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 Technology: Pharmaceutical Sciences

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
1773	Master of Technology: Pharmaceutical Sciences
ORIGINATOR
Committee of Technikon Principals
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY			NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
Was CHE until Last Date for Achievement			HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework
QUALIFICATION TYPE	FIELD		SUBFIELD
Master's Degree	Field 09 - Health Sciences and Social Services		Promotive Health and Developmental Services
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	120	Level 8 and above	NQF Level 09	Regular-Provider-ELOAC
REGISTRATION STATUS		SAQA DECISION NUMBER	REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date - Status was "Registered"		SAQA 1337/01	2003-07-01	2006-06-30
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2007-06-30		2010-06-30

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 is replaced by:

Qual ID	Qualification Title	Pre-2009 NQF Level	NQF Level	Min Credits	Replacement Status
72526	Master of Technology: Pharmaceutical Sciences	Level 8 and above	NQF Level 09	120	Complete

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION

The aim of the M-Tech degree in pharmaceutical sciences is to develop expertise in various aspects of drug design, drug discovery, formulation of dosage forms, efficacy, safety and quality testing, management of drug supply and the promotion of the rational use of drugs. Our national drug policy as well as the drug policies internationally call for the development of such expertise. Research and training in pharmaceutical sciences is essential to improve therapeutic interventions and health care delivery to society.

Since January 1999. Technikon Pretoria has offered the B Pharm degree in equal partnership with MEDUNSA. However, the school of Pharmacy at Technikon Pretoria cannot provide for vertical articulation of it`s graduates. There are also regular requests from pharmacists in the Pretoria area for opportunities to study towards further degrees. This suggests that a need for such a course exists.

The candidate obtaining this qualification will be competent in initiating research and applying research methodology and technical skills in the area of pharmaceutical sciences, thus contributing to the improvement of health care both rural and urban societies.

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

Descriptive entry level:

The candidate must be capable of describing, explaining, comparing and evaluating theories and techniques that are used in the field of pharmaceutical science.

Qualification entry level:

B Pharm, B Tech, B Sc (Hons) or any equivalent qualification in an appropriate field at NQF Level 7.

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

QUALIFICATION RULES

Formative assessment techniques such as written reports, preparation of articles for submission to journals, presentation of posters and oral presentations are designed to develop the towards success in the final summative assessment by thesis. Some recognition of prior learning and work experience is given in the selection procedure but the formal programme does not make provision for outcomes gained in fields other than those related to research in the pharmaceutical sciences and cognate disciplines. The qualification is awarded to the candidate, providing assessed evidence that the stated competence of the qualification as detailed in the specified outcomes, has been achieved.

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

The candidate will be capable of:

Demonstrating understanding and knowledge in the area of pharmaceutical science

Generating and interpreting that of high integrity

Reporting and disseminating the findings of the research

Specified outcomes:

On completion of the programme the candidate will be able to demonstrate the ability to:

1. Critically evaluate literature and existing information in the field of study and identify the problem
2. Define the problem and propose methods to obtain the solution to the problem
3. Apply the latest technological skills and highly specialized knowledge in the field of pharmaceutical science to obtain a solution to the problem
4. Report on the findings to an appropriate audience
5. Train scientists in research methodology in the specialized field of pharmaceutical sciences

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Assessment will be provided on the basis of a thesis. In the thesis the candidate should convey:

A mastery of the appropriate methods and techniques of research
Familiarity with the relevant literature and recent trends in technologies and techniques in the relevant field
A clear understanding of the nature of the problem
Logical interpretation of the data and an understanding of the relationship between findings in the study and the ability to evaluate contradictory information
An ability to present the results using an appropriate literary style and a presentation free from errors

Integrated assessment:

Formative assessment is provided on written and oral assessments.
Summative assessment is provided on the basis of a written thesis by both internal and external examiners.

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

Horizontal articulation:

Master`s degree in related fields

Vertical articulation:

Doctorate in related fields (NQF Level 8)

MODERATION OPTIONS

Accreditation visits by SERTEC will be arranged.

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

Criteria as required by SERTEC

Assessors should:
Be in the possession of relevant research qualifications in pharmaceutical science
Have relevaant experience in pharmaceutical science
Be familiar with the Technikon educational system

NOTES

While South Africa still had Technikons, all of their qualifications were registered under the Committee of Technikon Principals. After the Technikons became Universities of Technology or merged with Universities, the qualifications were registered under each of these institutions, and the CTP qualifications fell away (hence the end date of 2006, above). Where relevant, replacement information is s
hown in the table above.

LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION:

When qualifications are replaced, some of their learning programmes are moved to being recorded against the replacement qualifications. If a learning programme appears to be missing from here, please check the replacement.

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