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 Victimology

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
49599	Master of Victimology
ORIGINATOR
SGB Criminology and Criminal Justice
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 08 - Law, Military Science and Security		Safety in Society
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	180	Level 8 and above	NQF Level 09	Regular-ELOAC
REGISTRATION STATUS		SAQA DECISION NUMBER	REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered"		SAQA 091/21	2021-07-01	2023-06-30
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2024-06-30		2027-06-30

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 does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification.

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION

The primary purpose of this masters through coursework qualification is to equip learners with specific theoretical and practical skills and competencies in the field of victimology. Victimology is a sub-field of criminology dealing with specific aspects of criminal victimisation. This would enable them to provide ethical and effective support services to victims of crime and the possibility of registering with the South African Council for Social Service Professions.

Learners who have achieved this qualification will have obtained the skills to:

Conduct independent research in a specialised area of criminal victimisation.

Generate the ability to contribute to knowledge in a specialised area of criminal victimisation.

Report and communicate research findings in a scientific and ethical manner.

Demonstrate expertise and leadership in a specialised area of criminal victimisation.

Handle cultural diversity as well as human and environmental rights in a sensitive manner.

Balance victim and offender rights within the framework of the South African Constitution, the Bill of Rights and Service Charter for Victims of Crime in South Africa and other relevant national, regional and international guidelines and/or conventions and treaties.

Utilise science and technology appropriately and responsibly when dealing with victims of crime.

Think laterally, critically and creatively when dealing with victims of crime.

Develop and apply skills and programmes to help all role-players deal more effectively with victims of crime in South Africa and internationally.

Work and communicate with others as a member of a multi-disciplinary team to deal effectively with a variety of crime victimisation problems.

Act in a professional and ethical manner.

Apply the knowledge acquired in an entrepreneurial way.

Become life-long learners.

Rationale

The rationale for this qualification is to equip learners with the necessary skills and expertise so as to create and maintain safety in society. This will lead to the improvement of services which the criminal justice process provides to victims of crime as set out in the Service Charter for Victims of Crime in South Africa, the Minimum Standards on Services for Victims of Crime, and other relevant national, regional and international guidelines and/or conventions and treaties. Support and assistance to victims of crime is an important healing process, which will provide victims with the skills to overcome their adverse experiences and to regain their quality of life therefore enabling them to contribute to the development of society and the economy. This qualification will also give effect to the government's declared policy of a more just and victim-oriented criminal justice process as set out in the South African National Crime Prevention Strategy adopted in 1996.

Victimology is a sub-field of criminology and the learner will obtain expert knowledge in the field of criminal victimisation, the rights and needs of crime victims and therapeutic support services within a human rights perspective.

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

Learners registering for this qualification should be competent in Communication skills at NQF Level 7 and they should be able to:

Search for, access, organise and interpret information at the level of the qualification.

Design, plan and execute a research project independently.

Read, analyse and evaluate written and spoken texts and communicate what they have learned coherently, accurately and comprehensively.

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

QUALIFICATION RULES

This qualification is a non-unit standards based qualification.

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

1. Appraise the study field of victimology.
2. Illustrate expert and advanced knowledge of criminal victimisation perspectives/approaches.
3. Demonstrate the ability to critically assess victimisation risk and vulnerability profiles.
4. Critically appraise the impact of criminal victimisation on individuals, society and the economy.
5. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge and understanding of support services to victims of crime.
6. Use appropriate techniques to guide victimisation policy and strategies/programmes.
7. Design and execute a research project demonstrating the ability to identify, analyse and address a specific area of concern in the field of criminal victimisation.
8. Report and communicate research findings in a scientific manner.

Critical cross-field outcomes

The exit level outcomes and the associated assessment criteria are consistent with the following critical cross-field outcomes listed in Section 7(3) of the NSB Regulations:

Identify and solve problems using critical and creative thinking (Exit level outcomes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7).

Work effectively with others as a member of a team, group, organisation and community (Exit level outcomes 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8).

Organise and manage oneself and one's activities responsibly and effectively (Exit level outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8).

Collect, analyse and critically evaluate information (Exit level outcomes 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7).

Communicate effectively using visual, mathematically and/or language skills in the modes of oral and/or written presentation (Exit level outcomes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8).

Use science and technology effectively and critically, showing responsibility towards the environment and health of others (Exit level outcomes 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8).

Demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation (Exit level outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8).

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

The study field of victimology is defined and described.

Different perspectives/approaches relating to the study field are evaluated based on an in-depth study of the literature.

The ability to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each perspective/approach is demonstrated.

2.

A comprehensive knowledge of crime and victimisation trends and patterns is demonstrated.

Specific risk factors relating to crime and victimisation are explained.

Various models/programmes based on the identified victimisation risk factors are described.

3.

Risk factors contributing to crime and victimisation are determined.

Risk factors related to specific types of victimisation are evaluated.

The ability to develop specific victimisation risk and vulnerability profiles is demonstrated.

4.

Fear of crime and victimisation as perceived/experienced by individuals, society and the economy are described.

The level of crime impact on individuals, society and the economy is assessed.

The financial implications of criminal victimisation on individuals, society and the economy are determined.

5.

Specialised support services, based on victims' rights and specific needs, are identified.

In-depth knowledge and understanding of existing victim support services and training of staff are demonstrated.

The ability to critically appraise existing victim support services is demonstrated.

6.

Role-players to inform victimisation policy and measures to reduce/prevent criminal victimisation are identified.

Available policies to effectively reduce/prevent criminal victimisation are evaluated.

The ability to conduct a needs analysis to guide victimisation policy is demonstrated.

Appropriate models and programmes to reduce/prevent criminal victimisation are developed.

7.

A research problem in the specialised area of criminal victimisation is identified.

The research design for the selected type of research in the specialised area is described.

Suitable crimino-ethical research methods and techniques to collect data are appraised.

The analysis and interpretation of the data is described.

A report reflecting the research process, findings and recommendations is compiled.

8.

Research findings are published in scientific journals.

Conferences, colloquia and workshops are utilised to report research findings to subject specialists.

Research findings of concern to the general public are reported and explained via the media to inform and educate the community.

Integrated assessment:

Learning and assessment should be integrated throughout this qualification.

The importance of integrated assessment is to confirm that the learner is able to demonstrate applied competence (practical, foundational and reflexive) and to ensure that the purpose of this qualification is achieved.

The achievement of applied competence of this qualification will be demonstrated if the learner is able to contribute towards the critical appraisement of the impact of criminal victimisation, the assessment of specific victimisation risk and guide victimisation policy and measures to prevent/reduce victimisation by communicating ideas, concepts and arguments verbally and in writing. To ensure this, all exit level outcomes and associated assessment criteria, embedded knowledge and critical cross-field outcomes must be assessed.

Learners must be assessed on individual work and as part of a team during formative and summative assessment.

The learner must, in order to successfully complete the qualification, demonstrate applied competence through integrated summative assessment of the exit level outcomes of the qualification.

During formative and summative assessments, the assessment methods must include observation (e.g. impact of criminal victimisation), product evaluation (e.g. available victim support services; execute research to analyse a specific area of concern) and questioning (oral and or written) to provide sufficient opportunity to the learner to demonstrate applied competence.

Exit level summative assessments of this qualification may include the assessment of knowledge (theoretical examinations). Greater weighting should be given to the application of knowledge, skills and values to enhance safety and security in society in order to integrate theory and practice.

The abovementioned assessment processes are also capable of being applied to the recognition of prior learning.

INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY

The following websites were consulted:

New Zealand Qualifications Authority.

United Kingdom National Vocational Qualifications.

Australian National training Authority.

The Australian Qualifications Framework.

Scottish Qualification Authority.

No coursework Master of Victimology qualification could be found.

Information on coursework master's qualifications has also been obtained from the following universities:

University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

Oxford University, Oxford, UK

Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK

Bristol University, Bristol, UK

University of Lausanne, Switzerland

University Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

Katolieke University, Leuven, Belgium

Simon Fraser University, Canada

The following university websites were also consulted as a Google search indicated that they teach victimology at postgraduate level but in all cases only some victimology modules were included in the coursework criminology masters degrees:

University of Middlesex, UK

University of Leeds, UK

It is evident that coursework masters degrees are applied qualifications based on the identified needs of a specific country. These qualifications have specialisation in specific core modules as well as a research project dealing with a specialised area of concern in the study field. Information on only one coursework master of victimology could be obtained, despite also advertising for information on the International Victimology Website and in the British and American Criminological Societies' newsletters, namely De Montfort University, Leicester UK. This qualification includes the following modules: perceptions of victims, factors associated with becoming a victim, effects of victimisation, theoretical victimology, compensation and reparation, protection and support, reducing victim vulnerability, victim rights and needs, agencies involved in victim support services, training of staff and research. The South African qualification broadly covers all these themes.

The International Victimology Website has requested details of the finalised Master of Victimology Qualification to post on their website.

Information was also obtained from the following African universities:

University of Nairobi, Kenya

University of Lesotho, Lesotho

University of Namibia, Namibia

University of Swaziland, Swaziland

University of Makerere, Uganda

University of Zambia, Zambia

University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe

None of the African universities consulted teach criminology as an independent discipline and it either forms part of the teaching modules in the law faculty (e.g. Zimbabwe and Namibia) or the departments of sociology (e.g. Lesotho, Swaziland, Nairobi, Makerere (Uganda)) but they do allow learners to register for a research masters programme focusing on a specialised area of crime, victimisation and criminal justice.

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

Articulation possibilities within the tertiary institution offering the coursework masters programme and across tertiary institutions will be subject to institutional discretionary requirements having been met. Vertically the qualification will allow access to the Doctor of Criminology qualification.

MODERATION OPTIONS

Internal moderation must be available according to the provider's policy while external moderation must be based on accredited/registered external examiners (external to the provider) who ought to be recognised experts in their field. Both internal and external moderators should have at least a doctoral degree from a recognised tertiary institution. All moderators must be registered with the relevant ETQA.

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

N/A

REREGISTRATION HISTORY

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

NOTES

The research project should form at least 50% of the qualification.

The qualification contains both a theoretical and a field practice component and learners must demonstrate competencies in practice by being exposed to practical experience in a variety of settings with recognised organisations providing victim services and support.

Range statements

Different perspectives/approaches include but are not limited to factors such as individual oriented, socio-economic, environmental and post-modern approaches to explain crime and victimisation.

Risk factors refer to specific individual, socio-economic, physical environment and ecological factors.

Risk analysis is a systematic approach for describing and/or calculating risk. It involves the identification of undesired events and the consequences of these events.

Models include a number of related programmes.

Programmes include the reduction/prevention of crime and victimisation, education and training in the field of crime and victimisation, victim/offender care and support, punishment and sentencing, restorative justice, rehabilitation and reintegration.

Vulnerability profiles refer to individual, social, community, corporate, physical environmental, ecological and criminal event characteristics.

Fear of crime and victimisation refer to perceptions/experiences about the emotional, social, physical and financial consequences of criminal victimisation.

Impact refers to the direct and indirect consequences of crime and victimisation on individuals, society, the economy and the physical environment.

The level of impact refers to the degree of seriousness of the perceived/experienced criminal victimisation.

Support services refer to services for victims of crime by public and private organisations to deal with the effects of criminal victimisation.

Role-players include individuals, private and public organisations, local and provincial authorities, the national police, the courts, the prisons, including any other relevant roleplayers.

Victimisation policy and measures include legislation, strategies and programmes to deal effectively with criminal victimisation.

Research design refers to a qualitative, quantitative or pluralistic research approach, which can take the form of explorative, descriptive or explanatory studies.

Identified areas refer to the specific domain addressed by the research of the crime victimisation phenomenon studied such as the school context, workplace, domestic area and the criminal justice system.

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.

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