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SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION: 

Doctor of Philosophy in Arts and Social Sciences 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
96572  Doctor of Philosophy in Arts and Social Sciences 
ORIGINATOR
University of Venda 
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 07 - Human and Social Studies  General Social Science 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  360  Not Applicable  NQF Level 10  Regular-Provider-ELOAC 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Registered-data under construction  EXCO 0324/24  2024-07-01  2027-06-30 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2027-06-30   2029-06-30  

Registered-data under construction

The qualification content is currently being updated for the qualifications with the status “Registered-data under construction” or showing “DETAILS UNDER CONSTRUCTION” to ensure compliance with SAQA’S Policy and Criteria for the registration of qualifications and part-qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (As amended, 2022). These qualifications are re-registered until 30 June 2027 and can legitimately be offered by the institutions to which they are registered.

 

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.  

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION 
Purpose:
The Degree will provide training in advance research techniques, data gathering and analysis and scholarly presentation appropriate to the field of Arts and Social Sciences. The Degree will equip the student with the skills necessary either for employment in the educational or sectors needing expertise in Arts and Social Sciences or for further independent research in the same or related field.

Rationale:
Social Scientists are becoming rare in a world depending too much on Science and Technology, hence the need for such a qualification. This will also be in line with the Department of Higher Education and Training's establishment of the Charter for Humanities and Social Sciences thus meeting a national goal. The graduates would work in both the public and private sector in various capacities. They will also help document and store socio- cultural issues in society for posterity. The programme will prepare doctoral students for work, locally and/or abroad, in Arts and Social Sciences and in related subject areas. 

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
Non-Masters' Degree holders who have shown by examination or publication or a record of appropriate training that they have reached a level in Arts and Social Sciences or cognate subjects equivalent to a Masters' Degree in Arts and Social Sciences may be permitted to register for a doctoral Degree in Arts and Social Sciences.

Entry Requirements:
  • Master of Philosophy in Arts and Social Sciences.
    Or
  • Master of Arts and Social Sciences. 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    QUALIFICATION RULES 
  • Full thesis for 360 Credits. 
    		•

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    1. The Doctor of Philosophy in Arts and Social Sciences will be acquainted with methods of research to adequately deal with problems in the field, conduct advance literature searches and critique current literature in the form of a review, prepare a professional paper for peer review, write research and funding proposal. 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
  • Successful students should show that they have acquired skills in critical thinking, problem solving, data collection and organisation and effective written communication.
  • S/he should be in position to demonstrate mastery over theoretically sophisticated subject matter, exhibiting deep and comprehensive knowledge of the field to which s/he can apply relevant theory; evaluate critically the literature in the field, challenge orthodoxies and redefine existing knowledge, while being aware of the nature of knowledge in the field to communicate verbally and orally with professional audiences.
  • The expertise of the graduates would also become handy in fields where Social Scientists are needed.

    Integrated Assessment:
    The integration of skills learned in the Doctor of Philosophy in Arts and Social Sciences Degree is assessed by means of a dissertation of a word length stipulated by the School of Human and Social Sciences.

    Assessment is based on criteria, which include:
  • Scope and quality of literature reviewed from a variety of text and other media.
  • Accuracy with which the literature is represented and applied to the research questions.
  • The formulation of a research question/s and the development of a research proposal based on the literature review. The proposal must specify a research design, and the method/s to be applied to answer the research question/s and be of appropriate scale and complexity of a Masters dissertation.
  • The demonstration of a professional working relationship by responding to the comments of the dissertation supervisor/s.
  • The execution of the research proposed.
  • Presentation of the research in an acceptable manner in Arts and Social Sciences. 
    		•

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    The programme is comparable to other similar qualifications around the world with regards to outcomes and assessment criteria, degree of difficulty and notional learning time. Standard is assured inter alia, by a requirement for assessment by external examiners who hold a university academic position, and where at least one is based outside South Africa. University of Ghana, University of Zimbabwe, and Monash University offer similar Degrees. 

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    This is a terminal Degree but graduates can register for a Post-doctoral study in the field. 

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    N/A 

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    N/A 

    NOTES 
    N/A 

    LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: 
    When qualifications are replaced, some (but not all) of their learning programmes are moved to the replacement qualifications. If a learning programme appears to be missing from here, please check the replaced 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 Venda 


    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.