Postgraduate Diploma in Economic Journalism

Purpose

The Purpose of the Qualification, closely tied to the rationale, is both to enhance learners' career prospects as well as the social value of their work. Learners of the qualification will know how to apply what they have learnt to report intelligently, intelligibly, and in an informed and reflective way, on a wide range of events and issues within the economics sphere.

Rationale

The Rationale for this qualification is to educate journalists in South Africa and the continent in a field that has become increasingly relevant in the modern era, as evidenced by the burgeoning of publications and broadcast news media devoted to business. A vibrant business media serves to bolster development efforts on the continent by boosting an often underdeveloped private sector. This qualification can contribute to greater racial balance in the news rooms of the media, overcoming the imbalance that was created by apartheid.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Recognition of Prior Learning will be such that learners with high potential to complete the course, thanks to experience in journalism, will be considered for the course.

Entry requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Bachelor of Journalism, NQF Level 7.

Level, credits and learning components assigned to the Qualification

The qualification comprises four modules, each worth 24 Credits, and a capstone project, also worth 24 Credits.

The Exit Level Outcomes and the Associated Assessment Criteria are fully spelled out in the module descriptions that accompany the accreditation application.

Assessment in the qualification is viewed as part of the learning process rather than an end in itself, and in the service of the learner, as articulated in the Guidelines to Integrated Assessment. Assessment will be formative and summative, aided in a great measure by the envisaged small number of learners on the qualification at any given time.