Makerere scraps off 18 courses as University restructures academic programmes

The Makerere University Management Council has scrapped a total of 18 Degree courses for the subsequent enrolments at the University starting with the Academic Year 2020/2021.

The University management announced that these scrapped programs will not be advertised henceforth as they have been restructured and merged into other undergraduate courses.

Last year in August, the council approved re-structuring of 20 undergraduate programmes aiming at reducing 82 courses to 62 starting with the intake of August 2021.

Dr Vincent Ssembatya, the director of quality assurance, had said, the aim was to enhance quality at the university and spur research since the university wanted to increase the percentage of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students from 35% to at least 40% of the total enrollment.

The list of restructured programs will include:

1. Bachelor of Library and Information Sciences
2. Bachelor of Archives and Records Management
3. Bachelor of Science in Construction Management
4. Bachelor of Community Psychology
5. Bachelor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology
6. Bachelor of Arts in Development Economics
7. Bachelor of Science in Telecommunication Engineering
8. Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering
9. Bachelor of Environmental Science
10. Bachelor of Science in Meteorology
11. Bachelor of Development Studies
12. Bachelor of Adult and Community Education
13. Bachelor of Business Statistics
14. Bachelor of Science in Population Studies
15. Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Economics
16. Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Health and Management
17. Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Land Use and Management
18. Bachelor of Science in Horticulture

Makerere had also aimed at increasing the proportion of graduate students from 10% to 30%, support curriculum that leverages research in the university and reduce duplication.

“We are going to be research-led and focus more on graduate training. Our curriculum is going to face more in the direction of science and technology to the level of about 40%. The country will not thrive without these disciplines. For every 10, 000 students admitted at the university each year, 4,000 will be graduate students,’’ Dr Ssembatya quoted in August, 2020.

Now, the university says, over 18 re-structured courses will not be advertised starting this August Intake.

In the letter dated 29th March 2021, the council has further reminded Principles of Colleges to submit curricula for the re-structured programmes for consideration by the senate as soon as possible and not later than 15th May 2021.