KIGALI INSTITUTE FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK

January 2006

KIST Qualifications Framework

1. Introduction

• Knowledge and understanding – complexity and depth of knowledge
• Professional practice (the range and sophistication of applied knowledge and understanding)
• Generic cognitive skills, e.g. evaluation and critical skills
• Communication, numeracy and IT skills
• Autonomy, accountability and working with others
• Awards of the Institute

All awards of the Institute, with the exception of Masters by Research, MPhil by Research and PhD, which are research degrees, are credit based, using the Rwandan Higher Education Levels from the Rwandan Qualifications Framework, and conform to the NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION framework. The awards that are available are set out in Appendix 2.

Table 1 sets out the framework for awards including minimum credit and level of credit for each award. Appendix 3 outlines the KIST generic qualification descriptors in line with the National Council for Higher Education requirements..

3. Structure of Taught Awards
3.1 Semesters
The academic year shall be divided into two semesters of 15 weeks. Academic work and assessments will be carried out within the semester in which the module is taught and completed, unless the module runs over 2 semesters in the same academic year. The long vacation will be used by full time students on taught Masters of Science (named subject), Management (named subject) and Technology (named subject) to do their dissertation.

3.2 Courses
Academic study shall be organised into courses based on a standard unit of 20 credits, each involving 200 hours of notional student learning effort. 10 credits, 20 credit, 30 credit, 40 credit, 50 and 60 credit courses will be permitted. All courses will be taught and assessed at one level.

Staff teaching on level 5 and 6 courses must normally be engaged in research and/or consultancy in their area(s) of specialisation. All staff supervising dissertations/projects at levels 5 and 6, MPhil and doctoral candidates must be engaged in relevant research that is producing publications of peer review quality. All other academic staff must be engaged in scholarly activities to ensure that they are up to date with the cutting knowledge and methods of enquiry in their subject/discipline.

3.3 Credit Weighting
Courses are valued in terms of credit. One credit is equated to 10 hours of notional student learning effort. One academic year of full-time undergraduate study is equivalent to 120 credits. One calendar year of full-time postgraduate study is equivalent to 180 credits. Two academic years of full time postgraduate study is equivalent to 240 credits. The M Prof is studied over two calendar years and is equivalent to 360 credits and the Prof D is studied over three calendar years and is equivalent to 540 credits.

Credit points are used to quantify the outcomes of learning. These general credits are given to outcomes that are subject to valid reliable methods of assessment.

The number of credits is worked out on the basis of the amount of time that an ‘average’ learner at a specified level might be expected to take to achieve the outcomes. In common with other credit systems, the KIST CQF works on the basis that one credit represents the outcomes of learning achieved through a notional 10 hours of learning time. However this is merely a guide and no credits are added or taken away if more or less time is taken to achieve the outcomes. No credits are ‘earned’ if the learning outcomes are not achieved.

Courses in postgraduate masters programmes will be offered at RHE 6, but subject to students achieving the minimum number of credits required at that level, may include courses at levels RHE 5.

Doctoral programmes that are credit weighted will be mainly at RHE 7 but may include credit rated at RHE 6.

3.5 Acceptance of an Award
If a student accepts an award below Honours degree, this will not preclude the student from re-enrolling and completing a subsequent level of the award. However, a student is only able to attend the graduation ceremony for a particular programme on one occasion.

Table 1 Qualifications of KIST : KIST Credit Accumulation and Modular Scheme

• All undergraduate programmes in the Institute are based on the Institute Credit Accumulation and Modular Scheme as outlined above
• Entry to programmes of study in the scheme will be based on the Institute’s Admission Policy and General Entrance Requirement.
• Students may study full-time or part-time, on campus, at the work place, by distance learning or by a combination of delivery modes.
• Normally a student will study for a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 4 years full-time for a KIST Bachelors Degree and a minimum of 4 years and a maximum of 5 years for a KIST Bachelors Degree with Honours. A part-time student will normally study for a minimum of 4 years and a maximum of 5 years for a KIST Bachelors Degree and a minimum of 6 years and a maximum of 7 years for a KIST Bachelors Degree with Honours. However a student may apply for an extended period of registration and this will not normally be refused. The Institute, however, does not guarantee that a particular programme will remain in approval indefinitely.

• All students will normally register initially for the degree.
• Progress to the Honours Degree programme will be dependent on the student’s performance at RHE1-3. To progress to the honours route a student must have obtained a grade of at least 60 percent in all courses taken at RHE1, 2, and 3

4.2 All programmes may have approved single honours, major, joint and minor pathways.
A major will normally comprise 200 credits in the major subject for a degree and 260 for a degree with honours. Of the total credit required for a major subject of a degree, at least 40 credits must be at Level 4. Of the total credit for a major subject of an honours degree, a minimum of 120 Credits must be a Levels 4 and 5 of which 80 must be at Level 5.

Table 2 Major, Joint and Minor Credit

Note: credit at a higher level can be substituted for that at a lower level

4.3 All programmes of study will enable students to have the opportunity to gain academic credit for work experience, community placement and French or English Language study

4.4 All students in the honours year will take a dissertation/project course. Students on a major/minor programme will undertake a dissertation/project in their major subject. Students on a joint or triple minor programme will either undertake a dissertation/project in one of the subjects they are studying or undertake a dissertation that draws on 2 of the subjects they are studying.

5. Taught Post-graduate Modular Framework
5.1 All taught postgraduate programmes in the Institute are based on the Institute Credit Accumulation and Modular Scheme as outlined in Table 1.

• Students may study full-time or part-time on campus, at the work place, by distance learning or by a combination of delivery modes. Normally a student will study for a minimum of one calendar year full-time or two years part-time. There will be no maximum period of registration.

5.3 Postgraduate taught programmes normally provide the following exit awards:
Postgraduate Certificate

5.4 The integrated Masters degrees are approved Masters awards which follow an approved route from RHE1 to RHE7.. These awards require that the student gains 600 credits with 120 at RHE7 and the remaining credits conform to those required for the Degree with Honours. The general structure and progression requirements conform to those outlined in Section 4 with progression to the Masters stage of the programme based on obtaining sufficient credit for the Degree with Honours (480). Integrated Masters programmes normally consist of the equivalent of 5 years full-time study.

• The Masters degree will include a dissertation with a credit rating of a minimum of 60 credits. Full-time students will normally take taught courses over two semesters and complete the dissertation over the long vacation. Part-time students will normally take taught courses over four semesters. They may begin the dissertation in the third semester of study and complete it over the long vacation
• The MPhil (taught) degree will include a dissertation with a credit rating of a minimum of 60 credits. Full time students will normally take taught courses over two or three semesters and a dissertation over one or two. Part-time students will normally take taught courses over 4 or 5 semesters and undertake work for their dissertation over the long vacations.
• It will, with academic guidance, be permitted for students to combine courses from two or more approved postgraduate programmes to build up the credit for an exit award. An appropriate Programme Board will recommend the title of the exit award to Senate for approval. Work based and negotiated courses may be combined with taught courses.
• There will be no progression points in taught postgraduate programmes of study. A student who is not making academic progress will be appropriately advised.

The regulations for these awards will be contained in the Regulations for the Award of the Institute’s Research Degrees

7. Master by Research, Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy by Previously Produced Works

The regulations for these awards will be contained in the Regulations for the Award of the Institute's Research Degrees.

Within the table above, at any level, credit at a higher level may substitute for the minimum credit required at that level to achieve an award

At any level, credit at a higher level may substitute for the minimum credit required at that level to progress. Normally students must have gained 100 credits at a level, except RHE3 where the requirement is 40 credits, before taking courses credited at a higher level.