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:

Bachelor of Psychology

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
19451	Bachelor of Psychology
ORIGINATOR
University of the Western Cape
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(Min 480)	Field 07 - Human and Social Studies		General Social Science
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	480	Level 7	Level N/A: Pre-2009 was L7	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		2024-12-31

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

To train psychological counsellors and to provide preliminary training for the D Psych degree (training of registered psychologists). The creation of such an additional professional category emerges out the current social context, identified by the Professional Board as an acknowledgement of the 'current limitation in the provision of psychological services' and an attempt 'to address the psycho-social well-being of our nation more adequately at a primary level' (1999, p.8).

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

Requirements will include:

A matriculation or grade 12 exemption.

Passes in both Mathematics and English on the Higher Grade or at least 50% on the Standard Grade.

The selection process will include an assessment (including interviews) of each individual applicant on the basis of the following criteria:

Personality profile appropriate for such training

Academic ability

Prior learning and experience, including community/organisational experience and life experience

Affirmative action

All future lay counselling/psychological training which is registered with the professional board or any such other body will be credited.

Recognition of prior learning:

Prior learning in the form of life experience, other training/education, community/organisational experience will be acknowledged in the assessment process.

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

These are in line with the core and derived competencies as elaborated by the Professional Board for Psychology for the psychological counsellor, the registration category available for the B Psych graduate:

Psychological assessment

* General screening requiring interpretation of psychological functions, e.g. intellectual/scholastic abilities, aptitude, interests, personality profiling
* Identification of symptoms for referral (e.g. psychological pathology, organisational dysfunction).

Psychological intervention

* Basic, short-term supportive counselling
* Basic psycho-education and training
* Promotion of primary psychosocial well-being
* Sub-system intervention, e.g. individual, marriage counselling.

Referral expertise

* Ability to refer equivalent professional peer within the primary health care system, e.g. general practitioner, social workers.

Research

* Ability to conduct a research project of limited scope and implement findings.

Consulting

Policy and standards implementation

Project implementation and management

Basic practice management

With regards to SAQA's critical outcomes:

* Identifying and solving problems using critical thinking: The programme will train students to identify psychological problems and address them with a broad range on interventions, including counselling, research, project implementation, psycho-education, and others.

* Working effectively with others in organisational/team structures: The programme will train students and provide opportunities for them to work in a team and in community settings/organisations.

* Organising and managing activities effectively: Students will gain skills and experience in managing a practice (such as a private counselling practice) as well as managing a project, including a research and intervention based project.

* Collecting, analysing, organising and evaluating information: Students will be required to carry out a research project of limited scope and will be involved in such information-processing as part of the skill of assessment as well.

* Communicating effectively: The programme will provide students with skills and experience in interviewing, counselling and psycho-education, in which they will be required to communicate information effectively with individuals and groups.

* Using science and technology effectively and critically: Debates in this respect will be integrated into the programme and students will gain skills in technological equipment of use in their profession, such as computer processing, computer statistical packages, visual and audio tape recording, etc.

* A contextual understanding: There is a strong emphasis in the course on community and contextual theoretical and methodological understanding of psychological problems.

* Contributing to the personal development of the learner: In respect of developing entrepreneurial opportunities, the programme offers a professional training which will open options of private or public employ for graduates. The programme will also develop skills in this respect, such as how to manage a practice. The process of developing skills in psychology assumes a strong focus on personal development and self-understanding in order to be effective as a helping-agent.

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Integrated assessment appropriately incorporated to ensure that the purpose of the qualification is achieved:

For all modules by the Psychology Department in the programme, a system of ongoing evaluation will be used via tests, assignments and examinations. Each module will be assessed by means of continuous assessment (50%) and final assessment (50%).

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

Vertical - Into an M.A. and subsequently a D.Phil. programme in the academic stream or continue in the professional route into the new D Psych programme.

Horizontal - Students may move across from B.Psych into formative B.A. and B.A. Honours degrees at any stage but not vice versa. A bridging one-year postgraduate diploma course will enable formative B.A. Honours graduates to earn equivalence to B.Psych.

MODERATION OPTIONS

External moderation of the course and assessment of student progress will be done by external moderators appointed by the Department on an annual basis and approved by Senate. Internal moderation will occur through the Department of Psychology. The moderation bodies are both the Council for Higher Education and the Health Professions Council of South Africa, P O Box 205, Pretoria, 0001.

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

An assessor must at least have a Master degree and at least two to five years experience in the particular field of Psychology.

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 the Western Cape