INTRODUCTION
The world today is experiencing rapid urbanization that is increasingly concentrating both population and economic activities in cities. This is particularly so in the countries of the developing world. In Africa, rapid urbanization, the effects of globalization and slow economic growth rates are posing increasingly complex challenges to the provision of urban services. On the other hand, current decentralization policies are creating new opportunities for cities to provide better services, alleviate urban poverty and develop them as engines of economic growth. Urban managers and development practitioners, therefore, play a central role in policy formulation and implementation as well as resource mobilization and management to achieve urban development objectives. Although many actors are involved in urban development and management, there is limited interaction and coordination among these actors. Yet urban problems require innovative, multi-actor, multi-disciplinary approaches to find solutions.
This Masters Programme, therefore, aims to equip urban managers with the appropriate skills and tools to enable them to handle the above concerns. It will expose them to proven international best practices and endeavor to domesticate such for local needs. The programme purposes to shape the present and future city environments by taking a holistic yet focused approach that incorporates and promotes shared concerns for the social, economic, and environmental well-being of urban communities
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
The programme is developed to produce graduates who are able to undertake the following:-
- Analyze urban challenges to become innovative urban managers
- Contribute to the creation of sustainable cities and alleviation of urban poverty based on a multi-disciplinary and multi-actor approach
- Improve technical and managerial capacities of urban governments in sustainable ways;
- Enhance the successful implementation of urban development policies, poverty eradication strategies, and programmes
- Promote the successful implementation of recent urban reform programs and the process of decentralization/devolution
The Philosophy
This programme is designed to equip its graduates with the skills necessary to tackle the challenges that emerge from the rapidly evolving urban and urbanization processes under the weight of the ongoing economic liberalization and globalization. These challenges are particularly acute in the Global South.
Consistent with Maseno University’s vision to be a center of excellence in training, research, and development, the Department strives to engender into its students the awareness (through its curriculum) of environmentally sustainable urban management, as the philosophy of management of cities and the built environment in general, and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability. With the School of Planning already running-related programmes in Urban and Regional Planning, Disaster Management, and Geospatial Information Science, the proposed program intends to take advantage of this by training future Urban Managers to interact with other related professionals within local, regional, and global scenarios of the built environment while combining rudimental and high tech technologies.
COURSE DISTRIBUTION
Coursework, Examination, and Thesis
SEMESTER 1
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SEMESTER 2
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SEMESTER 3
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SEMESTER 4
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Coursework, Examination, and Project
SEMESTER 1
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SEMESTER 2
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SEMESTER 3
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SEMESTER 4
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PROGRAMME REQUIREMENTS
Admission Requirements
Maseno University, School of Graduate Studies Rules and Regulations for Postgraduate Studies shall apply.
In addition, the applicants should have at least;
Second Class (Upper Division) Bachelors’ degree or equivalent from a recognized university in the following areas: Urban and Regional Planning, Geospatial Information Science, Disaster Management, Land Economics, Architecture, Building Economics, Civil Engineering, Public Administration, Agriculture, Economics, Geography, Sociology or any other disciplines related to the ones listed.
Second Class (Lower Division) Bachelors’ with proven publication and research in the same specialization areas as in (a) above or a Postgraduate Diploma in Urban Management or three years work experience in related fields.
1.5 Credit Transfer
Where a candidate wishes to transfer credit for course or courses of study, such candidate shall make a written formal application to the Academic Registrar justifying the request and attaching evidence of the credentials which support such request. Such a candidate may be required to sit and pass an exemption examination set and administered by the School’s Board and approved under the authority of the Senate.
Based on the assessment of the credit transfer request the Board of the School of Planning & Architecture shall make its recommendation to the Senate. On approval of such recommendation by Senate, the School shall communicate the decision of Senate to the candidate.
Duration of programme
- The curriculum for the degree programme shall normally be two academic years.
- Each academic year shall normally be divided into two semesters of fifteen (15) weeks each. The fifteen weeks shall be divided into one (1) week for preparation, twelve (12) weeks of teaching, and two (2) weeks of examination.
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
The Masters's degree in Urban Development and Management shall normally consist of coursework, Examination, and Thesis/project.
Masters Degree (Coursework and Thesis Option)
The Master's degree (thesis option) shall consist of a minimum of 14 units, and a maximum of 19 units of coursework, examination, and thesis distributed over four semesters as below:
Masters by Coursework and Thesis
First Semester: Coursework: 5 units minimum 6 units max
Second Semester: Coursework: 3 units minimum 6 units max
Research Proposal 1 unit
Third Semester: Research 3 units
Fourth Semester: Research/Thesis submission 3 units
- During the coursework semesters, students shall be encouraged to propose prospective supervisors to the Chairperson of DPGSC, from amongst the postgraduate faculty in the department.
- The candidate shall submit a thesis research proposal to the DPGSC within 4 weeks of the following semester after completion of coursework.
- Within two days of proposal receipt, the DPGSC Chairperson shall forward the proposal to the Chairperson, SPGSC who will convene a proposal presentation seminar that must be attended by all postgraduate faculty of the department concerned and chairpersons of DPGSC in the Faculty or their representatives. All postgraduate studies faculty shall be invited to the presentations. The Chairperson, SPGSC/representative shall chair the presentations.
- The processing of the submitted thesis research proposal from the DPGSC to the School of Graduate Studies shall take a maximum of four (4) weeks.
Masters Degree (Coursework and Project Option)
The Master's degree (project option) shall normally consist of a minimum of 15 units, and a maximum of research distributed over four semesters as below:
Masters by Coursework and Project
First Semester: Coursework: 4 units minimum 6 units max.
Second Semester: Coursework: 4 units minimum 6 units max
Third Semester: Coursework: 3 units minimum 6 units max.
Project Proposal 1 unit
Fourth Semester: Research/Project submission 3 units
- Students shall choose topics for their projects in consultation with their supervisors from the Departmental Postgraduate Faculty.
- The candidate shall submit a project research proposal to the DPGSC within 2 weeks of the next semester following completion of coursework
- The processing of the submitted project research proposal from the DPGSC to the School of Graduate Studies shall take a maximum of four (4) weeks.
- Masters coursework shall normally include research methodology