COLLEGE OF ECONOMIC AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Transcription

1 COLLEGE OF ECONOMIC AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Information on the new Programme Mix (PQM) to be introduced by the Department of Human Management in 2012

2 2 CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 2 WHY ARE WE INTRODUCING NEW, RESTRUCTURED QUALIFICATIONS? 3 SCHEMATIC REPRESENTATION 4 HOW THESE CHANGES MAY AFFECT YOU 5 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 6 CONCLUDING REMARKS Page Dear HRM Student 1 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this departmental document is to inform existing and prospective Unisa students in the field of Human Management of the new Programme Mix (PQM) to be introduced by the Department of Human Management in 2012 as a result of the restructuring of taking place at Unisa. Note that all the information contained here was correct at the time of compiling this document, but that it is subject to change pending decisions by the University, the Higher Education Quality Committee and the Council for Higher Education. 2 WHY ARE WE INTRODUCING NEW, RESTRUCTURED QUALIFICATIONS? In its Higher Education s Framework (HEQF) published in October 2007 (Government Gazette No ), the Department of Education reiterated the need for a single framework that would be applicable to all higher education institutions. The reason sited for this was that the existence of separate, parallel structures for universities and technikons have hindered the articulation of programmes and the transfer of students between programmes and higher-education institutions. The new policy provides the basis for integrating all higher education into the National s Framework (NQF) and its structures for standards generation and quality assurance. It improves the coherence of the higher education system and facilitates the articulation of, thereby enhancing the flexibility of the system and enabling students to articulate more efficiently from one programme to another as they pursue their academic or professional careers. The new framework establishes common parameters and criteria for design, and facilitates the comparison of across the system. The policy operates within the context of a single but diverse, differentiated higher education system. It applies to all higher education programmes and offered in South Africa by both public and private institutions. As a comprehensive university, Unisa has revised all its in the light of the HEQF. This has resulted in changes to currently offered, the phasing out of some existing and the introduction of new. 3 SCHEMATIC REPRESENTATION A schematic representation of the to be offered by the Department of Human Management from 2012 is provided below. This representation also shows that the comply with the competency and educational requirements at the different levels of professional registration set by the HR professional body, namely the South African Board for People Practices (SABPP). (Visit the website at for details on professional registration in the field of HRM.)

3 3 HRMALL6/302/4/ As a result of the changes in the PQM, some of the current offered by the Department will be phased out while some new will be introduced. The following table summarises these changes and outlines the measures that will be implemented during the transition period: s to be phased out Last date for first-time registration Final date for completion of New to replace current Articulation with other General comments National Diploma in Human Management (NDHRM) December 2014 Diploma in Human Management Students who do not complete this by the final date may articulate into the Diploma in Human Management or the BCom, provided the relevant requirements are met. The number of First-time s year. Thereafter only of their. in will be 2014.

4 4 s to be phased out Last date for first-time registration Final date for completion of New to replace current Articulation with other General comments modules that transferred, will be determined based on individual academic records. BCom with specialisation in Human Management December 2013 BCom Students who do not complete this by the final date may articulate into the BCom, provided the relevant requirements are met. The number of modules that transferred, will be determined based on individual academic records. First-time s year. Thereafter only of their. in will be BTech (Labour Relations December 2012 None Registration for postgraduate possible.* First-time s year for all students who fully comply with requirements. Students still needing to comply with prerequisites from the National Diploma curriculum to meet requirements will not be considered. Thereafter only of their.

5 5 HRMALL6/302/4/ s to be phased out Last date for first-time registration Final date for completion of New to replace current Articulation with other General comments in will be BTech Development) December 2012 None Registration for postgraduate possible.* First-time s year for all students who fully comply with the requirements. Students still needing prerequisites from the National Diploma curriculum to meet requirements will not be considered. Thereafter only of their. in will be BTech December 2012 None Registration for postgraduate possible.* First-time s year for all students who fully comply with the requirements. Students still needing prerequisites from the National Diploma curriculum to meet requirements will not be considered. Thereafter only

6 6 BCom Honours (Business (with specialisation in Human MTech Development) (only pipeline students) Last date for first-time registration No new registrations will be allowed in (only pipeline students). s to be phased out Final date for completion of December 2013 Course work to be completed by December and research report by December New to replace current BCom Honours (Business None Articulation with other Students who do not complete this may articulate into the BCom Honours (Business, provided the relevant requirements are met. The number of modules that transferred, will be determined based on individual academic records. No articulation will be possible.* General comments of their. in will be First-time s year. Thereafter only of their. in will be Registration for the MTech programmes has already closed and no new s will be allowed. * Graduates of these programmes who wish to pursue further studies within the new Unisa PQM may need to comply with a range of prerequisites from other curricula, and other requirements to meet criteria for the new. Such cases will need to be considered on an individual basis.

7 7 HRMALL6/302/4/ As the schematic representation in section 3 indicates, a number of new and revised will be introduced in This new PQM for HR includes the following: Diploma in Human Management BCom BCom Honours (Business Postgraduate Diploma in Human Management Postgraduate Diploma in Human Development Postgraduate Diploma in Labour Relations Management MPhil in Human Development New/revised Commencement date General information 2012 This will replace the current National Diploma in Human Management The curriculum for the current BCom with specialisation in Human Management (see table above for information on the teach-out plan and possible articulation) will be updated and introduced from The curriculum of the current BCom Honours (Business (with specialisation options in various areas such as human resource management see table above for information on the teach-out plan and possible articulation) will be updated and introduced from Although specialisation modules in HRM chosen, a BCom Honours in Business Management will be awarded New 2012 New 2012 New 2015 This new entails a directed specialist master's programme comprising a course-work component and a dissertation of limited scope. The School of Management Sciences will continue to offer the current MCom (Business degree, for which students may elect to do research in the field of human resource management. The University also aims to introduce MPhil and PhD degrees in future. Please note that the above changes will come into effect on the stipulated date(s), subject to the approval of such changes by the Department of Higher Education and Training and the Council on Higher Education. Should there be any changes, you will be informed accordingly. 5 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Below we provide answers to some questions that are frequently asked regarding the transition to the new programme mix. If your enquiries are too specific to fall under any of these general answers (and may even not be satisfactorily answered by the Unisa call-centre advisors), we encourage you to contact the Department directly for advice. Question 1 I am a third-year student in the National Diploma and will not finish before. What are my options? Answer You will be required to before the end of All first-level modules need to be completed by the end of 2012, second-level modules by the end of 2013, and third-level modules by the end of If you have not completed the by this date, you will no longer be able to do so.

8 8 Question 2 Will I be able to do the new Postgraduate Diploma after completion of my "old" National Diploma? Answer You may then elect to register for the new Diploma in Human Management. However, as there is very little overlap between the curricula for the two, and the levels and credits for the modules differ, only a limited number of modules will be transferred to the new. No, unfortunately not, since the requirements specify a completed bachelor s degree. The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy guidelines may help you to obtain, and each application will be assessed on its own merits based on your academic records and prior learning and experience. 3 Will my National Diploma become obsolete? No, your completed National Diploma will not become obsolete and will retain its full academic value and relevance in accordance with its registration and accreditation by the South African s Authority (SAQA) and the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) on the National s Framework (NQF). Its status for purposes of professional registration with the SABPP will also remain unchanged. 4 Will I be able to articulate into the BCom programme with my National Diploma, or will I need the new Diploma in HRM in order to migrate to the BCom stream? 5 I am busy with my BTech degree but don t think I will complete it in the period stipulated. What will happen to my studies? 6 I have completed my BTech degree and wish to study further in the HR field. Since the MTech stream will no longer exist in the HEQF, what are my options? Yes, you will be able articulate into the BCom degree. However, no more than 50% credits will be granted for completed. The purpose and learning outcomes of the National Diploma differ significantly from those of the BCom, and since the curriculum for the National Diploma consists of year modules and that for the BCom of semester modules with different credit values (1 credit = 10 notional hours of study), the granting of credits for individual modules is quite complex. If you have not completed the curriculum by the official teach-out date of 2012, you will need to register for non-degree purposes for equivalent modules of the Postgraduate Diploma curricula. Once these modules have been passed, you will receive credit for the required old BTech module and graduate with the BTech. With the discontinuation of the MTech specialist master's programmes the current options for postgraduate studies in the HRM field are limited to the BCom Honours (Business, for which you may elect Human Management modules, MCom (Business and PhD programmes, for which you may elect to do research in the field of human resource management. Admission to the MCom programme from the BTech is possible; each applicant will be considered based on his/her individual merits and academic record to determine possible prerequisites with regard to meeting entry requirements. The introduction of a course-work based master's programme with specialisation in Human Development is planned for If I register for the old curriculum of the BCom in From 2012 you may at any time choose to articulate

9 9 HRMALL6/302/4/ Question, and I know I will not finish by the official date for completion, will I have to change over to the new curriculum? Also, will I receive credits for modules completed? 8 I am busy with my Honours and don t know if I will finish in the teach-out period. If I have to change to the curriculum for the new honours programme, will I need to do the research proposal and research report that will form part of the new honours curriculum? Answer into the BCom, provided you meet the relevant requirements. The number of modules that transferred will be determined based on individual academic records. From 2012 you will at any time be able to choose to articulate into the BCom Honours (Business, provided you meet the relevant requirements. The number of modules that transferred will be determined based on individual academic records. You will have to research methodology module, research proposal and research report that form part of the new. 6 CONCLUDING REMARKS We can assure you that Unisa will continue to offer a comprehensive range of relevant high-quality in the field of Human Management that are benchmarked against the competency requirements of the different levels of professional registration of the South African Board for Personnel Practice and international best-practice standards. The new will fully address industry, business and market needs. We invite you to join us on this journey towards achieving your academic and career goals in this exciting field. Kind regards Prof HWE Schenk CHAIR OF DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT UNISA