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: 

Bachelor of Administration Honours in Public Administration 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
111506  Bachelor of Administration Honours in Public Administration 
ORIGINATOR
University of Limpopo 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
-   HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework 
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
Honours Degree  Field 03 - Business, Commerce and Management Studies  Public Administration 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  120  Not Applicable  NQF Level 08  Regular-Provider-ELOAC 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Reregistered  EXCO 0821/24  2021-07-01  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 does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification. 

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION 
Purpose:
The purpose of the qualification is to provide learners with skills and knowledge that will enable them to serve as Junior Managers in the arm of local, provincial and national government. The focus for the qualification is on the systematic study of executive organisation and management. It includes instructions in the rules, development, and principles of public administration; the management of public policy; executive-legislative relations; public budgetary processes and financial management, administrative law; public personnel management; professional ethics; and research methods.

The purpose of the qualification is therefore:
  • To deepen and extend already acquired knowledge of the discipline of Public Administration.
  • To explore and develop professional implications of the discipline of Public Administration.
  • To train and equip learners with broader knowledge of the discipline of Public Administration as well as a broader range of other academic disciplines.
  • To establish a sound basis for Masters (and further) research.

    Rationale:
    The rationale of this qualification is to provide learners with specialised knowledge and skills in public administration required to enable them make a positive contribution to the development and implementation of public administration practices and principles in the public sector environment as well as to enable them to solve socio-economic needs of South Africa as a developmental state. The national priorities of South Africa include the need for increased job provisioning and sustainable livelihoods. The institution responds to this need particularly by increasing managerial and entrepreneurial capacity in the country but particularly in the regions served by the institution in a variety of fields such as Agriculture, Mining, Tourism, Public Service etc.; and by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of national, provincial, and local government structures in successfully implementing basic service delivery programmes and maintaining governance levels marked by professionalism and integrity. 
    		•

    LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
    Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is guided by the institutional policy and is aligned to the objectives of the NQF. Entry into the qualification is possible via RPL as well as indicating advanced standing, provided that it is aligned to the institutional policy and that the applicant is evaluated by a qualified RPL assessor in a manner that is free from any form of discrimination. RPL practices also include standard Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CAT) practices of equivalent modules that may have been achieved in the course of the applicant's studies.

    Entry Requirements:
    The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is:
  • Bachelor of Administration in Public Administration, Level 7. 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    QUALIFICATION RULES 
    This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at NQF Level 8 totalling 128 Credits.

    Compulsory Modules at Level 8,128 Credits:
  • Public Management in Contemporary Society, 24 Credits.
  • Financial Administration, 32 Credits.
  • Municipal and Community Governance, 24 Credits.
  • Personnel systems and Management, 24 Credits.
  • Research in Public Administration, 24 Credits. 
    		•

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    1. Demonstrate detailed knowledge of Public Administration as applied in both private and public management contexts.
    2. Select, apply and transfer standard management procedures based on suitable methodologies of enquiry in the field of Public Administration.
    3. Solve problems in the field of Public Administration.
    4. Act in an ethical and professional manner.
    5. Access and manage information. 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
  • Apply knowledge in the context of Public Administration and be able to utilise concepts used in the public administration discourse.
  • Interrogate multiple sources of knowledge in Public Administration and evaluate them for suitability as knowledge sources.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2:
  • Demonstrate the ability to select appropriate techniques to manage public policy; executive-legislative relations; public budgetary processes and financial management.
  • Select and evaluate suitable methodologies of enquiry in response to specific problems that present themselves in Public Administration.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3:
  • Use a range of specialised skills in problem identification and analyses.
  • Draw on the body of knowledge in Public Administration to present solutions to identified problems.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4:
  • Identify and address ethical issues in Public administration.
  • Reflect critically on the suitability of different ethical value systems in Public Administration.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5:
  • Critically review information gathering techniques and information assessment methods in Public Administration.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the roles and relationships of elements in the field of Public Administration.

    Integrated Assessment:
    Learning and assessment across exit level outcomes within the qualification should be integrated to ensure a well-structured cohesive qualification. Assessments are based on formative assessments which are in place to assure continuous learning and feedback to learners and summative assessments, which ensure a judgement of learning at exit level outcomes. Such assessments should assess the learner's ability to integrate the larger body of knowledge, competencies and attitudes that are represented by the exit-level outcomes, either as a whole or as components of the qualification. 
    		•

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    The qualification has been compared to the Bachelor of Public Management Honours qualification offered at the Namibia University of Science and Technology at NQF level 8, comprising 120 Credits in Public Management theories and the public and civil management sectors. Learners are required to complete a combination of compulsory and elective courses, as well as a Mini thesis. Similar qualifications offered on the Australian NQF at Level 8 are comparable as well.

    The University of Flinders offers a Postgraduate qualification in Public Administration with a focus on contemporary cases in public policy, theoretical perspectives on contemporary public policy, ethics in public administration, and governance and public policy. This compares well with the public management in contemporary society, municipal and personnel systems focus of the University of Limpopo (UL) qualification. 

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

    Horizontal Articulation:
  • Bachelor of Arts Honours in Public Administration, Level 8

    Vertical Articulation:
  • Masters of Administration in Public Administration, Level 9. 
    		•

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    N/A 

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    N/A 

    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.
     
    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.