems, with reference to specific legal principles.
    6. Critically engage with legal principles specifically within the context of labour law, and identify how they should be applied to complex legal problems in a labour context.
    7. Undertake independent legal research and write a dissertation which reflects advanced research skills, independent thinking, critical analysis and advanced insight into the selected areas of labour law. 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    The following Associated Assessment Criteria will be used in an integrated manner across the Exit Level Outcomes:
  • Demonstrate adequate knowledge and understanding of substantive law modules - Advanced Labour Law, Labour Adjudication and Dispute resolution, and a third module in the field of labour relations and industrial relations.
  • Produce a dissertation or publishable articles, which make a contribution to knowledge by exploring an aspect of law and is satisfactory in form and content.

    Integrated Assessment:
    Each module will be assessed through an integrated individual written assignment or test, in addition to a range of oral and written, group and individual class assignments in order to give students the opportunities to demonstrate a variety of competencies. The dissertation requires students to apply their learning in an integrated way to analyse a specific area related to their work context in a work-based assignment and to apply the theoretical frameworks to recommend solutions to identified legal problem areas. The dissertation assesses the ability of students to integrate solutions from different modules to the applicable legal issue addressed in the dissertation. In terms of modules, learners will be assessed on their ability to write and research a case note/ assignments, which must demonstrate skills such as assimilation, analysis and critical assessment of the content matter of the module and an examination. Dissertation, in preliminary drafts the work of learners will be developmentally assessed by their supervisors: 0% weighting. The final draft will be summatively assessed by an internal examiner: 50%; and by an external examiner: 50%. In order for the identified assessment purposes to be achieved, assignments; examinations and dissertation will form part of assessment methods. 
    		•

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    The Master of Laws in Labour Studies was compared with the following qualifications offered internationally:

    1. Middlesex University, London: Master's Degree in Law which is offered to law graduates with the relevant professional experience. It includes taught courework and a research component (dissertation). An alternative to the dissertation is however offered in the form of a Work Integrated Learning module.

    Core modules are selected from the following:
  • Legal Research Skills.
  • UK and European Anti- Discrimination Law.
  • Individual Employment Law.
  • Dismissal Law.

    In addition to the Law modules listed above, learners can study one of the following modules from International Politics, Criminology and Sociology either in term one or two.

    2. University of Melbourne offers a degree in law leading to admission to practice, at honours level or equivalent, but it contains no research component. It contains learning in Labour Relations Law though the following subjects:
  • Bargaining at Work.
  • Employment Contract Law.
  • Equality and Discrimination at Work.
  • International Employment Law.
  • Labour Standards and their Enforcement.
  • Principles of Employment Law.
  • Workplace Health and Safety.

    3. The University of Leicester offers a professional degree law which includes appropriate practical experience. It includes course work and a research component (12,000-15,000- Word dissertation).

    Conclusion:
    The Master of Laws in Labour Studies, Level 9 is similar to the one offered by Middlesex University in terms of broad content, purpose, learner cohort and the inclusion of a significant research component. It differs significantly from that offered by the University of Melbourne as the latter has no research component and is at a different level. There is close comparuison with the degree offered by nthe University of Leicester.

    The Master of Laws in Labour Studies, Level 9 is comparable with similarly structured international qualification in Labour Law and studies. 
    		•

    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 Business Law, 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.