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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: |
| Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Marketing |
| SAQA QUAL ID | QUALIFICATION TITLE | |||
| 125241 | Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Marketing | |||
| ORIGINATOR | ||||
| Red and Yellow Creative School of Business (Pty) Ltd (previously known as The Red & Yellow School of Logic & Magic) | ||||
| PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY | NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK | |||
| CHE - Council on Higher Education | HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework | |||
| QUALIFICATION TYPE | FIELD | SUBFIELD | ||
| Postgraduate Diploma | Field 03 - Business, Commerce and Management Studies | Marketing | ||
| 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 | |
| Registered | EXCO 0637/26 | 2026-01-30 | 2029-01-30 | |
| LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT | LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT | |||
| 2030-01-30 | 2033-01-30 | |||
| 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 a Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Marketing is to develop advanced critical engagement with digital marketing theory and practice. Through an interdisciplinary exploration of marketing strategy, data-driven decision-making, consumer psychology, and emerging digital technologies, the qualification equips learners with the technical, analytical, and strategic skills to excel in the rapidly evolving digital economy. By integrating cutting-edge industry research, AI-driven automation, and advanced marketing analytics, the qualification fosters the intellectual and practical capacities required to design and implement high-impact digital campaigns. It also encourages critical reflection on the ethical, legal, and social implications of marketing in a data-driven world, ensuring that learners operate with professional integrity and accountability. Through rigorous academic and applied learning, learners will develop the competencies needed to navigate complex digital environments, leverage emerging technologies, and contribute meaningfully to business growth and innovation. The qualification is structured to encourage critical reflection and sophisticated development in the specialist area of digital marketing, ensuring that learners emerge with future-fit skills that respond to industry demands. Through core modules covering digital marketing practice, consumer behaviour, performance marketing, data analytics, and emerging technology in marketing, learners will gain the ability to formulate, implement, and optimise digital marketing strategies that align with business goals and consumer behaviour trends. The qualification will also develop learners' ability to conduct business research to inform data-driven decision-making and critically evaluate ethical concerns in digital marketing, including privacy, misinformation, and algorithmic bias. Through the integration of business research methodologies and digital innovation, learners will emerge with the ability to solve real-world problems using data, technology, and strategic marketing insights. Learners will be positioned for career advancement in digital agencies, corporate marketing teams, e-commerce, and consulting firms, where they can lead marketing transformation initiatives and innovation-driven projects. The qualification also supports further academic progression and prepares learners for master 's-level research by strengthening learners' abilities to critically engage with theoretical and applied research in digital marketing, behavioural economics, and consumer psychology. The qualification prepares learners to apply research methodologies to investigate market trends, user behaviour, and the impact of digital innovation on consumer engagement. It develops their ability to synthesise complex information and apply marketing theories to practical case studies, ensuring an evidence-based approach to digital strategy. Qualifying learners will exit the qualification with an advanced conceptual understanding of digital marketing frameworks and methodologies, a high level of theoretical engagement with industry-relevant marketing practices, and the ability to generate data-driven, innovative marketing solutions through applied research. The qualification fosters lifelong learning, research acumen, and critical engagement with emerging technologies, ensuring that learners remain competitive in an increasingly digital and AI-driven marketing landscape. The qualification develops learners as data-driven marketing strategists who can interpret consumer insights, analytics, and business intelligence to inform marketing decisions. It cultivates innovative problem-solvers who can create creative, adaptable digital marketing solutions for real-world business challenges while applying principles of data privacy, inclusivity, and transparent marketing practices. Rationale: This qualification seeks to address the growing demand for advanced digital marketing skills in South Africa and beyond by facilitating the applied competence required to excel in mid- to senior-level roles. As highlighted in the National Skills Development Plan 2030 (2019: 5), the South African education system could be enhanced through the inclusion of more qualifications that seek to facilitate career progression for both employed and unemployed individuals (2019: 5). It also aligns with the National Development Plan 2030's focus on widening access to higher education and lifelong learning. In line with the National Skills Development Plan 2030 and the Critical Skills List (2022), South Africa faces a significant shortage of professionals in strategic marketing-related and management roles, with 94.2% of managerial occupations experiencing skills shortages (Labour Market Intelligence Report, 2022). The integration of digital marketing, data analytics, and emerging technologies ensures that learners develop the skills necessary to fill critical industry gaps while also positioning themselves for leadership roles in digital marketing. This qualification is informed by global trends and national policy frameworks, including South Africa's Digital Transformation Infrastructure Roadmap (2024), which emphasises the critical role of digital transformation in driving economic growth, job creation, and global competitiveness. By facilitating the acquisition of professional competence in performance marketing, programmatic advertising, and consumer insights, this qualification directly contributes to South Africa's socio-economic development by fostering digital innovation, business growth, and employment opportunities in the digital marketing sector. This qualification has been designed for career advancement in digital marketing and related fields. Alternatively, this qualification offers horizontal, vertical, and potentially diagonal articulation with cognate qualifications in marketing strategy, business intelligence, data analytics, digital transformation, and brand management. Additionally, it may facilitate professional development for individuals seeking to refine their skills in consumer insights, data-driven marketing, AI-enhanced advertising, programmatic advertising, and marketing automation, all of which are critical in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape. The knowledge, skills, and values developed through this qualification are embedded in the competencies with which successful learners will exit as graduates, ensuring they can apply advanced digital strategies, interpret marketing analytics, and implement technology-driven marketing solutions. Academic breadth is combined with occupational depth at NQF 8, providing learners with both the theoretical foundation and industry-relevant expertise to progress in the digital economy. The qualification aims to offer opportunities for further postgraduate study through horizontal and vertical articulation routes. Learners may articulate to and from this qualification within our institution, or inter-institutionally. The qualification addresses the national imperative to facilitate wider access to higher education. The qualification will be offered in both contact and distance modes, and it accommodates learners' diverse social, financial, and geographical realities. This aligns with the National Development Plan 2030's recognition of distance education as a means to expand access and promote lifelong learning (National Planning Commission, 2012: 295). Learners of this qualification will be equipped to access in-demand mid- and senior-level roles in the digital marketing sector and related fields. These roles include: According to job market data from platforms such as Career Junction, LinkedIn, and Bizcommunity, demand for these roles has grown significantly as the importance of digital marketing across industries has increased. The envisioned learners for this qualification are, first and foremost, our own learners and alumni. As such, this qualification is ideal for learners who have completed a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing degree or an Advanced Diploma in Marketing and Advertising Communications, and who want to hone their strategic and commercial expertise. Group-focused research was conducted involving the institution's third-year BCom Marketing learners. We hosted a workshop where these learners were encouraged to build their own hypothetical Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Marketing. From this research, it was determined that many of our current learners recognised the value of a postgraduate qualification and emphasised the practical application of theory to ensure that such qualifications contribute to career progression in a meaningful way. Additionally, the qualification is designed for individuals who possess industry experience and can demonstrate fundamental, applied and reflexive competencies at a level that suggests they would be able to perform at NQF 8, in context of a Postgraduate Diploma specifically, will be considered in line with the CHE's Policy on Articulation into and Within Higher Education (2023), and the CHE's Recognition of Prior Learning, Credit Accumulation and Transfer, and Assessment in Higher Education (2016), echoed by institution's own RPL and CAT Policy, and our mission and vision to promote access through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Learners of this qualification are expected to enter the industry at mid-level positions, to be fast-tracked for promotion thereafter, to demonstrate potential for promotion if previously or currently employed in the industry, or to continue their academic career by proceeding with a cognate master's degree. The institution intends to graduate candidates who can make a meaningful impact in the evolving digital economy, both locally and globally. This qualification aims to create engaging opportunities for learners to gain advanced digital marketing expertise, enabling them to adapt to emerging technologies, harness data for strategic decision-making, and navigate the ethical complexities of the digital age. |
| LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING |
| Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a key driver in support of the transformation and redress of the post-school education and training system and is part of the institution's commitment to responding to and providing flexible entry routes to the proposed qualification. RPL refers to the principles and processes through which the prior knowledge and skills of a person are made visible, mediated, and rigorously assessed and moderated for the purposes of alternative access and admission, recognition and certification, or further learning and development' (CHE, 2016:1). It serves to address barriers that impede access to Higher Education (CHE, 2016: 7). With reference to RPL in the Higher Education context, forms of prior learning may include informal and non-formal learning. Prior formal learning in the same NQF sub-framework usually attracts possible credit accumulation and transfer possibilities. As such, informal learning pertains to self-study, experience gained in the workplace, community involvement, in-house education and training, training by government agencies and/or other providers, and various forms of practical experience. Forms of informal prior learning can be measured against the outcomes of the target qualification to ascertain whether these are equivalent to the prescribed minimum requirements for admission. RPL for access For this qualification in particular, applicants are required to complete and submit a portfolio of evidence in support of their application. Applicants also submit a RPL application form which collects the personal information that would be required for the vetting of the applicant's eligibility for admission. The form includes sections for information on formal and informal education completed. It also serves to establish current and prior work experience. The institution will be looking for a minimum of three years' relevant work experience, that links with the outcomes of this qualification and aligns to that of the programme's set of envisioned competencies. This would also include self-initiated projects or self-taught skills that would align with the skills required for the qualification. Evidence of this must be provided with testimonials from the workplaces concerned. Further to this, two reference letters are required from previous employers, attesting to the competencies stipulated and in alignment with the programme requirements. Furthermore, a motivation letter that speaks to the reasons for the RPL application, career plans, and thoughts around learning and education is required. Applicants may be admitted via RPL provided they meet the requirements outlined in the RPL policy. Note that academic faculty members with the requisite qualifications and subject matter expertise are responsible for assessing RPL applications. Should an applicant not meet the requirements, they will be directed to other suitable learning programmes at the institution (if available) or at other institutions or be advised on further academic development if needed. The institution acknowledges that a maximum of 10% of a cohort of students admitted to the proposed programme may be admitted via the RPL route (CHE, 2016: 9). Entry Requirements Or Or |
| RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? |
| Y |
| QUALIFICATION RULES |
| This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework, Level 8 totalling 120 Credits.
Compulsory Modules, Level 8, 105 Credits Elective Modules, Level 8, 15 Credits (choose one from the following) |
| EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES |
| 1. Demonstrate critical engagement with digital marketing and consumer behaviour theories and practice, with due cognisance of strategic marketing challenges arising from complex systems.
2. Apply advanced performance marketing strategies to design, implement, and optimise data-driven campaigns across multiple platforms from variable contexts. 3. Apply competence and criticality in relation to emerging technologies in digital marketing, with cognisance of strategic, ethical, and operational considerations to develop innovative marketing solutions within evolving digital ecosystems. 4. Apply a critical mindset in the review of the theoretical underpinnings to the design thinking mindset and its related processes in novel commercial contexts to develop creative responses to problems and issues. 5. Apply advanced data analytics techniques to the extraction and optimisation of marketing insights for supporting strategic decision-making, with due cognisance of ethical, technical, and regulatory challenges in data-driven marketing. 6. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the principles and paradigms that undergo sound, contextualised business research approaches, and strategically address industry-related research problems. 7. Demonstrate applied and reflexive competence relevant to creative social marketing, brand management and brand identity design, or international marketing strategy, or creative social marketing and exercise adaptive thinking to develop strategic, market-driven solutions within evolving real-world (workplace learning) contexts. |
| ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA |
| Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
ELO 1: Demonstrate critical engagement with digital marketing and consumer behaviour theories and practice, with due cognisance of strategic marketing challenges arising from complex systems. Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2: ELO 2: Apply advanced performance marketing strategies to design, implement, and optimise data-driven campaigns across multiple platforms from variable contexts. Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3: ELO 3: Demonstrate advanced applied competence and criticality in relation to emerging technologies in digital marketing, with cognisance of strategic, ethical, and operational considerations to develop innovative marketing solutions within evolving digital ecosystems. Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4: ELO 4: Apply a critical mindset in the review of the theoretical underpinnings to the design thinking mindset and its related processes in novel commercial contexts in order to develop creative responses to problems and issues. Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5: ELO 5: Apply advanced data analytics techniques to the extraction and optimisation of marketing insights for supporting strategic decision-making, with due cognisance of ethical, technical, and regulatory challenges in data-driven marketing. Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6: ELO 6: Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the principles and paradigms that undergird sounds, contextualised business research approaches, and strategically address industry-related research problems. Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7: ELO 7: Demonstrate applied and reflexive competence relevant to creative social marketing, brand management and brand identity design, international marketing strategy, and creative social marketing, and exercise adaptive thinking to develop strategic, market-driven solutions within evolving real-world (workplace learning) contexts. Integrated Assessment The assessment strategy for this qualification is informed by the assessment practices and principles as set out in the institution's Assessment and Moderation Policy (No 6). This policy, which has been submitted as part of the qualification application, needs to be read in conjunction with the following section, which will focus on the key aspects related to the assessment strategy employed in the qualification. In addition, it should be noted that both Institution's Assessment and Moderation Policy, as well as the assessment strategy for the proposed qualification, are underpinned by the guidelines set out in the CHE's Policies on the Recognition of Prior Learning, Credit Accumulation and Transfer, and Assessment in Higher Education' (2016) policy document. This section should also be read alongside the assessment strategy documents developed for the qualification which provide complete oversight of the assessment strategy for each module, alongside the ELOs, module outcomes, and components which will be assessed throughout the qualification. The assessment strategy document details the exact weightings of formative and summative assessments per module. However, as a rule, each module has two formative assessments to the value of 25% each, and one summative assessment to the value of 50%. The institution uses a range of formative and summative assessment methods (SAQA, 2005: i). The institution's assessment strategy indicates formative assessment moments as occurring during the process of learning and teaching to shape students' progress and provide further direction and describes summative assessments as a process of evaluating or making judgements about achievement. The assessment strategy for summative assessment entails assessment at the conclusion of each module of learning. The assessment strategy is designed in a way that aligns with the programme's ELOs, AACs, module outcomes, and component-level outcomes. The principles of constructive alignment have played a key role in informing not only the qualification assessment strategy, but also the overall design of the qualification. The practical implications of the different learning environments in which the programme will be delivered (contact mode, distance mode, and workplace learning) were also considered throughout the design to ensure that teaching and learning activities support the achievement of outcomes. As such, assessment of student learning aligns with the qualification content and the teaching methodologies employed to facilitate engagement with it. The assessment strategy for WIL Modality 4 is also described. |
| INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY |
| The proposed Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Marketing (PGDip in Digital Marketing) compares well with the Postgraduate Diploma In Marketing offered at Zambia Institute of Marketing (ZIM).
Country: Zambia Institution: Zambia Institute of Marketing (ZIM) Qualification title: Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing Duration: One year, six months Entry requirements: Purpose/Rationale: The Zambia Institute of Marketing's Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing is designed as a higher-level professional qualification that bridges the gap between a first business degree and a master's qualification. The qualification focuses exclusively on high-level marketing courses, ensuring that learners, whether new to the field or transitioning from other professional backgrounds, gain comprehensive marketing expertise, similar to the purpose of the proposed PG Dip in Digital Marketing. It serves both as a career advancement tool for marketing professionals and as a foundation for those seeking to formalise their marketing knowledge and skills. There is a notable overlap in core topics, as both programmes cover marketing strategy, digital marketing, consumer behaviour, brand management, and marketing analytics. Qualification structure: Modules: Similarities: Both qualifications ensure rigorous academic engagement; the ZIM qualification primarily does so through research-driven learning, whereas the SA qualification balances research, theoretical knowledge, and real-world application, fostering future-focused, adaptable marketing professionals. Differences: Country: England Institution: University of Essex Qualifications: Postgraduate Diploma in Global Digital Marketing Duration: Sixteen months part-time Entry requirements: Or Qualification structure: Modules: Qualification progression: Similarities: Differences: |
| ARTICULATION OPTIONS |
| This qualification was compared to the following international qualifications:
Horizontal Articulation: Vertical Articulation: Diagonal Articulation: |
| 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. | Red and Yellow Creative School of Business (Pty) Ltd (previously known as The Red & Yellow School of Logic & Magic) |
| 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. |