PHD in Agricultural and Applied Economics

Overview

The origin of the Department of Agricultural Economics dates back to 1970 when the University of Nairobi and the Faculty of Agriculture were established.  Its distinct character for many years was a commitment to provide excellent formal training in Agricultural Economics at the MSc degree level.  In 1999/2000 academic year, the department introduced new undergraduate degree programmes in BSc Agribusiness Management, BSc Agricultural Education and Extension.  The programs rolled out the first undergraduate graduands in 2003/2004.  In 2004/2005 academic year MSc in Agricultural and Applied Economics was launched in the department.  This is a regional program under the name CMAAE offered in 16 universities with a third semester taken at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.  CMAAE first cohort enrolled in 2005/2006.  In 2008/2009, another regional (ASARECA) MSc programme in Agricultural Information and Communication Management (AICM) was rolled out in the department with a distinct focus on enhancement of skills in Agricultural Information.  The first cohort in MSc-AICM enrolled in 2008/2009.  In 2011/2012 BSc Agricultural Extension/Education and MSc-AICM were put in ODEL mode of delivery and progress is underway to put all the programmes under e-learning.  PhD by research is offered in Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Information and Communication Management.  In summary the following degree programmes exist in the department:

  1. The degree programme shall consist of course work, examinations and thesis. The course work shall be taken in the first year of study, within a duration of 1 year.

  2. The common regulations governing Doctor of Philosophy Degrees in the University of Nairobi shall apply. Accordingly, the following rules will apply.
    • The research proposal shall be developed during the first year of study. However, the candidate shall be required to pass coursework before embarking on field research.
    • Subject to the approval of the senate, the faculty may require the candidate to attend such a course or courses as may be considered appropriate.

  3. The programme shall take a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 5 years.

  4. Students shall be required to take seven core courses and at least five elective courses to make a total of twelve courses.

  • Holders of a Master of Science degree in agricultural related disciplines, biological sciences, environmental sciences or in natural resource management or equivalent qualification from an institution recognized by senate.

  • Holders of Masters degree in relevant social sciences recommended by the faculty board and approved by the senate.

Agriculture Economics Expert

   Year I    Year 2    Year 3   Total 
TUITION         432,000.00      432,000.00     432,000.00       1,296,000.00
ICT SERVICES - (PER YEAR)             7,000.00          7,000.00          7,000.00             21,000.00
THESIS EXAMINATION                          -                         -         50,000.00             50,000.00
REGISTRATION (PER SEMESTER@2250)             4,500.00          4,500.00          4,500.00             13,500.00
ID CARD ( PER YEAR)             1,000.00          1,000.00          1,000.00               3,000.00
CAUTION - (ONCE)             5,000.00                       -                         -                 5,000.00
MEDICAL FEE (PER YEAR)             6,500.00          6,500.00          6,500.00             19,500.00
ACTIVITY-( PER YEAR)             2,000.00          2,000.00          2,000.00               6,000.00
LIBRARY (PER YEAR)             5,000.00          5,000.00          5,000.00             15,000.00
STUDENT ORGANISATION(PER YEAR)             1,000.00          1,000.00          1,000.00               3,000.00
EXAMINATION (PER UNIT @1000)                          -                         -                         -                              -  
Grand Totals 464,000.00 459,000.00 509,000.00 1,432,000.00

  1. Each course shall be examined separately by a three-hour written paper at the end of the semester in which the course is offered.

  2. The final examination shall account for 50% of the marks in each course, while continuous assessments shall account for the remaining 50%. The continuous assessments will involve seminars covering current issues in dryland resource management, international dryland development issues, and the rigours of proposal preparation. Apart from students giving seminars, and interacting with invited speakers, the course will involve a two-week prerequisite exposure to dryland conditions in Kenya whereby the students will give a seminar on topical issues based on the trip.

  3. The pass mark for each course shall be 50%. The Graduate Seminar course shall be examined by oral presentations of prepared papers on topical dryland resource management issues and shall have a pass mark of 50%. A candidate failing six (6) or more papers shall be discontinued.

  4. A candidate who fails in any paper may, on the recommendation of the Faculty Board of Examiners, and approval by the Senate, be allowed to sit the supplementary examination for a maximum of two times. A candidate who fails in any second supplementary examination or fails to complete the programme within the prescribed period shall, on the recommendation of the Faculty Board of Examiners and approval by Senate, be discontinued.

  5. The pass mark obtained after a supplementary examination shall be recorded as 50%.

6.2 Thesis

  1. The research project shall be examined by a written thesis and oral presentation. Students theses will be examined by two internal (within the University) examiners and one external examiner, followed by oral presentation/examination at the Faculty where the student is registered.

  2. Candidates will be expected to submit at least two publishable papers to peer-reviewed journals before graduating.

  3. A candidate who fails in the thesis shall be allowed two re-submissions; and shall be discontinued after a fail in the second re-submission.

  4. The thesis topic shall be agreed upon between the candidate and the approved academic supervisors.

  5. Each candidate shall be required to present a minimum of two seminars in the course of their research work.

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