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: Research

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
20917	Master of Arts: Research
ORIGINATOR
University of Natal
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		Traditions, History and Legacies
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	128	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 "Reregistered"		SAQA 2663/05	2006-07-01	2009-06-30
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2010-06-30		2013-06-30

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
81273	Master of Arts: Research	Level 8 and above	NQF Level 09	128	Complete

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION

The degree of MA, by research only, provide an avenue by which students who have an aptitude for and an interest in primary research can develop these things by undertaking a research project in one of the disciplines in the Human Sciences. In vocational terms, these degrees provide a useful preparation for any field of employment where primary research in human or social studies is relevant.

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

Appropriate Honours degree. Entry is also possible through University of Natal's Rule 33 for postgraduate study.

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

Demonstrate a thorough general knowledge of the field of inquiry and detailed knowledge of the specific area of investigation (usually arising from the coursework)

Demonstrate a command of the general debates in the discipline and understanding of specific critical or theoretical issues and problems

Critical, evaluative and synthesising review of significant previous research, both published and unpublished, germane to the research topic

Formulate a research question / problem / hypothesis

Provide a rationale for the research project by motivating the importance and topicality of the research question

Demonstrate conceptual understanding of the topic and approach to it by presenting a convincing argument for and explanation of the choice of theoretical framework within which to investigate the problem / test the hypotheses

Demonstrate a grasp of the most suitable research methodology and methods for answering the research questions and testing the hypotheses, and their choice of appropriate instruments for measurement and of procedures for collecting data

Demonstrate an awareness of his/her ethical responsibilities in conducting the research project

Demonstrate selection of adequate and relevant data or illustrative material and his/her ability to analyse it in terms of the conceptual framework and by using the research techniques outlined

Emphasise his/her findings

Execute the project and develop a line of argument in the study, keeping it clearly focused and its claims substantial, coherent, founded, consistent and persuasive

Handle secondary source material at a high level of critical scholarship

Interpret and discuss the material dealt with in the study so as to arrive at relevant conclusions with regard to it

Structure the study in chapters / sections and organise the text and its lay-out according to the scholarly conventions of the discipline

Document his/her research in a scholarly way, and their scrupulous use of the correct referencing techniques

Express themselves clearly at the appropriate level of academic discourse in writing that is as free of jargon as it is of grammatical errors

Construct and complete a clearly defined research project within a realistic and appropriate time schedule.

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the general field of the chosen discipline.

Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of specific areas pertaining to the chosen research topic.

Understand the interrelationships amongst various areas of the field of knowledge as they bear on the research topic.

Grasp the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of the discipline as they bear on the research topic.

Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of current critical debates in the discipline in which the research topic is located.

Summarise, compare and evaluate a substantial body of knowledge.

Construct a sustained argument, formulate questions, and work toward solutions.

Command the conceptual discourse of the field in which the research topic is located.

Contextualise the research topic within the social environment and showing appropriate historical understanding.

Demonstrate a command of academic English at an appropriate level.

Work individually.

Present findings at an appropriate level, demonstrating understanding and competence in the academic protocols and conventions for postgraduate research and writing.

Integrated Assessment

The University of Natal is currently reforming its assessment strategies to include the assessment of applied competence for each qualification. In the meantime, a combination of continuous assessment and traditional written examinations serve to assess the integration of all / most of the learning outcomes for each module in a qualification.

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

Vertical - below: Recognised Honours degree

Vertical - above: PhD

MODERATION OPTIONS

The ETQA system for HE is not yet fully developed. Until such time as it is, procedures described under Assessor Criteria will suffice.

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

Until the HEQC establishes a registration system for assessors in the HET Band, the University of Natal assumes that, on the basis of its rigorous selection criteria for the appointment of academic staff (who also have opportunities for staff development in assessment), staffs are competent to assess students on the modules they teach. This assessment is quality assured via a university system of internal moderation and external examination. External examiners are appointed for their teaching and disciplinary expertise and subject to the approval of Faculty Boards. The University of Natal ruling is that 66 % of all assessments at exit level, i.e. leading to a qualification, are externally examined.

REREGISTRATION HISTORY

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

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.

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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.

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