The MQF is designed to be a unified system of qualifications offered on a national basis by all educational and training institutions which include colleges, universities, vocational institutions, professional organisations and other higher educational institutions in both the public and private sector as well as workplace training and life long learning experiences. An MQF secures the standards of qualifications and reinforce policies on quality assurance; ensures accuracy and consistency of nomenclature of qualifications; supports flexible education by providing typical learning pathways and recognising prior learning (RPL); encourages partnerships between public and private sector, links non degree with undergraduate and postgraduate levels; encourages parity of esteem among academic, professional and vocational qualifications; establishes a common currency for credit accumulation and transfer; provides clear and accessible public information; facilitates, where applicable, the presentation of the intended outcomes of qualifications in forms that enable professionalbodies to gauge their contribution to professional formation and articulates links with qualifications from other countries. The MQF is sufficiently flexible to accommodate new kinds of qualification that may arise from time to time.

In developing the single interconnected structure, nationally endorsed criteria for naming, positioning and linking all qualifications are necessary. The "architecture" of the MQF requires understanding of its foundation, principally expressed as competency standards or learning outcomes, the volume of academic volume expressed as credits in terms of total student effort to achieve the learning outcomes,the purpose and character of the qualifications and consistency of nomenclature. Based on these criteria the MQF is
composed of the Certificate (vocational and higher education), Diploma and Advanced Diploma, Bachelor (Hons), Masters, PhD and earned higher doctorates and "conversion" awards named Graduate Certificate and Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma.

1. MQF - Position paper >> 2. Post MQF>> 3. MQF May 2004>>