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 THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE:

Master of Arts: Philosophy

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
14687	Master of Arts: Philosophy
ORIGINATOR
University of Cape Town
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY			NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education			HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework
QUALIFICATION TYPE	FIELD		SUBFIELD
Master's Degree	Field 07 - Human and Social Studies		General Social Science
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	192	Level 8 and above	Level N/A:Pre-2009 was L8+	Regular-Provider-ELOAC
REGISTRATION STATUS		SAQA DECISION NUMBER	REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered"		SAQA 06120/18	2018-07-01	2018-12-31
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2019-12-31		2022-12-31

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

The degree provides advanced training in the field of study including techniques of research, analysis, argumentation and scholarly presentation appropriate to Philosophy. The degree will equip the candidate with the knowledge and the skills necessary either for employment in vocations requiring advanced skills in critical reasoning or for further independent research toward the degree of Ph D in Philosophy.

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

A degree of Honours bachelors or its equivalent, in the discipline or a cognate discipline recognised by the Faculty.

Senior Certificate with Matriculation Exemption or Equivalent university admission qualification.

First degree:
BA (Hons) / BSocSc (Hons) in Philosophy

Recognition of Prior learning

Non-Honours graduates who have shown by examination or publication or a record of appropriate training that they have reached a level in the subject or a cognate subject equivalent to an Honours bachelors degree may be permitted to register for the degree.

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

(a) Critical cross-field outcomes (generic to all teaching and learning)

i) The Masters graduate is able to demonstrate mastery to depth of a theoretically sophisticated subject matter.
ii) The Masters graduate is equipped with proficiency in research methodology sufficient to proceed to a PhD. Graduates have mastered the skills of critical thinking, problem solving, collection and analysis of data, and effective professional written communication.

b) General outcomes (contextually demonstrated general knowledge, skills and values of the programme)

The Masters graduate is able to:

i) conduct independent research in the discipline (or inter-disciplinary field);
ii) communicate verbally and orally with professional audiences;
iii) apply in-depth and specialised disciplinary knowledge and research skills to discipline based problems;
iv) analyse and critique communications of an academic popular nature;
v) appreciate the ethical issues associated with research and knowledge production in the discipline;
vi) understand the processes whereby knowledge in the Humanities is constructed.

c) Specific outcomes (including professional outcomes, contextually demonstrated)

The MA or MSocSc in Philosophy graduate will be:

i) familiar with historical and contemporary theoretical issues in Philosophy
ii) able to apply a range of advanced research methods and analytical procedures to research problems in philosophy;
iii) able to conducted advanced literature searches to inform reviews of specialised literature;
iv) able to prepare and professional papers for peer review;
v) able to act as a researcher in collaborative project-based research or consultancy;
vi) able to write research proposals;
vii) able to write reports for a variety of clients and stakeholders.

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

a) The achievement of these outcomes is assessed in the integrated assessment of the programme.

b) The achievement of these outcomes is assessed in the integrated assessment of the programme.

c) The outcomes are assessed as follows:

the completion of term papers in all competences areas listed;

the completion of a research dissertation that includes the components listed under Integrated assessment.

Integrated assessment:

The integration of skills learnt in the MPhil degree in Philosophy is assessed by means of a dissertation of a word length stipulated by the faculty. The dissertation must demonstrate competence in the following areas, all of which are assessed in the examination of the dissertation:

precise research problem formulation;

familiarity with integration of the specialised literature that informs the research question;

appropriate design and execution of the research;

use of appropriate methods of measurement and data analysis;

integration of findings;

ability to address the ethical problems that might attend the research;

appreciation of the methodological limitations if the study;

use of the publication and style conventions of the discipline;

The dissertation is subject to external examination.

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

This qualification serves as an entry point to the related qualification(s)
PhD

Entry to this qualification in mid-stream:
Not possible

Exit from this qualification in mid-stream:
The coursework components completed may be recognised by another institution.

Other higher education programmes which articulate with this qualification without "going back to square one:"

The Masters degree articulates with the PhD in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities. When dissertation progress is reviewed at the end of each academic year, the Faculty Board, on the recommendation of the supervisor and the Head of the Department, may recommend that the candidate's registration be upgraded to a PhD and that the period of Masters registration beyond the minimum period of one year be recognised towards the two year minimum period of study for the PhD.

MODERATION OPTIONS

The University of Cape Town has a system of external peer review and evaluation of each course. One of the aspects of the system is an evaluation of the standards and assessment practices of the department.

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

The academic staff of the University of Cape Town will be used in a manner which is consistent with the quality assurance system of the University.

REREGISTRATION HISTORY

As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2006; 2009; 2012; 2015.

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.	University of Cape Town