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SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION: 

Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
117030  Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management 
ORIGINATOR
Rhodes University 
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 04 - Communication Studies and Language  Communication Studies 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  120  Not Applicable  NQF Level 08  Regular-Provider-ELOAC 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Reregistered  EXCO 0821/24  2020-05-28  2027-06-30 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2028-06-30   2031-06-30  

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 replaces: 
Qual ID Qualification Title Pre-2009 NQF Level NQF Level Min Credits Replacement Status
7987  Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management  Level 7  NQF Level 08  120  Complete 

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION 
Purpose:
The Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management produces qualifying learners that are employable and able to transform the management and operations of the media firms with requisite generic work skills such as decision-making analysis, critical reasoning, analytical skills, creative and conceptual skills.

The qualification equips learners with:
  • Critical methodologies that allow them to assess complex situations to make informed decisions at workplaces.
  • Research skills, marketing and advertising skills, content management skills, distribution and circulation skills. All of which are needed by the media industry across the world.

    The qualification will provide specialised knowledge to people entering or working within the media industry, who wish to succeed in middle management positions within the public, commercial or community media sectors. It also aims to provide learners with the foundational knowledge they need to start as media entrepreneurs.

    Rationale:
    Research and broad observations show that Africa - indeed, most of the world had a lack of qualified and skilled managers in the media. The management of media is widely acknowledged as being critical in ensuring the sustainability of these organisations. This qualification seeks to address these skills gaps, to cover the field of media management holistically, critically including all the elements that make media organisations succeed or fail, more so now with permanent change engulfing all organisations.

    The qualification equips learners with a range of creative decision, critical thinking and analytical skills. The qualification aims to transform their media organisations financially and to ensure that there is a need for a multiplicity of diverse and divergent media in a democracy so that citizens are accurately and adequately informed about news and events and have broad information and news choices.

    Issues about gender transformation and equality and equity in media workplaces were embedded into the qualification so that these aspiring media managers would be able to bring about meaningful transformation in their staff and also mainstream gender-aware and sensitive news content in their media. The media managers would, therefore, need high-level grounding both theoretically and practically in understanding and knowing how they could be the catalysts of the changes that have been articulated above.

    The qualification equips learners with holistic knowledge, and simulated work competencies (including actual work skills during the one-month-long internship which learners do during mid-year at media companies of their choices) of how to manage and lead media organisations professionally, ethically and profitably at a time of rapid and incessant change brought on by a range of technologies and social and political disruptions. The media organisations in South Africa and internationally, which employ these learners, have acclaimed this qualification.

    The typical learners are recent university learners or those who have already been working in media but did not have a formal qualification in media management but do have a first degree in any academic discipline from a recognised university. The learners have gone on to work in a variety of areas such as content management; management of media distribution; financial management; research on editorial matters; marketing and advertising.

    The qualification seeks to bring together learners with a diverse range of academic and professional backgrounds and to provide them with a holistic understanding of how successful media organisations operate within different contexts. The learners will be able to promote social justice and ethical practice within the media industry and in the broader society. 
    		•

    LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
    Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
    RPL admission will be made following the institution's RPL policy. Learners wishing to be admitted through the RPL process are required to have had five years of work experience; a diploma or an advanced certificate in the cognate field (for example Journalism; Marketing Management; Advertising and Branding; Business Management, Business Studies); and must submit a full CV detailing their work experience, as part of the initial assessment process. Furthermore, such learners are required to submit an academic essay of 1,000 words or a media project that demonstrates their capability and competencies of undertaking postgraduate study.

    The learner's application for RPL admission is reviewed in line with the RPL policies, and the institution's admission policies, and guidelines. All assessments and related activities are carried out in line with the institution's assessment policies and other policies governing teaching and learning.

    Entry Requirements:
    The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is:
  • Bachelor's Degree, NQF Level 7 with a major in Journalism and Media Studies 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    QUALIFICATION RULES 
    This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at NQF Level 8 totalling 120 Credits.

    Compulsory Modules, 120 Credits:
  • Media Management Contexts, Policy and Institutions, 12 Credits.
  • Managing Audiences, Advertising and Marketing, 12 Credits.
  • Managing Media Distribution and Circulation, 12 Credits.
  • Media Economics and Financial Planning, 12 Credits.
  • Managing Media Convergence, Digital and Social Media, 12 Credits.
  • Media Management and Leadership, 12 Credits.
  • Human Resource Management, 12 Credits.
  • Managing Media Content, 12 Credits.
  • Portfolio, 24 Credits. 
    		•

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    1. Demonstrate a broad knowledge of relevant theories and principles with a specialised understanding of how these can be applied in the holistic and strategic management of a media enterprise.
    2. Apply the skills and knowledge they need to perform effectively and ethically in the management of a media enterprise.
    3. Communicate professionally.
    4. Articulate an understanding of the nature of academic endeavour and the importance of lifelong learning, and the relevance of both to the management of media enterprises. 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 1:
  • Articulate an understanding of theories and principles relevant to the management of a media enterprise.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the context within which media organisations operate and how economic, regulatory and political constraints, as well as how professional principles, impact on media management practice.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 2:
  • Lead and work in teams, taking into account the need for cultural and gender sensitivity.
  • Perform tasks independently without supervision.
  • Identify, analyse and deal with concrete problems in media management by providing evidence-based solutions and theory-driven arguments.
  • Retrieve, evaluate and make use of relevant information in solving media management related problems.
  • Conduct fundamental qualitative and/or quantitative research that will enable them to function more effectively as media managers.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 3:
  • Present and communicate both academic and professional work effectively through presentations, written assignments, and appropriate a professional discourse.
  • Make use of computer technology in preparing written reports and delivering effective presentations.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the relevance and nature of academic endeavour and the importance of life-long learning.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 4:
  • Assess and assimilate a framework against new information and advances in the management of media enterprises.
  • Access new information from libraries, the Internet and other appropriate sources.
  • Acquire and apply new information to address changing circumstances, thus fostering the need for life-long learning.

    Integrated Assessment:
    Each of the core modules will include the following assessment tasks, each of which will count towards 50% of the mark for each module:

    1. Course work:
    The course work component of the course includes:
  • assignments based on readings, research and problem-based questions, and
  • class presentations.

    2. Examinations: Learners will write one examination for each core module during the examination blocks. The exams formats will vary depending on the nature of a particular course, but will generally take one of the following two forms:
  • An oral exam in which s need to make presentations in which they demonstrate how they would apply concepts and theories covered in the course to real-world examples.
  • A take-home exam in which s will apply concepts and theories in addressing particular problems they are likely to encounter in the media industry.

    3. Portfolio: Learners have two choices when it comes to the presentation of their final portfolios, namely:
  • They may present a written portfolio of between 4000 and 5000 words. The written portfolio will account for 100% of the portfolio mark or 20% of the overall mark for the qualification.
    Or
  • They may present a written portfolio of between 4000 and 5000 words (see portfolio guidelines) and make an oral presentation of the primary lessons addressed in the portfolio. The final portfolio mark will be divided equally between the written and oral portfolio presentations. 
    		•

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    The curricula of two international institutions below are similar to the PGDip in Media Management:

    1. The Graduate Diploma in Journalism currently offered by City University in London in the United Kingdom.

    The London qualification has a comparable curriculum and articulation, although both focus on journalism as a practice while the PGDip focuses on an integrated examination of media management and journalism as a practice. The entry requirements for the London qualification are comparable to the online PGDip (Media Management), where the institution recognises previous work experience in the field, for example. Successful learners doing City University's Diploma in Journalism enrol directly onto a master's degree, which is also the case with learners graduating from the institution's PGDip (Media Management). The qualification at City University is one of only very few such accredited international qualifications that are directly comparable to the PGDip (Media Management).

    2. The MA qualification in Digital Media offered by the Aga Khan Graduate School of Media and Communications in Nairobi, Kenya.

    Although the Nairobi qualification is pegged at one NQF Level above the PGDip (Media Management), the curriculum closely resembles that of the institution's qualification. The Aga Khan qualification includes modules such as managing media and media entrepreneurship compared, for example, to media management and managing media content offered by the institution's; marketing and advertising, which are offered by both institutions; and managing advertising, marketing and audiences, which are again offered by both institutions, among several other modules. The entry requirements of learners to the Aga Khan's media qualification are comparable to the ones of South African institution. The institution's learners' competencies and skills broadly match those for the master's at the Aga Khan. Although the PGDip (Media Management) is practice-focused, the qualification still adequately prepares learners for further studies in the media industry or related fields such as general management, business management, marketing and advertising, which the Aga Khan qualification also does.

    There could possibly be differences between the PGDip (Media Management) and the Aga Khan MA and some MBA qualifications only in terms of the depth, breadth and complexity of what would be covered by these latter qualifications. It is important to note that most learners from the PGDip (Media Management) who went on to study variants of media management, marketing and advertising, media entrepreneurship and business management, at overseas institutions such as the London School of Economics and City University obtained MA and MBA qualifications with distinctions. 

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    This qualification allows possibilities for both vertical and horizontal articulation.

    Horizontal Articulation:
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing Management, NQF Level 8.
  • Bachelor of Arts Honours in Communication, NQF Level 8.

    Vertical Articulation:
  • Master of Arts in Communication Science/Journalism/Media Studies, NQF Level 9. 
    		•

    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. Rhodes University 


    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.