Doctor of Music

This qualification includes the various specialisations in Music. Please refer to "Notes" for details on the specialisations.

The first purpose of the qualification is to provide qualifiers with postgraduate-level knowledge, specific skills and applied competence in a number of specialist areas within Music that provide opportunities for continued personal intellectual growth, gainful economic activity and rewarding contributions to society. The qualification represents planned learning outcomes, namely that the learner will be qualified to render holistic, integrated and intersectoral services, reflecting diversity, accessibility, and equal distribution of resources for all South Africans. The outcomes are designed to promote lifelong learning.

The second purpose of the qualification is to provide South Africa with significant numbers of experts in Music in order to ensure that the local and international leadership base of innovative and knowledge based scholarly activity is widened.

The third purpose of the qualification is to provide South Africa with a cadre of specialists in the field of research, facilitation, development, management, and service provision, who will contribute to a continuously growing understanding of their chosen field of expertise.

Matriculation certificate

First degree

Honours degree: Only if applicable to the specific course of study

Master's degree: Any appropriate Master's qualification at NQF Level 7 expressing the applicant's competence and ability to do independent research and work in the field of Music

Other

Equivalent qualifications at other tertiary institutions presented NQF Level 7 and expressing the applicant's competence and ability to do independent research

The D Mus graduate demonstrates

• Expert, highly specialised and advanced research, both across the major discipline and interdisciplinary.
• Planning, resourcing, managing, and optimising all aspects of processes engaged in, within complex and unpredictable contexts.
• Complete accountability for determining, achieving, evaluating, and applying all personal and/or group output.
• Academic leadership, and senior managerial occupation, and in-depth knowledge in a complex and specialised area of the field in question.
• The generation, evaluation, and synthesis of information and concepts at highly abstract levels applying critical thinking and expertise problem solving competencies.
• The creation of responses to abstract problems that expand or redefine existing knowledge, and the competence to integrate and apply theoretical knowledge and research findings within the relevant local and global context as well as across disciplines.
• Sensitivity with regard to the ethical implications of research, consideration for socially relevant issues and research needs in South Africa, and the ability to relate these issues to international contexts.
• The ability to write a comprehensive and systematic report on a research project in the format of a doctoral dissertation, and the competence to write research articles and other scientific reports suitable for publication in refereed journals.

Critical cross-field outcomes

Critical cross-field outcomes for this programme include but are not limited to various competencies and applied competencies such as:

• identifying and solving problems in which responses display that responsible decisions using critical and creative thinking have been made concerning solutions for problems related to individuals, groups, families, communities and people with special needs;
• work intersectorally with other disciplines as a member of a team, group, organisation, community in both the public and private sectors;
• demonstrate an understanding of the interaction between systems from an ecological approach by understanding social needs, problems and resource capacity within an international, national and local context;
• develop holistic, integrated strategies and programmes for social sciences founded on the collection, analyses, organising, implementation and critical evaluation of theory, information and processes;
• demonstrate effective utilisation of technology for strategies aimed at extenuation of the social sciences and science in general;
• organise and manage their work load responsibly and effectively by means of a scheduled programme allowing for a learning environment such as reading scientific journals in the field as well as becoming a member of professional bodies, attending seminars and conferences, doing research and rendering voluntary services to facilitate professional growth and development;
• communicate effectively with people of all target groups, including literate, illiterate, children and the youth, using visual and language skills in the modes of oral and/or written persuasion;
• contribute to the full personal development of each learner regarding strategies for learning, such as furthering a culture of life-long learning, scientific involvement, expressing a non-discriminating attitude across a range of social contexts based on the value of social justice and a sensitivity for cultural diversity, and to explore and develop career opportunities such as entrepreneurial initiatives to promote social and economical independence and opportunities for personal development.

To meet the requirements for the DMus qualification the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes of the learner are assessed on the basis of:

• performance during oral presentations in front of peers and/or experts
• performance during a formal defence of the dissertation before a panel of assessors
• written outputs in the format of essays and reports (including sections and/or chapters of the dissertation)
• the doctoral thesis, being the culmination of all research efforts

The assessment will be criteria-based, and reliability will be ensured by both internal and external moderation

Integrated assessment

Portfolios

Work-place assessments (if required by the research topic or the discipline)

Written examinations (the thesis)

Oral examinations

Other

The modalities for integrated assessment permit the candidate to demonstrate applied competence. Mainly formative methods set according to specific guidelines and methods related to credentialing the critical exit-level and cross-field outcomes appropriate to contextual and situational achievements are recognised.

In addition to the above, modalities such as group discussions, presentations in front of peers and experts, and official defence of the proposed thesis of the doctoral dissertation may also be used.

Final assessment by expert external assessors, both academic and non-academic, will be done of the thesis.