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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: |
| Master of Neuroscience |
| SAQA QUAL ID | QUALIFICATION TITLE | |||
| 123482 | Master of Neuroscience | |||
| ORIGINATOR | ||||
| University of Cape Town | ||||
| 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 10 - Physical, Mathematical, Computer and Life Sciences | Physical Sciences | ||
| ABET BAND | MINIMUM CREDITS | PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL | NQF LEVEL | QUAL CLASS |
| Undefined | 180 | Not Applicable | NQF Level 09 | Regular-Provider-ELOAC |
| REGISTRATION STATUS | SAQA DECISION NUMBER | REGISTRATION START DATE | REGISTRATION END DATE | |
| Registered | EXCO 0729/25 | 2025-02-04 | 2028-02-04 | |
| LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT | LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT | |||
| 2029-02-04 | 2032-02-04 | |||
| 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:
The primary purpose of the Master of Neuroscience qualification is to bring learners from a variety of scientific backgrounds into the field of neuroscience, and to equip them with foundational knowledge, skills, and ethical values to pursue successful careers in neuroscience. Learners will be educated and trained in a broad range of topics and data analysis methodologies in basic and applied neuroscience to contribute meaningfully to knowledge production and integration in this discipline in a variety of settings. The qualification will thus prepare learners to become researchers in academic institutions but will also lay the foundation for specialist training in any of the applied fields (including, but not limited to, neuropsychology, computational modelling, neuroethics, neuroconsulting, and bio-entrepreneurship). In this way, the qualification will aim to offer a flexible response to evolving research areas and methods in neuroscience. During the course of the qualification, learners' scientific writing, communication, and critical thinking skills will be developed, culminating in a research dissertation that should take the form of a publishable academic output. Beyond an advanced understanding of the central nervous system and its fundamental and emergent properties, these master's graduates are expected to demonstrate the ability to engage meaningfully with the complexities and ethics involved in the field of neuroscience more broadly, which constantly pushes against our understanding of what it means to be human. The qualification is thus intentionally designed to spark a critical engagement in this area and to prepare learners for innovative and creative avenues in neuroscience-related fields, including doctoral study. Upon completion of the qualification, qualifying learners will be able to: Rationale: Beyond the revolutionary scope of brain research today, neuroscience is also a tremendously popular and interdisciplinary science, drawing learners from diverse academic disciplines. Although education and research related to neuroscience are already conducted, there is a need for an interdisciplinary taught postgraduate qualification that can accommodate learners from various undergraduate qualifications to develop them to work in the broadening field. Bringing these learners together in a consolidated neuroscience qualification will provide the basis for more creative, coherent, and sustainable teaching and research, reducing duplication and fragmentation. Such a qualification will also offer a platform for interdisciplinary education and collaboration, much more so than qualifications in the contributing disciplines, where the respective disciplines' identities are maintained. A significant factor that contributed to conceptualising this qualification as a viable offering recently established Neuroscience Institute (NI) at Groote Schuur Hospital. The institute currently functions as the focal point for neuroscience-related research at this institution and is therefore also the logical home for this qualification, in line with the principle that the institute and its members have the academic oversight and expertise to convene the qualification. The NI aspires to be a South African centre of research excellence, providing a vibrant, world-class environment that offers shared clinical and neuroscience research facilities and meeting spaces designed to foster collaboration and mentorship. Moreover, it has 50 cross-faculty academic members who are engaged in a range of neuroscience-related teaching and research activities at local, national and international levels, making it ideal for interdisciplinary collaboration. The research questions of their members reflect a focus on the needs of African populations, combined with a fundamental concern with ethical research. Currently, the NI hosts learners from the Western Cape, across South Africa, and the continent. A key mission of the Institute is to advance Neuroscience in Africa. It is thus our vision that the NI will ultimately manage this cutting-edge qualification. To be attractive and competitively placed also for an international audience, the qualification will be offered as a one-year full-time (two-year part-time) qualification that will admit learners every year. As a multidisciplinary science, neuroscience is internationally one of the fastest-growing areas of scientific knowledge production. While Africa is well-placed to contribute significantly to global neuroscience research, it still lags behind industrialized countries. In January 2022, the UNESCO Courier stated, "Africa could still make a significant contribution to global neuroscience research, provided that new policies are put in place to stimulate scientific innovation on the continent" and that South Africa is a "driving force" in this endeavour. We believe the introduction of the proposed qualification will be a key step in cultivating a stronger pipeline to PhD study and building capacity and interest in several neuroscience-related applied fields more broadly. Moreover, because we envision that this qualification will draw learners from across South Africa and the African continent, it will contribute much-needed diversity to the field and widen the currently limited access to neuroscientific training. As a discipline, neuroscience integrates with many other disciplines in biological, engineering, and social sciences. In terms of target audience, the current qualification is therefore structured to accommodate a variety of learners from diverse academic disciplines who are interested in pursuing neuroscience-related careers. The qualification will also provide learners with the skills to pursue a career and find employment in any of the applied fields, including, but not limited to, neuropsychology, data science, policy development and the biomedical science sector (e.g., clinical research, neuroethics, neuroconsulting), bio-entrepreneurship, and other science-related jobs (e.g., science journalism, science communication, or management consultants in the biotechnology sector). |
| LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING |
| Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
RPL for access: Alternative access: Learners that do not meet the normal admission requirements but have demonstrated through prior learning that they have achieved a similar level of expertise, will be considered for admission through the normal RPL processes on a case-by-case basis. The advanced level of the entrance requirements is expected to limit the number of admissions based on RPL to a small number below the 10% allowed. Advanced standing: Learners who have already completed similar credit-bearing courses at NQF 9 (e.g., Advanced Neuroanatomy or a qualification in Python) either at the institution or another higher education institution could, upon academic review, be given credit and exempted from the course in question. As per the CHE and SAQA policies on Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CAT), no more than 50% of a previous qualification's credits may be used in this way, but any completed and comparable credits (at least 80% similar in learning outcomes and at the same NQF level) from an uncompleted qualification may be used towards the qualification. Entry Requirements: The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is: And |
| RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? |
| Y |
| QUALIFICATION RULES |
| This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at Level 9, totalling 184 Credits.
Compulsory Modules Level 9, 170 Credits. Elective Modules, Level 9, 14 Credits (Select one module): |
| ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA |
| Exit Level Outcomes
1. Illustrate an in-depth understanding of the central nervous system and specialised knowledge of various basic, clinical, applied, and translational topics in neuroscience. 2. Apply an advanced theoretical understanding of different data analytic approaches in neuroscience. 3. Reflect critically on theory and research and its application in the field of neuroscience. In particular, the ability to engage meaningfully with the complexities and ethics involved at the frontier of neuroscientific development. 4. Contribute systematically and creatively to the development of neuroscientific knowledge in Africa at an advanced level. 5. Communicate neuroscientific knowledge and research findings clearly through written and oral formats to academic, professional, and non-specialist audiences, with consideration for contextual factors. Associated Assessment Criteria Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3: Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience critically and ethically. Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5: |
| INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY |
| Master's qualifications in neuroscience are extremely popular and offered by many leading universities internationally.
Country: United Kingdom Institution name: University of Oxford Qualification title: The MSc in Neuroscience Duration: One year Entry requirements: Normally a minimum of an upper second-class bachelor's degree Purpose/Rationale Learners will learn about the relationship between the mind and the brain in patients and healthy individuals, alongside the ideas, methodology, and current state of knowledge in cognitive neuroscience. Learners learn in the classroom and laboratory via a combination of lectures, discussions and practical work. Alongside discipline-specific knowledge and skills, the programme develops key transferable skills. The qualification takes an integrated approach to neuroscience and provides skills training in a wide range of experimental and theoretical methods intended to enable learners to ask questions and tackle problems that transcend the traditional disciplines from which neuroscience has evolved. Qualification structure Modules: Similarities: Differences: Country: Australia Institution name: Australian National University (ANU) Qualification title: Master of Neuroscience Duration: Two years AQF Level 9 Entry requirements: with a minimum GPA of at least 5.5/7.0 Or Purpose/Rationale The ANU Master of Neuroscience will give learners both theoretical and practical knowledge of the modern concepts in neuroscience and methodologies employed to answer these questions and more. Based in the Eccles Institute of Neuroscience at the John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australia's national medical research institute, you'll have access to state-of-the-art, modern facilities, and some of the country's leading scientists in the field. This Advanced program incorporates a research project and thesis. Learning Outcomes Course structure: Similarities: |
| ARTICULATION OPTIONS |
| This qualification allows possibilities for both vertical and horizontal articulation.
Horizontal Articulation: Vertical Articulation: Diagonal Articulation There is no diagonal articulation for this qualification. |
| 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 Cape Town |
| 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. |