Changingthe New Zealand Master’s Degree Definition
Introduction
NZQA is seeking comment on a proposal to change the definition of New Zealand Master’s Degrees to allowshorter Master’s Degrees comprising 180 creditsfollowingcompletion of a 360-credit[1]BachelorDegree. NZQA is also seeking comment on:
- whether to restrict 180-credit Master’s Degrees to students that have completed a Bachelor Degree‘at a specified level of attainment’
- minor clarifications of current credit and admission requirements for Master’s Degrees that do not change substance or intent.
Development
The consultation proposal follows a recommendationto allow 180-credit Master’s Degrees that NZQA received in June 2012 from Universities New Zealand (the New Zealand Universities Vice-Chancellors’ Committee), subsequent to their consultation with universities.
Under the Education Act 1989, the rules for qualifications, including the qualification definitions within theNew Zealand Qualifications Framework, apply to schools and all tertiary education institutions, including universities, institutes of technology and polytechnics, wānanga, private training establishments and government training establishments.
Changing the definition of a New ZealandMaster’s DegreerequiresNZQA Board and Ministerial approval because it involves changing the rules for listing Master’s Degrees on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework.
Current definition and rules for Master’s Degrees
Currently, the New ZealandMaster’s Degree comprises at least 240 credits in total, except where it builds on four years of prior study at BachelorDegree level or above, in which cases it can be fewer than 240, but no fewer than 120, credits. It must include a minimum of 40 credits at level 9 with the remainder at level 8.
There are three types of Master’s Degree: by thesis, by coursework and thesis, and by coursework. If the Degree is by thesis, or coursework and thesis, it must contain a piece of scholarly research of at least 90 credits at level 9.
The proposal would not change any of the current requirements for the proportion of credits at level 9 in a Master’s Degree and New Zealand institutions will still be able to offer 240-credit (or plus) Master’s Degrees. Neither is NZQA proposing to change the current minimum entry qualification for a Master’s Degree, which is aBachelorDegree or equivalent.
The consultation proposal
NZQA is proposing to allow Master’s Degrees comprising at least 180 credits following completion of a 360-credit Bachelors Degree. The current Master’s Degree qualification definition, with deleted text and additional options indicating the proposed changes, is presented as anAppendix.
A specified level of attainment for the previous Bachelors Degree
NZQA is also considering a Universities New Zealand recommendation that entry to a 180-credit Master’s Degree must follow a three-year Bachelors Degree ‘completed at a specified level of attainment’. Universities New Zealand has explained this rule would trigger providers to specify an entry requirement (for example a ‘B’ grade-point average) for the shorter Master’s Degree, which would then be subject to a case-by-case programme approval process by NZQA or the Committee for University Academic Programmes (CUAP).
An alternative is to make completion of a Bachelors Degree the sole prerequisite within the rules and for providers to determine any higher entry requirements. Providers are already required to specify entry requirements in the programme approval process.
Two options are presented for your comment. The first option is Universities New Zealand’s preferred wording; while the second option is based on completion of a Bachelors Degree.
Option one / A Master’s degree must comprise at least 240 credits, except:- where it builds on four years of prior study at Bachelor Degree level or above, in which case it can be fewer than 240, but no fewer than 120, credits
- where it builds on a three-year Bachelor Degree or equivalent completed at a specified level of attainment, in which cases it can be fewer than 240 but no fewer than 180 credits.
Option two / A Master’s Degree must comprise at least 180 credits following completion of a 360-credit Bachelors Degree, except where it builds on four years of prior study at Bachelor Degree level or above, in which case it can be fewer than 180, but no fewer than 120, credits.
NZQA is interested in your views on the options. Please note that the Australian Qualifications Framework does not have a ‘specified level of attainment’ entry requirement for the Master’s Degree, while in the United Kingdom entry requirements to the Master’s Degree are normally determined by the institution.
Minor clarificationsto wording on credit requirements in each type of degree
NZQA is proposing a minor clarification of the wording on the 90-credit requirement for the piece of scholarly research in the ‘Master’s by thesis or primarily by thesis’. The proposedwording, whichis more consistent with the CUAP definition, would be as follows:
The degree includes 120 credits of which at least 90 credits (at level 9) consists at least 90 credits at level 9 consisting of a research project…
NZQA has also deleted repetitive wording on the credit requirements for each type of Master’s Degree.
Minor clarification to wording on admission to a Master’s Degree
NZQA is also proposing a very minor change to the ‘admission requirements for an individual’,changing it from a footnote into substantive text, to clarify that individual admission will continue to be based on the prospective student’s academic record.
Purpose of the Proposal for a 180-credit Master’s Degree
An internationally competitive model
A key driver for the proposal is to enhance the international competitiveness of New Zealand Master’s Degrees, which are generally longer than in a number of other countries that New Zealand commonly compares itself with, includingAustralia, the United Kingdom and Canada.
The proposal to allow shorter Master’s Degrees would put New Zealand on a par with Australian Qualifications Framework specifications, through allowing award of a Master’s Degree after a total of four-and-a-half years of degree level study[2]. The United Kingdom would remain more generous than New Zealand as it allows a ‘taught’ Master’s Degree to be awarded after a total of four years university study.
A shorter Master’s Degree is likely to assist in attracting increased numbers of international students to New Zealand, which is currently disadvantaged in the postgraduate market by its more restrictive Master’s Degree definition. New Zealand’s export education industry would then be better placed to respond to the Government’s International Education Leadership Statement Goal to grow the value of export education over the next 15 years.
Table 1 summarises minimum credit requirements for overseas Master’s Degrees, compared to the current New Zealand definition and the proposed change.
Table 1 – Summary of Minimum Credit Requirements for Master’s Degrees
Australia / United Kingdom / Current New Zealand / ProposalAt least 1.5 years following a level 7 qualification; 1 year following a level 8; / at least one full-time calendar year for graduates with a Bachelor's degree with honours (but ‘honours’ is not an additional year); / at least 240 credits, except where it builds on four years of prior study at Bachelor Degree level or above, in which case it can be fewer than 240, but no fewer than 120, credits / at least 180 credits following completion of a 360-credit Bachelors Degreeexcept where it builds on four years of prior study at Bachelor Degree level or above, in which case it can be fewer than 180, but no fewer than 120, credits.
Alignment with international changes to coursework Master’s Degrees
The proposal aligns with international changes to the nature of Master’s Degrees, and allows New Zealand institutions to keep pace with these changes. Internationally, Master’s Degree programmes have become increasingly diverse in order to meet differing and specific labour-market needs. Coursework Master’s Degrees have proved especially popular with international students in other countries, as noted here:
There is a strong preference from international students for Coursework Masters in fields considered to be more directly related to opportunities in the labour market (Rogers, 2008).
For all students, whether domestic or international, there is an opportunity cost in studying as students forgo potential earnings in pursuit of higher learning. Shorter coursework Master’s Degrees, like those typically offered by Australian universities, are likely to appeal to students wishing to develop advanced vocational knowledge and skills within a compacted and efficient timeframe.
Research into the international competitiveness and comparability of the New Zealand Master’s Degreehas found that the proportion of coursework Master’s Degrees offered at New Zealand universities to be comparatively low, at only 31.2 per cent (Rogers, 2008). This compares with Australia and the United Kingdom where coursework Master’s Degrees make up more than 95 per cent of the total Master’s Degreeprogrammes offered.
Research-based Master’s Degrees are protected
The proposed change to the New Zealand Master’s Degree definition would still protect and underpin the important contribution that postgraduate research makes to New Zealand industry,economy and society. The 90-credit piece of scholarly research required in the Master’s Degree by thesis, and/or by coursework and thesis,will continue to be the accepted pathway to doctoral study. Whiledegree-awarding institutions are increasingly likely to offer Master’sDegrees by coursework, research-rich Master’s Degrees would remain firmly anchored within institutions’ wider research programmes and continue to inform their coursework Master’s programmes.
Compatibility with the Bologna process
NZQA is comfortable that the proposed move to shorten Master’s Degrees would not be at the expense of New Zealand’s international reputation for quality Degree programmes. The proposed change to the Master’s Degree definition is within the minimum length of Master’s Degreesagreed within the ‘Bologna process’. Master’s Degrees, or the ‘2nd cycle’in the Bologna process are between 180 and 240 New Zealand credits (i.e. 90-120 credits in the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS).
New Zealandbecame aligned to the Bologna process by acceding, in 2008, to the Conventionon the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education in the European Region, commonly known as the Lisbon Convention. The Bologna process describes three ‘cycles’ of degree-level qualifications: 1st cycle BachelorDegrees, 2nd cycle Master’s Degrees, and 3rd cycle Doctoral Degrees. This common description of the typical level and length of degrees enhances qualification comparabilityand labour market mobility, amongst Bologna process participants.
NZQA is not proposing a change to New Zealand’s relatively transparent rules about the minimum proportion of credits the highest level in the Master’s Degree. The requirement for 40 credits at level 9, and the rest at level 8, is within typical international parameters for Master’s Degrees (it is important to note that most overseas Master’s Degrees, including the Bologna ones, do not differentiate between level 8 and level 9 and therefore the relative proportions of levels 8 and 9, in the same way that New Zealand does).
Focus on outcomes maintained
The New Zealand Qualifications Framework definitions are focused on the outcomes of qualifications, and this is not set tochange. A New Zealand Master’s Degree graduate is able to demonstrate ‘mastery’ of their subject field and the Master’s Degreewill continue to qualify individuals who apply an advanced body of knowledge in a range of contexts for research, a pathway for further learning, professional practice and/or scholarship.
Next steps
Feedback from the sector will inform final proposals for approval from the NZQA Board and the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, which is anticipated in late September or in October 2012.
Selected resources
Australian Qualifications Framework Council. (2011). Australian Qualifications Framework.
European Higher Education Area (2005).The framework of qualifications for the European Higher Education Area.
Quality Assurance Agency. (2010). Masters Degree Characteristics. [United Kingdom]
Rogers, T. (2008). New ZealandUniversity Masters Degrees: An Assessment of their position and opportunities in the global market. A report commissioned by Education New Zealand, prepared by Tim Rogers, International Education Consultants, UK. (2008)
How to provide feedback
Written submissions are welcomed and a separate questionnaire is provided for your feedback. While electronic responses are preferred, we also accept hard-copy responses. If you are sending your submission as an attachment to an email, please send it as a word or rtf document, rather than a pdf.
Please email feedback to
Or post to:Consultation: Master’s Degrees Definition
Quality Assurance Division
NZQA
PO Box 160
Wellington 6140
Please provide feedback by Thursday 13 September 2012.
Consultation questions
- What, in your view, would be the impact on New Zealand’s international competitiveness and comparability, if NZQA allows 180-credit Master’s Degrees?
- What do you regard as the likely impact of the proposal on New Zealand institutions?
- Please explain your preference for either of the following options:
- Option One – entry requirements are left to individual providers to specify, as long as they are based on completion of a Bachelors Degree; or
- Option Two - entry to a 180-credit Master’s Degreemust follow a three-year Bachelors Degree completed at a specified level of attainment (such as a grade point average) that is subject to programme approval by NZQA or CUAP?
- Can you identify any concerns with the proposed minor wording changes:
- on credit requirements for a Master’s Degree by thesis or primarily by thesis;
- that delete repetitive wording on credit requirements for each type of degree; and
- on individual admission requirements?
You are welcome to provide any further comments on the proposal.
Appendix
ProposedChanges to the Definition of a New Zealand Master’s Degree
The following definition of the New Zealand Master’s Degree is an excerpt from the NZQA document The New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQA, April 2011, p22), with deleted text or additional options indicating the proposed changes.
Master’s Degree
Purpose
A Master’s Degree qualifies individuals who apply an advanced body of knowledge in arange of contexts for research, a pathway for further learning, professional practice and/orscholarship.
Master’s Degrees usually build on a BachelorDegree, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor HonoursDegree or a Postgraduate Diploma. They may also build on extensive professionalexperience of an appropriate kind. Their outcomes are demonstrably in advance ofundergraduate study, and require individuals to engage in research and/or advancedscholarship.
Master’s Degrees are constituted in one discipline or coherent programme of study. Theymay be undertaken by taught courses or research, or by a combination of both.
Credit requirements
The Master’s Degree must include a minimum of 40 credits at level 9 with the remainderat level 8.
Option one / It comprises at least 240 credits, except:- where it builds on four years of prior study at Bachelor Degree level or above, in which case it can be fewer than 240, but no fewer than 120, credits
- where it builds on a three-year Bachelor Degree or equivalent completed at a specified level of attainment, in which cases it can be fewer than 240 but no fewer than 180 credits.
Option two / It comprises at least 180 credits following completion of a 360-credit Bachelors Degree, except where it builds on four years of prior study at Bachelor Degree level or above, in which case it can be fewer than 180, but no fewer than 120, credits.
Master’s Degrees are structured in three principal ways:
By thesis or primarily by thesis
Entry to a Master’s Degree by thesis is normally based on a BachelorHonours Degree or aPostgraduate Diploma in the same field of study. The degree includes 120 credits of which at least 90 credits (at level 9) consists at least 90 credits at level 9 consisting of a research project presented in the form of athesis, dissertation, substantial research paper or scholarly creative work.
By coursework and thesis
Entry to a Master’s Degree by coursework and thesis is normally based on anundergraduate degree in the same field of study. The degree includes 240 credits of whichat least 90 credits at level 9 are in the form of a thesis, dissertation, substantial researchpaper or scholarly creative work, withthe remaining up to 150 credits are from coursework.
By coursework
Entry to a Master’s Degree by coursework worth 120 to 240 credits is normally based onan undergraduate degree. The degree is achieved through coursework consisting ofcourses, project work and research in varying combinations. It may build onundergraduate study in the same academic field, or it may build on the more genericgraduate attributes of an undergraduate degree in other fields, or in some cases on relevantprofessional experience. Master’s Degrees that build on generic attributes and/orexperience (often called “conversion Master’s”) are usually in professional fields and arerecognised as appropriate professional preparation by the profession or industryconcerned.
Entry
Providers of coursesapproved programmes leading to Master’s qualifications are responsible for establishingentry requirements.
The minimum entry qualification for a 240credit Master’s Degree is aBachelorDegree or equivalent[3].
Option one / For a Master’s Degree of fewer than 240 credits but no fewer than 120 credits is either a Bachelor Honours Degree or a Postgraduate Diploma or an undergraduate degree followed by relevant professional experience. For a Master’s Degree of fewer than 240 credits but no fewer than 180 credits, the entry qualification is a Bachelor Degree or an equivalent qualification completed at a specified level of attainment.Option two / The minimum entry qualification for a Master’s Degree of fewer than 180 credits but no fewer than 120 credits is either a Bachelor Honours Degree or a Postgraduate Diploma or an undergraduate degree followed by relevant professional experience.
An applicant who holds either a Bachelor Honours Degree or a Postgraduate Certificate orPostgraduate Diploma may be exempted from all or some of the taught courses in a Master’s Degree.
Admission to a Master’s Degree is based on the evaluation of documentary evidence (including the academic record) of the individual applicant’s ability to undertake postgraduate study in a specialist field of enquiry or professional practice. The individual applicant must have attained, through formal study, professional or other experience, a high order of knowledge about the principal subject(s), and have demonstrated interest in, and an aptitude for, scholarship.