After Ugandan universities, both public and private, failed to update several courses (academic programs) and undergo processes for reviews with industry and other standards, the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) has deleted over 1000 of such ‘expired courses’ or programs from its website.
The process of updating academic programs is tiresome and long for many universities. With the lengthy processes dragging on, sometimes for years, a number of students find themselves caught up and unable to move to the next level.
Ugandan companies and organizations may not care much as to check on if the degree certificate one is brandishing is for a program that was undertaken when the program was under review or expired. But those abroad care and will check the validity of the programs for which one has a certificate.
The biggest culprits of invalid certificates due to expired programs are those seeking higher education opportunities abroad.
With their degrees rejected, the process of explaining themselves is left between the academic registries and NCHE – and in the Ugandan way of doing things, the process is long and frustrating (even for established public universities – which fail to update them in the first place).
Some universities even keep admitting students on expired courses or academic programs. (Some just want money and will admit students – but in the end those students may suffer with qualifications that get considered invalid elsewhere).
While an academic program is supposed to be valid for a period of five to 10 years after which its accreditation expires, multiple news sources indicate that over 1,000 expired programs may be on their way off the list.
By the last publicized notice to universities in 2023, the NCHE website had listed up to 4,400 academic programs offered at all universities and other tertiary institutions. The website now has about 3,050.
Some of the academic programs or courses deleted from the NCHE website include Bachelor of Laws, Master of Instructional Design and Technology, Bachelor of Youth Development Work, Bachelor of Geographical Sciences, Master of Science in Disaster Risk Management, Master of science in Wildlife Health and Management, Master of Education, Bachelor of Industrial Livestock Business, Bachelor of Information Systems and Technology, Master of Science in Records and Archives Management, and Master in Bioethics, all at Makerere University.
At Kyambogo University, the deleted or scrapped academic programs include Master of Public Health, Bachelor of Economics and Statistics, Bachelor of Science in Sport and Exercise Instruction, Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences, Master of Arts in Economics, Diploma in Deaf Studies, Diploma in Food Processing Technology, and Bachelor of Adult and Community Education.
The Kyambogo University list of deleted courses also includes Postgraduate Diploma in Community Based Rehabilitation, Bachelor of Demography and Reproductive Health, Diploma in accounting and Finance, Bachelor of Education – Secondary (Science), Bachelor of education, Special Needs Education, Bachelor of education in Education, Bachelor of education – Secondary (Vocational Studies), Bachelor of Education – Secondary (Arts) and Bachelor of Education – Secondary (Business Studies).
For Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), the list of scrapped courses includes: Master of Science in physiology, Bachelors of Medical Laboratory Sciences (Diploma Entry), Master of Medicine in Emergency Medicine, Diploma in Emergency Medicine for Emergency Care Practitioners, Bachelor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Master of Education in Curriculum Instruction and Media, Bachelor of Computer Science, Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, Bachelor of science in Agricultural Livelihoods and Farm Production, Master of Medicine in Psychiatry, Master of Medical Laboratory Science and Bachelor of Gender and Women Health.
At Gulu University, the deleted courses or scrapped academic programs include Bachelor of Development Studies, Postgraduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship Skills Development, Bachelor of Science Education- Economics, Diploma in Secretarial and Information Management, Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Master of Science in Information and Communication Technologies for Development, Bachelor of Information Technology – Business Computing, Master Diploma in Computer Science, Bachelor of Science Education (Agriculture), Bachelor of Public Health and Bachelor of Science in Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering.
At Kumi University, the deleted courses include Bachelor of Commerce, Diploma in Languages, Diploma in Community Development, Bachelor of Community Development and Diploma in Guidance and Counselling.
For Busitema University, Diploma of Catering and Hospitality Management, Bachelor of Catering and Hospitality Management, Master of Medicine in Paediatrics and Child Health, Diploma in Industrial Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Diploma in Crop Production and Management, as well as Bachelor of Science in Animal Production and Management have all been deleted from the NCHE website.
For Islamic University in Uganda, some of the expired courses are Bachelor of Library and Information Science, Bachelor of Social Sciences, Diploma in Records Management, Master of Science in Environmental Science, Diploma in Library and Information Science, Master of Arts in History, Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration, Bachelor of Public Administration, Diploma in Business Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Sharia), Master of Arts (Sharia), Foundation Programme / Remedial Programme – Science, Bachelor of Science (Chemistry), and Diploma in Primary Education – Professional Programme.
At Victoria University, affected courses include Master of Arts in Public Administration and Management, Diploma in Business Administration, Bachelor of Environmental Health Sciences, Diploma in Business Information Systems, Bachelor Degree in Banking and Finance, and Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
For Uganda Christian University, some of the deleted courses include Bachelor of Economics and Management, Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Bachelor of Computer Science, Diploma in Procurement and Logistics, Bachelor of Projects Planning and Management, Bachelor of Development Economics, Diploma in Primary Education in service and Bachelor of Business Computing.
Others include Master of Nursing Sciences, Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness, Bachelor of Electronics and Communication Science, Bachelor of Development and Social Entrepreneurship, Diploma in Microfinance and Bachelor of Interior and Landscape Design. For Bugema University, affected academic programs include Foundation Programme (Science), Foundation Programme (Arts), and Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies with Development Ministry.
At International University of East Africa, some of the affected courses include Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Tourism and Hotel Management, Masters in Business Administration, as well as Bachelor of Science in Tourism Operations and Management.
The question of expired courses has remained a thorny and controversial one, with this publication previously reporting that hundreds of students had been admitted on government sponsorship to pursue courses the NCHE considered expired or under review. (See Details Here and There).
You can expired courses or academic programs at different universities Here, There and Over There.
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