UDS Introduces 12 New Programmes

The University for Development Studies (UDS) has introduced 12 new programmes in response to present socio-economic challenges and market demands.

The programmes, which comprise diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate, were introduced during the 2008/2009 academic year.

The undergraduate programmes include Renewable Natural Resources and Agribusiness, Development Planning, Real Estate and Land Management and Integrated Community Development.

A Bachelor of Science in Nursing has also been introduced at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The postgraduate programmes include Innovation Communication, Biotechnology, Meat Science, Irrigation and Mechanisation, Development Management and Non-Governmental Organisation Management and Rural Development.

The acting Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Kaku Sagary Nokoe, disclosed this at the 10th congregation of the UDS, which took place on the Tamale campus.

In all, a total of 1,471 students graduated, with 1,379 receiving Bachelor’s degrees, 88 receiving Diploma certificates and four receiving Master’s degrees.

For the Bachelor’s degrees, 27 were awarded First Class Honours, while 363 obtained Second Class (Upper Division) Honours. The rest were awarded with Second Class (Lower Division) and Third Class degrees.

The Vice Chancellor noted that due to the expanding nature of the university, more faculties were being created to handle some of the evolving programmes.

Currently, he said two new faculties, the Faculty of Computation and Developmental Mathematics and the Faculty of Education, Law and Business Studies have been established, and are fully functional.

Prof. Nokoe hinted that the university was developing more postgraduate courses, such as Agronomy, Agricultural Economics and Forensic Science.

“We are hoping to start by next academic year, once the necessary accreditation processes have been completed,” he stated.

The professor explained that the university was empowered to run these new programmes due to its increased staff numbers and enhanced staff capacities obtained through further training.

He said the UDS now had academic staff strength of 374, which included two professors, eight associate professors and 40 senior lecturers.

“We are systematically building our manpower requirements through recruitment and manpower development,” he further stated.

UDS started with a population of about 15,100 with four functional campuses in Nyankpala, Tamale, Navrongo and Wa.

It also prides itself as the first institution in West Africa to introduce the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) technique in its medical training programme.