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: 

Postgraduate Diploma: Comparative and Applied Ethics 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
78083  Postgraduate Diploma: Comparative and Applied Ethics 
ORIGINATOR
University of KwaZulu-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
Postgraduate Diploma  Field 07 - Human and Social Studies  General Social Science 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  128  Level 7  NQF Level 08  Regular-Provider-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 
Purpose:

To realize a high degree of sustained proficiency in both scholarship and professional training at all postgraduate levels in comparative and applied ethics.

To provide graduate level studies in comparative and applied ethics in key fields of professional activity such as business, management, public administration, education, professions, agriculture, environment, science, engineering, health sciences and social services, media, sports, planning, construction and community development.

To produce competent practitioners who can address moral and ethical dilemmas and issues in the above areas. This programme is academic (disciplinary-based) and vocational (work-place oriented). 

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
A Bachelor's degree from a recognized university; or a substantial equivalent deemed adequate by the University of Natal.

Recognition of Prior Learning:

(If applicable) Recognition of prior learning procedures used for access to this programme will be in accordance with the University of Natal's admission policies for higher diplomas and degrees administered by the Faculty of Human and Management Sciences and Senate. Procedures for recognition of prior learning will be designed to ensure that the learner can demonstrate applied competence as defined by the assessment criteria embedded in the admission requirements at the various entry points in the programme. 

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
Y 

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
  • Demonstrate a sophisticated grasp of fundamental principles of ethics in a comparative multidisciplinary perspective.
  • Ability to transfer and apply such principles to ethical challenges in practice.
  • Critical understanding of religious, cultural, secular and philosophical approaches to ethics, especially those found in South Africa's main ethical traditions.
  • Awareness of the ways philosophical, secular, cultural and religious world-views influence moral judgements and arguments.
  • An historical sense of the various traditions that inform ethics and debates about the nature of the good.
  • A sensitivity to and respect for other moral traditions, their members and ways of life.
  • Skill in developing measures to enhance ethical practice in the work place.
  • Demonstrate a thorough understanding of issues, problems, ideas, discourses, structures and trends pertaining to comparative and applied ethics.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of various research methods, models and approaches to comparative and applied ethics.
  • Utilize different research methods, techniques and methodologies applicable to comparative and applied ethics.
  • Demonstrate an appreciation of the necessity for accuracy, honesty, fairness, beneficence, nonmaleficence and integrity.
  • Show appreciation of the virtues of being an independent learner and the values of co-operating and collaborating with others.
  • Show an ability to respond to the challenges of democracy and development in South Africa.
  • The ability to contextualise ethics with sensitivity to multi-religious, multi-cultural, economic, environmental and political dimensions.
  • Being critically reflective of the different value systems that shape and inform people's actions. 
    		•

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes:

    1. Knowledge of issues, problems, ideas, discourses, traditions, processes, structures and trends pertaining to the foundations of comparative and applied ethics.
    2. Critical understanding of religious, philosophical and secular approaches to ethics, especially those found in South Africa's main ethical traditions.
    3. Ability to apply this knowledge to practical issues in the work place.
    4. Ability to develop measures to enhance ethical practice in the work place.
    5. Competence in presenting arguments, reports, portfolios and other written and oral assignments.
    6. Ability to explore, research, contextualize, synthesize and report in writing on selected ethical applications.

    Integrated Assessment:
  • Seminar presentations demonstrating communication skills, team work and ability to synthesize and apply within selected contexts the knowledge, skills and attitudes learnt through the programme.
  • Written work in the forms of essays, reports and portfolios demonstrating analytic, problem-solving skills.
  • Exercises, simulations and case studies demonstrating research methods, policy designs, evaluation methods.
  • Oral and written work demonstrating competence in developing programmes for improving ethical practices within organisational or work-place contexts.
  • Examinations.
  • An integrated assessment will take place in the fourth and final module of the postgraduate diploma through a learning portfolio in which the learner is required to link their academic studies with a real-world problem from a work-place.
  • In addition, 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 of the learning outcomes for each module in a qualification. 
    		•

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
  • In government, the professions, business, labour and civil society there is an increasing demand for qualifications that contain comparative and applied ethics. Links could be established with programmes in education, science and agriculture, business, public administration, environment and development, engineering, media studies, health sciences and social services, policy and governance.
  • Members of the philosophy department at the University of Durban-Westville teach on the existing ethics Masters programme and the professor of philosophy at UDW is a member ofthe advisory board of the Unilever ethics Centre. On-going discussions around cooperation will continue as part of the merger process. The Durban Institute for Technology and the University of Zululand do not offer programmes in comparative and applied ethics.
  • Entry to the postgraduate diploma in comparative and applied ethics is possible with most bachelor's degrees (including a B Tech).
  • Progression after successful completion of the diploma could be into the exiting Masters in Comparative and Applied Ethics or other human or social science Masters degrees.
  • The diploma will complement most other postgraduate diplomas, honours or masters degrees as it offer applied studies that cover most fields (see first bullet). 
    		•

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    The ETQA system for HE is not yet fully developed. Until such time as it is, procedures described under Criteria for the assessors. 

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    Until the REQC establishes a registration system for assessors in the RET 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), staff are competent to assess students on the modules they teach. This assessment is quality assured via an 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 2009; 2012; 2015. 

    NOTES 
    Demonstration that this qualification complies with the requirements of regulation 8 or 9.

    All programmes and qualifications at the University of Natal are internally approved on the basis of our programmes handbook (1999). These guidelines ensure that all our qualifications are designed using the outcomes-based method, based on uniform credit system, include the SAQA critical outcomes and meet all other SAQA requirements. 

    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 KwaZulu-Natal 


    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.