UGANDA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

BACKGROUND

 

If you are looking for an institution of higher learning that will arm a student with more than just remarkable academic acquaintance, then look no further than Uganda Christian University (UCU).

And that could be the most likely motivation behind the maxim “a complete education for a complete person” which Uganda Christian University has adopted as its philosophy.

The university not only seeks to make excellent academia out of its student but rather highly skilled professionals that have deeper attachments to their innate values. Thus apart from the usual course units which students offer in their various courses, the university requires that all students study extra course units like writing and study skills, elements of mathematics, health and wholeness, introduction to world views understanding ethics among others under the foundation studies department.

Besides, In Uganda Christian University, the spiritual matters of a person are not ignored or treated from the periphery as may be the case in other institutions. On the contrary, the university boasts of a highly vigilant chaplaincy which coordinates the various religious activities in the university. No wonder that the university’s motto is God the beginning and God the end.

Located about 25kms from Uganda’s Capital City Kampala, UCU’s main campus sits somewhere on a beautiful hill in the heart of Mukono. The University is accentuated by lush lawns and gorgeous environs that provide a conducive environment for ultimate concentration while pursuing one’s studies.

The university is just a “stone throw” or to be more specific less than a kilometer away Mukono Town off the Jinja Kampala- Highway that runs through the town. Mukono is an ever-budding town that is growing at a fast pace partly because of the University. Recently Mukono gained Municipal Status and given the rate at which the town is growing it is only a matter of time before it becomes one of the leading municipalities in Uganda.

With over 60 programmes Uganda Christian University provides “a complete education…” to about 11, 000 students of which over 8,000 study from the main campus in Mukono. Uganda Christian University was born in 1997 when Bishop Tucker Theological College which started in 1913 was turned into a fully fledged university.

Seven years down the road as a University, in 2004, UCU became the first private University to be chartered by the National Council of Higher Education. Other constituent colleges of UCU include Bishop Barham University College in Kabale, UCU Mbale Campus, and UCU Arua campus.

Programs at Uganda Christian University

Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship

Bachelor of Arts in Languages

Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication

Bachelor of Arts with Education

Bachelor of Business Administration

Bachelor of Business Computing

Bachelor of Child Development and Children Ministry

Bachelor of Community Health

Bachelor of Community Leadership and Development

Bachelor of Computational Science

Bachelor of Development Studies (BDS)

Bachelor of Divinity

Bachelor of Economics and Management

Bachelor of Education (Modular)

Bachelor of Environmental Science (BES)

Bachelor of Guidance and Counselling

Bachelor of Industrial & Fine Art

Bachelor of Laws (LLB)

Bachelor of Library and Information Science

Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNS)

Bachelor of Procurement and Logistic Management

Bachelor of Project Planning and Entrepreneurship

Bachelor of Public Administration & Management

Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSc CS)

Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSc IT)

Bachelor of Social Work & Social Administration

Bachelor of Theology

Diploma in Business Administration (DBA)

Diploma in Project Planning & Management (DPPM)

Doctor of Ministry

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Theology Executive

Master of Business Administration (Modular)

Foundation Studies

Master in Public Health (Modular)

Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology

Master of Arts in Development Studies

Master of Arts in Education Management

Master of Arts in Literature (Modular)

Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL)

Master of Arts in Public Administration & Management (MPAM)

Master of Arts in Theology (MA.Th)

Master of Arts in Theology and Development (MA.ThD)

Master of Arts in Translation and Language Development (Modular)

Master of Divinity (M.Div)

Master of Education (Planning & Administration) (Modular)

Master of Human Resource Management in Education (Modular)

Master of Information Technology Master of Nursing Sciences

Master of Public Health Leadership (Save The Mothers)

Post Graduate Diploma in Christian Ministries

Post Graduate Diploma in Development Evaluation Studies (PGDDES)

Post Graduate Diploma in Public Administration and Management (PGDPAM)

Faculties at Uganda Christian University

Faculty of Law

From attracting some of the most brilliant brains in the country to producing some of the smartest yet decent lawyers, the Faculty of law Uganda Christian University has made its mark on the legal academic scene. No wonder that it is now turning into a prestigious affair to be admitted into UCU’s law school.

The Law faculty, UCU is dedicated to providing excellent instruction to students in the legal field. The faculty boasts of a developed hub of legal scholarship and research facilities that enhances legal academic research in Uganda, East Africa and beyond. Besides the faculty endeavours to train lawyers that are not only grounded in law but morally upright as well.

The ultimate aim of the faculty therefore in that regard is to produce men and women, who will later become model lawyers in society. It is not just about grooming smart lawyers at Ugandan Christian University, but rather lawyers with a difference; lawyers of integrity and scruples, lawyers that appreciate the role of justice in serving society as intended by God, an aspect that secular minded lawyers may not be attentive to.

The Faculty as well endeavours to mould students to a character that reflects Christ. As a result such students carry a sturdy spiritual fibre later in life which is a fundamental aspect in a country devoured by corruption and unethical approaches in most of its social, political and economic arenas. The career prospects available to a UCU Law faculty graduate are generally in the four core areas of advocacy, presiding as professional magistrates, law making and teaching.

Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology

For over 100 years the Bishop Tucker School of theology has churned out thousands of ministers for pastoral work in the Anglican Church in Uganda, East Africa and Africa as well. The school which started in 1903 as a centre for Anglican ministerial training at Namirembe hill later moved to Mukono were it was established in 1913 as Bishop Tucker Theological College.

However in 1997 when Uganda Christian University grew out of the college, the college was reduced to become one of the various faculties of the university. The school prepares men and women for Christian ministry in Uganda and Africa in general. The basic preparation needed does not change.

It is the knowledge of responding to the call to serve God and express his love through prayerful study of the word of God in Christian fellowship. Apart from providing training to prospective pastors in divinity and theology, the school also provides the compulsory foundational studies’ courses to the university.

Some of these courses include Understanding Ethics and Writing and Study Skills among others. The school as well harbours the department of Child Development and Children Ministry. The Bachelors program under the department was started in 2006 against the backdrop of imminent training needs of the leading development agencies.

Despite that there are hordes of development agencies that deal with children in Uganda; the challenge is that the people employed to work with the children in such organizations lack the necessary skills to address the complex needs of those children. The Kids Care Centre which offers care, spiritual nurture, education and a safe environment for babies and children between 6 months – 5 1/2 years is part and partial of the Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology as well.

Faculty of Education and Arts

The ultimate aim of the Faculty of Education & Arts and specifically the department of education is to produce technically adept teachers, educationists, lecturers and administrators who can turn into a positive driving force to the development of Uganda.

The Faculty of Education thus looks at producing students that can provide excellent leadership in professional education, research and other services which can propel sustainable development in the country. The faculty has other departments which include the department of Mass Communication and Public Relations, the department of Languages and Literature and the department of Industrial and fine Art.

The Mass Communication and public relations department seeks to develop students’ talents in writing, speaking, management, human and public relations, and critical thinking with an aim of preparing them for a broad range of communication. It is an interactive student centred department committed to excellence in teaching and learning and to the preparations of excellent media professionals and scholars.

The mass communication and public relations department offers a three-year undergraduate course leading. The programmes are tailored to the changing needs of society and relevant to the goals of our students. The faculty offers specialized fields of study in television, radio, print, and public relations with an aim of enabling the students develop particular skills and abilities in one or more academic disciplines.

Students of Mass communication in UCU have the rare opportunity of getting hands on skills in print news writing and reporting through the university’s community news paper the Standard that is published every fortnight. The newspaper was established in 2007 for the purpose of giving such training to students of Mass Communication.

Under the Department of Languages and Literature students that are admitted under the Bachelor of Languages which promotes the appreciation and understanding of Ugandan languages and English, as well as other international languages.

Faculty of Science and Technology

The Faculty of Science and Technology has put emphasis on training students in areas that involve integrating the information basis for modern engineering with the more conventional physical and materials science approach to key areas such as water, waste, energy, and materials. The faculty offers certificate, diploma and degree programs that concentrate on important contemporary technological issues and needs.

Faculty of Social Sciences

The faculty of social sciences has well over two thousand students under its wings which makes it one of the biggest faculties in UCU. The ultimate goal of the faculty is to produce a breed of enlightened social work professionals and leaders who will do their work with dedication and integrity to address the social and economic needs of the country.

The courses under the faculty include Social Work and Social Administration, Development Studies, Counselling Psychology and Public Administration and Management among others. Most of these are full time courses offered at the main campus in Mukono. These courses are also offered at the Constituent College at Bishop Barham University College and the campuses in Kampala, Mbale and Arua.

The Constituent Bishop Barham University College also has some courses that are currently not offered at the main campus and an example of this is the Bachelor of Environment and Disaster Management. Unlike the undergraduate programs, most of the offerings at post graduate level are long distance courses targeted at the busy practitioner who is unable to take many months off work to upgrade his or her skills.

And thus they are run on a modular basis, with modules lasting for a minimum of 3 weeks and a maximum of 4 weeks for some. The post graduate programs are meant for small qualitative groups of practitioners holding responsible positions in public, private and non-profit organizations.

Faculty of Business and Administration

The faculty of business and administration is committed through teaching, research, service, and student character formation to the provision of business education based on integrity and Christian values that will produce innovative and self reliant individuals’ both in the private and public business world.

The faculty seeks to produce graduates that are morally upright with a high level of integrity in their daily work and hope that their experience at UCU will turn them into professionals with a remarkable level of self-motivation and self drive. The faculty as well seeks to create critical thinkers who also possess excellent negotiation skills.

The faculty runs quite a number of under quite a number of undergraduate and post graduate business courses some of which include, Bachelor of Business and Administration, Bachelor of Project Planning and Entrepreneurship and Bachelor of Economics and Management.

Uganda Studies Program

The Uganda Studies Program provides the opportunity for American undergraduate students from 130+ Christian colleges to study at Ugandan Christian University for a semester of their university education.

During their semester at UCU, USP students learn about Uganda in a variety of ways– as students in university classes, as travellers to Rwanda and other parts of Uganda, as members of local families, as members of rural families, as volunteers at local projects, as friends of UCU students, as Christians in new faith communities, and ultimately as residents of a new culture.

The Uganda Studies Program has been running at UCU since January 2004 and as the University has grown in those years, so the USP program has grown in numbers and in experience. While the USP is part of the CCCU which hosts various study abroad programs around the world, USP benefits from the opportunity to be genuinely partnered with a Christian University in the host country.

Constituent colleges Mbale Campus

In 2003, Uganda Christian University opened up a campus in the eastern town of Mbale. As a regional centre, this campus caters for the education needs of students in eastern Uganda and western Kenya. The campus has two locations. One is at the former Bishop Usher Wilson Theological College in Buwalasi, Sironko District and main regional campus is in Mbale town opposite St. Andrews Community Centre.

Arua Campus

For St. Paul’s Theological College, had been training leaders and servants from Uganda and the lands beyond. But then, in 2003, St. Paul’s Theological College changed status to become a campus of the Uganda Christian University.

This now allows the Arua Campus to admit students for degree and diploma programs in a wide range of academic fields. The campus has grown and now offers teaching in the day time at Ringili and in the evening at sessions at Mvara Mission in Arua municipality. UCU Arua Campus is located in West Nile Region of Uganda in Northwestern Uganda in Arua District. It is 9km on the Arua – Nebbi – Kampala road.The campus has a student population of 585 students.

Bishop Birham University College

Bishop Barham University College (BBUC) is a college of Uganda Christian University. BBUC is located in Kabale in the Southwest of Uganda. The institution was originally founded in 1924 by Dr. S. Smith and L. Sharp, who had come to Uganda with the Rwanda Mission (CMS).

The purpose was to train Bible teachers and lay readers for the Western region of Uganda. Locate where the first educational center in the Kigezi area (southwestern Uganda) was established in the 1980s, the College (back then simply called Bishop Barham College) rose to become a regional theological college of the Church of Uganda for the south-western region.

In 2000, BBUC became a constituent college of Uganda Christian University and since its founding, BBUC has grown in leaps and bounds. The college cherishes its intercultural character admitting students not only from all over Uganda, the D.R. of Congo, the Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, the USA and the UK. Also among the staff of BBUC are people drawn from Uganda, the UK, the USA, Germany and other countries.

Contact

UCU

P.O.Box 4, Mukono, Uganda

Tel: 031 235 0800,

041 456 5800

Fax: 041 429 0800

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.ucu.ac.ug

Contact the Vice Chancellor

Uganda Christian University

P.O.Box 4, Mukono

(+256) 31 235 0800

(+256) 41 429 0800

Deputy Vice Chancellor,

Academic Affairs

P. O. Box 4 Mukono Uganda

+256 312350826

+256 414290800