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:

Doctor of Science

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
9225	Doctor of Science
ORIGINATOR
University of Witwatersrand
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY			NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education			HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework
QUALIFICATION TYPE	FIELD		SUBFIELD
Doctoral Degree	Field 10 - Physical, Mathematical, Computer and Life Sciences		Life Sciences
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	480	Level 8 and above	NQF Level 10	Regular-Provider-ELOAC
REGISTRATION STATUS		SAQA DECISION NUMBER	REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered"		SAQA 0695/12	2012-07-01	2014-12-31
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2015-12-31		2018-12-31

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 is replaced by:

Qual ID	Qualification Title	Pre-2009 NQF Level	NQF Level	Min Credits	Replacement Status
96509	Doctor of Physical Sciences	Not Applicable	NQF Level 10	360	Complete

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION

This qualification recognises a substantial original research contribution in the chosen field or discipline made by a learner. This contribution may have been made in a field within the broad disciplines of Biological, Earth, Mathematical and Physical Sciences. It thereby adds to the advancement of knowledge in the sciences, and the learner will be capable of highly specialised and high level practice within an academic or science-based career, so building leading edge expertise in South Africa's scientific community.

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

A learner must have previously gained a specialised knowledge and understanding of both the structure and content of the discipline to be studied, of related concepts and knowledge systems underlying the discipline and will have mastered scientific methods of research in the chosen field or discipline.

Learning achieved by meeting the outcomes of a qualification of the University listed below (under Formally Accredited Learning) is assumed to be in place.

Formally Accredited Learning
The typical applicant has higher education-level study at the Doctor of Philosophy or Masters level of the University (or equivalent University-approved qualification) of at least two or fours years' standing respectively, which in general together total eight years of study and experience. The experience gained must be appropriate experience acceptable to the Senate of the University.

Recognition of Prior Learning
Applicants who fall outside of the normal admissions process who can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the University that they have a qualification or experiential or work based learning which has taken the learner to an equivalent level of a qualification specified above (under Formally Accredited Learning), may be considered for admission and/or for the recognition of prior accredited and/or prior experiential learning.

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES (ELO)

The learner must demonstrate an original and distinguished contribution to science by completing a body of work that includes a set of co-ordinated publications.

CRITICAL CROSS-FIELD OUTCOMES (CCFO)

a) Identifying and solving problems in which responses display that responsible decisions using critical and creative thinking have been made.

b) Working with others as a member of a team, group, organisation, community.

c) Organising and managing oneself and one's activities responsibly and effectively.

d) Collecting, analysing, organising and critically evaluating information.

e) Communicating effectively using visual, mathematical and/or language skills in the modes of oral and/or written persuasion.

f) Using science and technology effectively and critically, showing responsibility towards the environment and health of others.

g) Demonstrating an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation.

h) Contributing to the full personal development of society at large, by making it the underlying intention of any programme of learning to make an individual aware of the importance of:

i. Reflecting on and exploring a variety of strategies to learn more effectively;
ii. Participating as responsible citizens in the life of local, national and global communities;
iii. Being culturally and aesthetically sensitive across a range of social contexts;
iv. Exploring education and career opportunities.
v. Developing entrepreneurial opportunities.

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

A. The learner must demonstrate an ability to consider a range of options and make decisions about:

1. The scope of the research such that the substance of the publications is original and of a standard suitable for publication and has no significant overlap with work already published by other workers in the field.

B. The learner must demonstrate an expert understanding of:

1. The content of the chosen topic

2. Appropriate scientific or analytical methodologies and techniques

3. Literary style and presentation of a body of work acceptable in the sciences.

C. The learner must demonstrate an ability to:

1. Critically evaluate the use of, and explore alternatives to existing scientific or analytical methodologies and techniques in the chosen field or discipline

2. Justify publication design decisions

3. Reflect on the appropriateness of decisions made in designing and executing the research leading to the publications, and on adjustments to research design that might have been made from time to time

4. Critically reflect on peer feedback during the research and writing of the publications and the DSc submission, in order to incorporate sufficient critical comment to ensure academic rigour without invalidating original scholarship.

Integrated assessment

The integrated assessment is the assessment of a set of co-ordinated publications presented by the learner.

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

This section specifies with which other qualifications of the University the qualification was designed to articulate, i.e. formal articulation; therefore the qualification can articulate informally with equivalent qualifications offered by the University, or with other qualifications offered nationally and internationally.

Entry to the qualification
A Doctor of Philosophy or Masters degree of the University (or equivalent University-approved qualification) of at least two or fours years' standing respectively, with relevant experience, which in general together total eight years of study and experience.

Articulation during the qualification
No formal articulation.

On completion of the qualification
No qualification higher than the Senior Doctorate; Senior Doctorates are the highest academic awards of the University. However, a learner may pursue studies towards another Senior Doctorate of the University.

MODERATION OPTIONS

Internal University requirements govern how and by whom moderation is performed. For example, external examiners are appointed. Such moderation seeks, inter alia, to ensure that, where appropriate, our graduates will be able to comply with professional and statutory requirements. Further, whether an academic entity has a professional orientation or not, the University ensures that its activities are moderated by internal and external review quinquennially. The moderating body for qualifications of the University is the Higher Education Quality Committee of the Council on Higher Education, currently represented by the Interim Higher Education Quality Committee.

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

Internal University quality requirements govern how and by whom assessment may be performed to ensure that assessors have the competence required to assess a qualification of this nature. Once the Higher Education Quality Committee of the Council on Higher Education is constituted and ready to pronounce on issues of quality, the University will respond to the HEQC guidance on the registration of assessors. In the interim, the academic staff of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, are regarded as registered assessors since SAQA has registered the institution as a public higher education provider.

REREGISTRATION HISTORY

As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2006; 2009; 2012.

NOTES

N/A

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.

1.	University of Witwatersrand