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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 Social Science |
| SAQA QUAL ID | QUALIFICATION TITLE | |||
| 122517 | Bachelor of Social Science | |||
| ORIGINATOR | ||||
| The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd | ||||
| PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY | NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK | |||
| CHE - Council on Higher Education | HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework | |||
| QUALIFICATION TYPE | FIELD | SUBFIELD | ||
| National First Degree | Field 07 - Human and Social Studies | General Social Science | ||
| ABET BAND | MINIMUM CREDITS | PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL | NQF LEVEL | QUAL CLASS |
| Undefined | 360 | Not Applicable | NQF Level 07 | Regular-Provider-ELOAC |
| REGISTRATION STATUS | SAQA DECISION NUMBER | REGISTRATION START DATE | REGISTRATION END DATE | |
| Registered | EXCO 0525/24 | 2024-07-11 | 2027-07-11 | |
| LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT | LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT | |||
| 2028-07-11 | 2033-07-11 | |||
| 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 Bachelor of Social Science is to provide learners with the skills needed to contribute to the social and cultural fabric of the community, region, and the world, as adaptable global citizens capable of sophisticated communication. The qualification will develop learners who can communicate about social issues, using clear arguments with a strong theoretical and/or research-based foundation. Social science studies require learners to read, debate, examine and discuss issues. The qualification will equip learners with the skills to build solid arguments and logical propositions. Learners will be encouraged to think independently and to develop new ways of approaching problems. The qualification consists of the following disciplines/specialisations: The Geography and Environmental Science discipline will equip learners with an understanding of natural environments, societies, communities, economies, human-environment relations, and environmental management. Learners will study both human geography and physical geography and develop and apply the relevant skills needed in this field. The Development Studies discipline provides learners with an understanding of key concepts and theoretical perspectives used in approaches to global development and poverty eradication. Learners will gain an understanding of global inequalities and their impact on different groups of people, development theories and models and how development has affected cultures and places. The Political Studies discipline provides learners with knowledge of the interrelationships in the human world. Learners will be able to debate questions about the nature of power and authority, the relationship between theory and practice, and understand the nature of social existence and the conditions needed for establishing more desirable forms of human community. The International Studies discipline explains the globalisation of the world with nations and economies becoming more integrated, providing learners with a vital understanding of our world and the ideas and beliefs of our neighbours. Learners will gain a uniquely African perspective on global issues and engage with the issues currently facing our world. The Psychology discipline affords learners an understanding of phenomena including remembering and forgetting, thinking, learning, problem-solving, how we communicate, our emotions, and our social interactions. Learners will examine how we respond to the world around us, gaining insights into how we can interact with the world more effectively and safely. The Criminology and Criminal Justice discipline allows learners to study the complex arena of deviance, conflict, crime, victimisation, society, and the need for creating and maintaining safety. The Sociology discipline develops learners who understand people and the relationships that they have in different contexts such as families, schools, and workplaces. Sociologists look to things like social class, gender, ethnicity, power, and culture to understand and explain the differences in how people live, think, and feel. The qualification provides a strong set of skills and knowledge that forms the foundation for graduates to continue to postgraduate studies. It is the basis for life-long learning in academic institutions and the workplace. Learners will be able to apply the skills acquired to the fields of Geography and Environmental Studies and Development Studies, Political Studies and International studies, or a combination of Criminology, Psychology and Sociology fields. Upon the completion of the qualification, qualifying learners will be able to: Rationale: Social Science learners strive to understand, analyse, describe, and explain the human world and their position within it. The Bachelor of Social Science is designed to help learners make sense of the rapidly changing global culture and is relevant to the professional world of work and the world of knowledge, The qualification provides an opportunity for learners to undertake distance-mode undergraduate studies in Social Science, with various social science-related career options, and provides an articulation pathway for postgraduate studies. This qualification is suited to the learning and development needs of school leavers seeking to specialise in the social science fields. The graduate learners will be able to fulfil a variety of roles within society, depending on the disciplines studied. The career opportunities within the disciplines of Psychology, Criminology and Criminal Justice, and Sociology include: The career opportunities within the disciplines of Geography and Environmental Science and Development Studies include: The career opportunities within the disciplines of International Relations and Political Studies include Public or civil service, diplomacy, and foreign affairs. |
| LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING |
| Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
The institution has an approved Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy applicable to equivalent qualifications for admission into the qualification. RPL will be applied to accommodate applicants who qualify. RPL thus provides alternative access and admission to qualifications, as well as advancement within qualifications. RPL for access: RPL for exemption of modules: RPL for credit: Entry Requirements: The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is: Or Or Or |
| RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? |
| Y |
| QUALIFICATION RULES |
| This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at NQF Level 7 totalling 360 Credits.
Select one discipline from the following options: Discipline One: Geography and Environmental Science and Development Studies Compulsory Modules, Level 5, 120 Credits Compulsory Modules, Level 6, 120 Credits Compulsory Modules, Level 7, 120 Credits OR Discipline Two: International Studies and Political Studies Compulsory Modules, Level 5, 120 Credits Compulsory Modules, Level 6, 120 Credits Compulsory Modules, Level 7, 120 Credits OR Discipline Three: Psychology and Criminology and Criminal Justice Compulsory Modules, Level 5, 120 Credits Compulsory Modules, Level 6, 120 Credits Compulsory Modules, Level 7, 120 Credits OR Discipline Four: Psychology and Sociology Compulsory Modules, Level 5, 120 Credits Compulsory Modules, Level 6, 120 Credits Compulsory Modules, Level 7, 120 Credits OR Discipline Five: Criminology and Criminal Justice and Sociology Compulsory Modules, Level 5, 120 Credits: Compulsory Modules, Level 6, 120 Credits: Compulsory Modules, Level 7, 120 Credits: |
| EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES |
| 1: Demonstrate the ability to critically review, analyse, evaluate, and synthesise knowledge.
2: Demonstrate the ability to critique arguments by displaying creative thinking in the social science disciplines, preceded by reviewing, consolidating, analysing, and synthesising a body of knowledge. 3: Demonstrate the ability to identify and argue current trends in the intellectual context of technological and social change. 4: Demonstrate the ability to independently identify and solve problems en route to an attitude of life-long learning. 5: Demonstrate the ability to present clearly, concisely, and coherently the current interpretations and potential future developments in the issues underlying the content of and approaches to the disciplines of study. 6: Demonstrate the ability to write an exposition reflecting a broad understanding of a body of Knowledge and theoretical concepts with advanced understanding in some areas. |
| ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA |
| Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6: INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT The Institution's Assessment Strategy and Policy provides detailed principle-led guidance on assessment policies and procedures and assessment types. The key principles that inform the assessment policy and principles of good assessment at our institute are summarised from the institution's Assessment Strategy and Policy. All assessments will adhere to the institution's Teaching and Learning Strategy as they are an integral part of the realisation of that strategy. Assessments must test theory/content, skills and appropriate application and should include assessing values and attitudes. The assessment structure is outlined and summarised in the Module Information Guide and Qualification Guide. The purposes of an assessment need to be reflected in the instruments and processes used to assess learner work. Some assessments are formative to enable learners to use feedback to improve their performance in that module. Others are summative to evaluate the attainment of the outcomes. Formative Assessment: As competence develops over time and is improved with feedback, formative assessment should take place throughout the learning process and must result in feedback that enables learners to improve their performance and prepare for summative assessments. Feedback to learners may include a model answer, or rubric, depending on the nature of the discipline. However, these are not sufficient as they do not provide an individual learner with feedback on the relationship between the learners' response and the desired response in such a way that the learner knows what action is needed to improve their performance, particularly in preparation for the summative assessment. Some formative assessments are not graded (awarded marks) and function to provide learners with feedback to promote their development but performance on the actual task does not contribute to the final module mark. Integrated Curriculum Engagement (ICE) tasks would be an example of formative assessments that are not graded insofar as each task does not make a performance-based, assessed contribution to the final mark although completion of the tasks is required to earn a contribution to the final mark. Graded Formative Assessment Some formative assessments are graded and thus have both the feedback and evaluative role. Graded formative assessment results are included in the Cumulative Assessment (CASS) Mark. Graded formative and summative assessments are designed centrally in a standard manner and format for all learners in a module against the module outcomes. Unlike ICE, graded assessments are not tools for class-specific responsive evaluation and feedback by the lecturer to the learner group they are teaching. The feedback from graded formative assessments will be used by learners to improve performance in their summative assessments but this feedback is generally subject to a time delay. Tests, essays, and tasks in a Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) are examples of graded formative assessments. Summative Assessment The purpose of summative assessments is to evaluate learner learning, skill acquisition and academic achievement at the end of a defined instructional period. Unlike formative assessments, which summarise learner development at a point in a module and are intended to improve the learners' learning capacity or skill, summative assessments focus on analysing learner achievements after the completion of the learning process. Normally, learners are only given a grade for summative assessments and not detailed feedback. Summative assessments are typically the work of individual learners, rather than a group of learners. Integrated Curriculum Engagement (ICE) ICE activities are activities requiring active engagement with a small part of the learning material/limited number of learning objectives to measure interim progress. Each class and each learner engage with their learning in a different manner. Understanding that engagement and progress improve the ability of the lecturer and the learner to promote learner success in formative and summative assessments and against the outcomes, in a focused manner. ICE is the tool used at the institution to give lecturers autonomy, and learners the reward, for active, immediate engagement with the learning process, in small pieces, so that lecturers and learners get immediate and constant feedback on progress. They are either designed by the lecturer for the class needs at that moment or purposefully selected from a range of options on Learn to meet the immediate needs of the class. ICE tasks are part of a continuous assessment process, so they need to be meaningful and purposeful in allowing learners and lecturers to track progress and learning needs. The contribution that ICE makes to CASS is normally a simple reward where learners can achieve up to 10% of their module mark simply by completing the required activities in a prescribed manner. ICE is part of the explicit teaching and learning strategy for contact and distance modes of provision, in all undergraduate qualifications and in all postgraduate qualifications that have coursework components. If well designed, an ICE task will have an intrinsic mastery value for learners, and they will appreciate their value. Learner compliance and participation are thus partly about learner autonomy but also about the quality of the tasks made available to them. With these objectives in mind, the 10% contribution is split between tasks on which feedback is given (by the lecturer or by other learners or self-assessment or machine-marked assessment) and tasks on which the learner is solely responsible for assessing their performance against the module objectives and on which no other feedback is given. To ensure that ICE meets all the objectives above, the following are the parameters against which lectures should select or design tasks for their classes: As this is an incentive process and occurs at different points throughout the module (that are not always shared in advance with the learners), learners can achieve the full allocation by doing at least four activities "two for feedback and two without a feedback expectation. At least six must be provided by the lecturer to enable learners to submit all or at least four. As the task is intended to be a focused moment-in-time assessment of mastery, each task should not require a significant amount of time to complete. Most tasks should require less than an hour to complete. It should be noted that in a 10-credit module, there are only 100 notional hours of learning available and if each task takes more than an hour to complete, one will rapidly use up more than 5% of notional learning time, taking time from the more substantive tasks at hand. The type of activity should be deliberately chosen to ensure the best learning and feedback for the learner, taking into consideration the objectives to be achieved, the learning needs of the group, the mode of delivery of the module, and the practical circumstances. The task types should also vary to cater for different learning preferences. Possibilities include but are not limited to existing activities on Learn, questions from past formative and summative assessments, additional reading, quizzes, debates, online group discussions, surveys, blog responses, studio activities, mini-tests, and presentations. A variety of assessments will also be offered in terms of when the tasks should be done such as before, after or during a scheduled engagement with the lecturer or with other learners. The timing should be spread across the module to ensure that there are several opportunities for learners to receive real formative feedback on their comprehension and progress. |
| INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY |
| The qualifications selected for comparison were chosen based on the qualification type and the title.
Country: Ghana Institute: University of Cape Coast Qualification Title: Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences Duration: Four years Full time Entry Requirements The Minimum Admission requirement for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) applicants is an aggregate of 36. For Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) applicants, the minimum requirement is an aggregate of 24. Candidates must have credit passes in six (6) subjects with an overall aggregate of 26/24 at the WASSCE/SSSCE respectively. Purpose: The objectives of the qualifications are: Qualification structure: The qualification consists of a minimum of 17 modules: in addition to other modules from cognate departments. The qualification will require a minimum of 51 credits in Sociology. Similarities: Sociology Criminology, Women and Development Criminology Social Psychology Research Methods Gender and Sexuality, Race, Ethnicity and Ethnic Relations Politics, Government and The State, Introduction to Gender Studies, Society and Development Demography, Feminist Theory and Methodology Country: Australia Institution: University of Newcastle Qualification Title: Bachelor of Social Science Credits: 240 units Duration: 3 years Full time Entry Requirements Year 12 (Higher School Certificate or International Baccalaureate) Purpose: Social Science is the study of social systems, institutions, and cultures. This degree will equip learners to understand and analyse the social dynamics of the world around them and develop practical solutions to create positive change. The qualification will give learners the skills, knowledge, and networks to work in fields which make a direct difference in the world and change people's lives for the better. Practical and problem-based learning develops the experience and critical thinking skills essential for responding to the complex demands of the 21st-century labour market. On successful completion of the qualification, learners will be able to: Qualification structure: The Bachelor of Social Science requires the successful completion of 240 units, which is comprised of: MAJOR A major must comprise 80 units of compulsory and or courses from one area as follows: Compulsory Modules: MAJORS Similarities: Differences: Country: Belgium Institution: Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Ghent University Qualification Title: Bachelor of Social Science Duration: Three years Full time Credits: 180 ECTS credits Entry Requirements: A high school qualification that allows to access a bachelor's degree. Academic requirements are also aimed at school leavers who have completed their final year of secondary education, or learners with a high school diploma, including learners with an upper secondary school diploma from the Belgian educational system. As the language the degree is offered is in English, there is also an English Language requirement. Exit level outcomes: On completion of the qualification, qualifying learners will be able to: Qualification structure: Elective Modules: Select a discipline to specialise in sociology, communication studies or political sciences. Similarities: Differences: Conclusion The SA qualification remains relevant and offers the same social science principles as the three comparative qualifications. The differences in continent-specific content are correct as SA qualification equips learners with the knowledge of the South African and African context while ensuring a broader understanding of social science. |
| ARTICULATION OPTIONS |
| This qualification allows possibilities for both horizontal and vertical articulation.
Horizontal Articulation: Vertical Articulation: Diagonal Articulation There is no diagonal articulation for this qualification. |
| 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. |
| 1. | The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd |
| 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. |