General
Makerere’s Doctoral Completion Rates Improve
“By the power of the authority vested in me, I confer upon you the Degree of the Doctor of Philosopy of Makerere University,” declares the Chancellor as he confers a Doctoral Degree upon a successful candidate, on completion of his/her study.
“By the power of the authority vested in me, I confer upon you the Degree of the Doctor of Philosopy of Makerere University,” declares the Chancellor as he confers a Doctoral Degree upon a successful candidate, on completion of his/her study.
To the casual observer, this doctoral award process is all too repetitive and laborious, considering that the Masters and Bachelors awards are done en mass! Unknown to them however, this unique award practice is just the tip of the iceberg, the icing on the cake that has taken over five and in some cases seven years of careful planning, meticulous research, laborious poring over countless theses, books and stacks of references, and finally fervent and on occasion argumentative defence of your work before a panel of experts.
Makerere produces the highest number of PhDs in the region, with this year’s tally alone coming 57. However, this figure could have even been higher, had more candidates managed to complete in time. This 
was the focus of the 8th PhD Dissemination series featuring Mr. Robert Wamala from the School of Statistics and Planning, College of Business and Management Sciences. Mr Wamala’s paper; Likelihood of Completion and Extended Candidature of a PhD: A Five-year Analysis of Studies at Makerere University was based on data from 295 doctoral students at Makerere University in the enrolment cohorts from 2000 to 2005.
In his remarks, Mr. Alfred Masikye Namoah the Academic Registrar, noted the importance of dissemination, as an avenue of public information, so as to help turn research into policy and hence help increase Makerere University’s visibility and relevance to the community.
Dr. Bruno Ocaya , Senior Lecturer-School of Statistics and Planning and Mr. Wamala’s supervisor, commended him for his persistent research, whose data is now being used to teach fellow graduate students, unlike in the past where data from institutions outside Uganda was used.
Mr. Robert Wamala started off his presentation by objecting to the assertion that Makerere’s doctoral completion rates had declined over the last 5years, as his research had proved otherwise. He then observed that whereas academic scholarships made life easier for candidates at Makerere, extended candidature was more common among science-based, financially supported candidates. And while a high Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is every undergraduate student’s dream, Mr. Wamala observed that this CGPA was not a strong determinant of timely completion. Candidates with relatively low CGPA on enrollment had the same completion times and sometimes even better ones than their counterparts who had higher CGPAs.
He further noted that completion rates are not purely affected by factors within the PhD study but also prior factors such as age; younger candidates had better completion times, and nationality; international students register better completion times than their Ugandan counterparts. Factors during, such as financial support as noted earlier, were only found to actually increase completion time and extend candidature.
Per capita expenditure per student in any country is vital for the promotion of research in Universities. Whereas it was observed that Uganda’s per capita expenditure per student paled in comparison to her South African counterparts, Makerere University’s doctoral completion rates were higher than some South African institutions and her attrition rates fared favourably with other International Universities.
The discussant of the day Dr. Xavier Mugisha a Senior Research Fellow at the Economic Policy Research Centre commended Mr. Wamala for his great presentation, “Robert has done great work, and as far as his paper is concerned, I found it flawless.”
He further congratulated Makerere University on her completion rates considering the support received, but challenged the institution to perform even better. He noted that the institution has a good catchment area with academics that have a drive to succeed and excel. He further noted that with good remuneration, Makerere could easily register the highest doctoral completion rates in Africa.
Professor Buyinza Mukadasi, Deputy Director, Research and Graduate Training (DRGT), Makerere University and the day’s Chief Guest thanked Mr. Wamala for his elaborate presentation and acknowledged that the Directorate would surely benefit from the paper. He reiterated the directorate’s vision to make Makerere the leader in research and graduate training in the region, by ensuring even better completion rates.
Student interaction with peers and faculty is an enhancer of graduate training, and Prof. Buyinza pledged that the Directorate would promote these interactions, as enabling pillars of PhD completion.
Downloads
PhD Abstract-Mr. Robert Wamala: doc(24KB), pdf(11KB)
8th PhD Dissemination Series Programme: pdf(23KB)
8th PhD Dissemination Attrition and Completion Rates: pdf(27KB)
8th PhD Dissemination Attrition and Completion Rates Table: pdf(46KB)
mwamai@admin.mak.ac.ug, Public Relations Office
General
Makerere University and Xiangtan University Advance Strategic Partnership in Chemical Engineering
Makerere University and Xiangtan University are set to update their close to 20-year academic partnership, with a new focus on launching a joint Master’s degree program in Chemical Engineering and expanding student and staff exchange initiatives.
The commitment was reaffirmed during a recent visit by a delegation from Xiangtan University to Makerere University headed by Professor Dingyu Ou, in the company of Mr. Tang Fei and Professor Gilbert Gumshabe, the Chinese and Ugandan Directors of the Confucius Institute at Makerere University respectively.
While addressing the delegation, Professor Nawangwe highlighted that this initiative is part of a broader strategy to diversify academic offerings and contribute to national development through training in Chemical Engineering. Through this new initiative, the University will better prepare graduates for the petrochemical industry and support the country’s industrial growth.
The Vice Chancellor appreciated that the proposed collaboration aims to address Uganda’s growing need for industrial expertise, particularly as the country develops its petroleum sector. The two universities here are working toward a 1+2 training model, which will enable Makerere students to gain practical experience and access advanced laboratory facilities at Xiangtan University.
Professor Nawangwe further reiterated that “our relationship with the people of China, not just for Makerere but also for a big part of Uganda, has been opened wider by the establishment of the Confucius Institute, considering that many other collaborations like one being discussed now have come through this collaboration.”
The head of the Xiangtan delegation, Professor Dingyu Ou, expressed appreciation for the meeting, and acknowledged the history between the institutions. “As mentioned, we have a very long relationship and a very stable friendship between our two universities.”
Professor Ou extended appreciation for the support provided to the Confucius Institute at Makerere, the care shown to his colleagues, and looked forward to the successful start of the Chemical Engineering collaboration.
Assuring the delegation of Makerere’s readiness for the collaboration, Ms. Hawa Ndagire Kajumba the Lead, Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement, Makerere University Advancement Office, aligned with the Vice Chancellor’s emphasis of University goal to have both theory and practice imparted to the students.
She said “the curriculum of the university and Uganda as a whole is moving towards competence-based education training to ensure students are equipped to demonstrate those skills in the actual field, particularly regarding petroleum exploration.”
Ms. Ndagire Kajumba also emphasised a shift in strategy for the partnership office, saying, “we are moving away from just signing MOUs that collect dust, and moving towards those that are more collaborative to benefit our faculty and students, just like this one.”
Professor Gilbert Kumushabe aligned his remarks with those of the Vice Chancellor and Ms. Ndagire Kajumba, and described the method used at Xiangtan University as “actually competence-based teaching.”
Based on his recent visit, Prof. Gumoshabe shared that students in China are divided into groups with dedicated teachers to perform practical, hands-on work beyond the theoretical lecturers. He expressed gladness that the same was being adopted for the Ugandan context.
Both institutions are now working to finalise the specific agreements for the joint degree and exchange programs. Beyond academic training, the collaboration will advance cultural and professional exchange.
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