The Open University of Kenya (OUK), the country’s first fully virtual university, has announced five pioneer degree programs.
This is after President William Ruto awarded the government-funded varsity, which will be based in the Konza metropolis, Machakos County, a charter earlier this month.
Through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), the university said admission applications kicked off Monday for the degree programmes and two postgraduate diploma courses.
The college will offer a Bachelor of Data Science; a Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics; a Bachelor of Technology Education; a Bachelor of Business and Entrepreneurship; and a Bachelor of Economics and Statistics.
The postgraduate programmes meanwhile include a Postgraduate Diploma in Leadership and Accountability and a Postgraduate Diploma in Learning Design and Technology.
“The degree and postgraduate diploma programmes have between 12 and 14 course units per academic year. Learning will take one year for postgraduate programmes while the bachelor’s degree programmes will take four years to complete,” the college placement body said in a statement.
“However, for open and self-paced learning, a student may decide to take a course unit at a time on the alternative flexible mode and may plan to take longer periods.”
To pursue an undergraduate degree at OUK will cost a learner Ksh.105,000 a year, except for the Bachelor of Technology Education degree which will cost KSh.115,000 per year for full-time study.
“The cost of pursuing a postgraduate diploma programme is Ksh.110,000 for the one academic year. The annual cost of studying a degree programme has taken into account a 15% discount that the government negotiated with universities under the new higher education funding model,” added KUCCPS.
Bachelor’s degree and postgraduate diploma learners will also have the flexibility to pay and pursue individual course units at a cost of Ksh. 10,000 per unit while students outside East Africa will pay 10 per cent more for all the programmes or course units.
KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer Dr Agnes Mercy Wahome said the applications admissible at the KUCCPS portal will be free of charge and without any deadline.
“This is due to the uniqueness of the Open University’s mode of learning and flexible modular programme design that will allow students to study at their own pace and convenience,” Dr Wahome said.
The minimum admission requirements for the undergraduate courses include evidence of a KCSE certificate or equivalent and a portfolio for recognition of prior learning.
For Bachelor’s degree programmes, on the other hand, the requirements are:
- A mean grade of C+ and above at KCSE where applicable or its equivalent using criteria that the university senate may determine OR
- Diplomas or professional qualifications from recognized institutions OR
- KCSE certificate or equivalent and a certificate of foundation or bridging courses from recognized institutions OR
- Kenya Advanced Certificate of Education with a minimum of 1 principal and subsidiary passes OR
- A bachelor’s degree from an institution recognized by Senate, OR
- Evidence of KCSE certificate or equivalent and a portfolio for the purpose of recognition of prior learning determination with respect to: a) Workplace training of 2 years OR b) Work experience in a relevant field of 2 years OR c) Two short courses lasting at least 3 months each in relevant fields OR
- Any other qualifications that may be determined by the senate recognizing prior learning leading to equivalents of the identified criteria, experience and skills of learners.
‘KSH.100 BILLION FACILITY’
Ruto previously described the virtual university as a game-changer that will see people who would ordinarily not have access to a university education get it from very remote parts of the country.
“Our entire university capacity, in 41 public and 37 private universities, admits 650,638 students in total and remains unable to keep up with the growing demand. Every year, therefore, many eligible and interested young people are unable to enrol for university courses,” the president said after awarding the college its charter on August 3.
According to President Ruto, the setting up of a national open university is an intervention to increase access while reducing the cost of university education in order to finally deliver his government’s plan of a 100 per cent transition to higher education.
He said over Ksh.100 billion went into setting up the facility.
“The power generation facility alone is like Ksh.1.9 billion, together with all the other pieces of infrastructure that have gone here,” said the president then.
Equity Group CEO James Mwangi is OUK’s chancellor while Prof. Elijah Omwenga is the vice-chancellor.
