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SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION: 

Master of Health Professions Education 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
111873  Master of Health Professions Education 
ORIGINATOR
University of the Free State 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
-   HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework 
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
Master's Degree  Field 05 - Education, Training and Development  Higher Education and Training 
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
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 primary purpose of the qualification is to enable health professionals to reflect critically on the theory and practice of teaching and training in the health professions and specifically clinical context to ensure that the health professionals they educate and train are competently prepared to meet the health needs of the country and comply with global standards. The qualification strives to deliver learners who can contribute to the development of knowledge at an advanced level so that they can be empowered to be competent specialists, leaders and authorities in the field of Health Professions Education (HPE), and health professions educational research and development. To be able to deliver health care professionals of a high standard, new knowledge must be generated in the field. The main purpose of the qualification thus is to deliver learners who are prepared for advanced and specialised professional employment in a knowledge-driven, research-oriented, health sciences educational context.

Rationale:
The rationale for this specialist qualification for health professionals is to counter the lack of a health sciences education grounding in teachers/educators/trainers in Health Sciences Professions. When the qualification was established no other qualification of the kind existed in South Africa. On the premise of the global principles for teachers and trainers in health professions education (confer World Federation for Medical Education and World Health Organization), this qualification was designed to satisfy dire needs in health sciences in South Africa.
The need for health professionals in South Africa is common knowledge, and to ensure that their education and training are of the highest standards and comparable with global standards, the professionals who teach and train in our health sciences institutions need to be fully equipped not only as professionals in their field but to be able to apply educational principles and methodologies in their teaching and training. Therefore the rationale for the qualification can be summarised as a striving to prepare academic staff in health professions with a sound background in and knowledge of health professions education for their instructional roles according to the guidelines of the Health Professions Council of South Africa and within the context of their real-world experience of teaching and training learners in the health professions sciences. 

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
Where learners do not meet the minimum admission requirements, RPL may be used to grant access to the qualification. RPL will be applied according to the Recognition of Prior Learning, Credit Accumulation and Transfer, and Assessment policy. This will relate to both access to the qualification as well as for credit recognition or exemption towards achieving the qualification.
The institution will ensure that quality assurance processes that address the specificities of the RPL process (including applications, assessment, and reporting and management systems) are implemented; and that administrative and support systems, both prior and subsequent to RPL assessment, are in place.

Entry Requirements:
The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is:
  • A Bachelor's Honours' qualification, Level 8.
    Or
  • Relevant Post-Graduate Diploma, Level 8. 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    QUALIFICATION RULES 
    This qualification consists of the following compulsory and elective modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 9 totalling 240 Credits.

    Compulsory Modules, Level 9,180 Credits:
  • Research Project and Script, 120 Credits.
  • Introduction to Research Methodology, 20 Credits.
  • Introduction to Health Professions Education and Training, 20 Credits.
  • Health Professions Education and Training: Teaching, Leaning and Evaluation, 20 Credits.

    Elective Modules, 60 Credits:
  • Concepts of Learning, 20 Credits.
  • Quality Assurance in Health Professions Education, 20 Credits.
  • Community Development, Design and Evaluation, 20 Credits.
  • Managing Health Professions Education, 20 Credits.
  • The Development of Professional Skills, 20 Credits. 
    		•

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    1. Demonstrate specialist knowledge to enable engagement with and critique of current research or practice in health professions education; and demonstrate advanced scholarship or research ability in a particular health sciences educational field, discipline or practice.
    2. Design, select and justify appropriate methods, techniques, processes, systems or technologies and to apply these to complex practical, clinical and theoretical problems in health professions education and research.
    3. Design and implement a research strategy to critically review, process, analyse and manage information in the field of a health sciences profession to produce meaningful insights.
    4. Demonstrate the use of academic and professional discourse to appropriately communicate information on the field of HPE to a range of audiences.
    5. Derive creative insights from data/information collected in a of field HPE to construct rigorous interpretations.
    6. Operate independently and take responsibility for own work, and if appropriate, to lead and initiate processes to ensure good management practice in a specific HP educational context.
    7. Demonstrate personal learning strategies to sustain independent learning and professional and academic development, and interact effectively in a group.
    8. Make interventions at an appropriate level within the HPE system with an understanding of relations within the system.
    9. Make autonomous ethical decisions which affect knowledge production and professional issues, and critically contribute to the development of ethical standards in the context of Health Profession Education. 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    Integrated Assessment:

    Assessment approach: The institution's assessment policy, guidelines and approach are adhered to. An integrated and continuing assessment approach is followed. Formative, integrated assessment and summative assessment: Module assessments: Portfolios, assignments, practical demonstrations, reflective papers, group work and oral presentations are assessed. In all assessments learners must demonstrate to which extent the achievement of set outcomes has been attained. A module credit system applies, that is, promotion applies in modules (in other words: learners who achieve more than 65% need not sit for the summative assessment). If applicable, a written examination is taken for summative assessment of the modules. Dissertation is assessed by one internal and two external assessors, in accordance with the general regulations of the institution. 

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    This qualification is comparable with similar qualifications offered in various higher education institutions internationally. 

    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.