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Regulation for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts
Entry Requirements
1. A candidate must satisfy the prescribed University of Nairobi requirements.
2. Subject to regulation 1 above, a candidate for admission to the Faculty of Arts (hereinafter referred to as “the Faculty”) must have any of the following as minimum qualifications:
i) KCSE. with a C+ or equivalent
ii) KCSE. with a C plain or equivalent Plus a Diploma (including IB Diploma) or equivalent from a recognized post- secondary institution.
iii) KCE./EACE Div. III/ Ordinary GCE or equivalent Plus a Diploma (including IB Diploma) or equivalent from a recognized post- secondary institution.
iv) KACE. or EAACE./Advanced GCE Certificate with one principal pass Plus a Diploma (including IB Diploma) or equivalent from a recognized post- secondary institution.
v) KACE. or EAACE. certificate with two principal passes or equivalent.
vi) International Baccalaureate Diploma
vii) A degree from a recognized University or equivalent.
3. The Faculty board shall obtain a list of recognized institutions from either the Kenya National Examinations Council or Commission for Higher Education.
4. A Diploma course shall be required to have covered at least 3 course units of 45 contact hours each over a minimum period of 2 semesters of 15 weeks or 270 contact hours
Registration Requirements
5. A candidate shall be allowed to register only in those course units and their combinations approved by the Faculty. Any modification of such combination(s) shall be allowed only after obtaining approval of the Faculty, provided such modification is done within the first two weeks of the semester.
6. A candidate must also satisfy requirements of the department(s) in which he/she wishes to register.
7. Continuing students must register for course units within the first two weeks of the semester.
8.0 Nature of Degree Programme
8.1 There shall be three modes of study:
i) Full time (Module I)
ii) Part Time (Module II)
iii) Distance Learning (Module III)
9.0 Programme Duration, Structure and Mode of Study
9.1 Full-time and part-time
9.1.1 BA Programme will run for a minimum of 8 semesters and maximum of 22 semesters from the date of registration
9.1.2 The minimum semester load shall be two course units and the maximum shall be seven course units.
9.1.3 Each course unit in the programme has a loading of 45 hours.
9.2 Distance Mode of Study
9.2.1 This programme is offered off-campus using multi media approach in distance education.
9.2.2 The main media of instruction will be print and electronic study materials.
9.2.3 The study materials shall be self-instructional.
9.2.4 There will be use of limited face to face instruction during the residential session.
9.2.5 Face to-to-face delivery mode shall not exceed one third of the instructional time.
9.2.6 Counselling and Guidance shall be provided using multi-media approach.
9.2.7 The programme will run for a minimum of eight semesters of 24 weeks each and a maximum of 16 semesters from the date of registration.
9.2.8 The minimum semester load shall be two course units and the maximum shall be seven course units.
9.2.9 Each course unit in the programme has a loading of a minimum of 45 hours.
9.3 Degree Options and Loading
9.3.1 A candidate for a BA degree shall be required to register, study, sit examinations and pass in at least 44 course units, taken throughout his/her period of study. These units shall include one Faculty-based Common Designated Course (CDC) and prescribed Three Common Undergraduate Courses (CCS).
9.3.2 Subject to Regulations 5 and 9.1.1 (for both full time and part time) and Regulations 5 and 9.2.7 (for distance mode of study) above, the minimum 44 course units in the BA. degree Programme shall be offered along the following four options.
- 16 units from the first major discipline
- 16 units from the second major discipline
- 8 level 1 & 2 units unit from a third discipline
* 4 units from the Common Courses, 3 CCS and 1 CDC drawn from disciplines other than the 3 above.
Total = 44
Option Two: One Major (Specialization)
- 24 units from the major discipline
- 8 level 1 & 2 units from a second discipline
- 8 level 1 & 2 units from a third discipline
* 4 units from the Common Courses, 3 CCS and 1 CDC drawn from disciplines other than the 3 above.
Total = 44
Option Three: One Major and One Minor:
- 20 units from the major discipline
- 12 units from the minor discipline
- 8 level 1 & 2 units from a third discipline
* 4 units from the Common Courses, 3 CCS and 1 CDC drawn from disciplines other than the 3 above.
Total = 44
Option Four: One Major Two Minors:
- 16 units from the major discipline
- 12 units from the first minor discipline
- 12 units from the second minor discipline
* 4 units from the Common Courses, 3 CCS and 1 CDC drawn from discipline other than the 3 above.
Total = 44
ii) A candidate shall choose only ONE of these four options. Before choosing an option, a candidate shall, first, take and pass 24 units from levels I and II drawn equally from any three disciplines in the Faculty and 2 Common courses. These units shall be included in the minimum number of units required
for the chosen option. A candidate choosing option Two shall be required to have a mean grade of B of 65% or higher in Levels I and II in the discipline in which he or she wishes to specialize, and to meet any additional Departmental/programme requirements.
iii) Should a candidate at any level wish to change his/her discipline(s), he/she shall be required to take all courses prescribed at all levels for the new discipline(s).
iv) No candidate shall be allowed to specialize in a discipline, programme or Department in which he/she has obtained a fail grade in Levels I and II at first attempt.
v) A candidate with a fail grade in one or more course units in Level I shall have the option of dropping the programme or Department concerned and choosing another one, instead of resitting or retaking the course unit(s) in which he/she obtained a fail grade. The candidate shall proceed to Level II only after passing Level I courses of the new discipline.
vi) A candidate can switch departments only within the first) two weeks of the semester.
10. Subject to Regulation 9.3.2 above, enrolment for other courses outside and within the Faculty, and at any level, shall be allowed provided it is done in consultation with relevant departments(s) and with the approval of the Deans concerned; provided also that the contents of the units enrolled for do not overlap.
11. Selection of courses and units for major and minor disciplines must comply with the departmental requirements.
Semester Loading
Full time and Part- time
12. Each semester shall last a period of 15 weeks. Subject to regulations 9.1.1 and 9.3.2 above, students shall take and/or retake a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 7 course units per semester. However, in the final semester a student shall be allowed to take or retake only one unit if that shall be sufficient to complete the minimum number of units required for the award of the degree.
13. Candidates shall be required to attend all scheduled lectures and tutorials where applicable for which they are registered. All courses shall be structured as units, and a course unit shall be completed in 45 lecture-hour equivalents.
Distance Mode of Study
14. Each semester shall last a period of 24 weeks. Subject to regulations 9.2.7 and 9.3.2 above, students shall take and/or retake a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 7 course units per semester. However, in the final semester a student shall be allowed to take or retake only one unit if that shall be sufficient to complete the minimum number of units required for the award of the degree.
15. Candidates shall be required to attend any scheduled tutorials where applicable in the courses for which they are registered. All courses shall be structured as units, and a course unit shall be completed in 70 lecture-hours equivalents.
Credits Transfer and Exemptions
16. A candidate from a recognized University, or any other equivalent institution recognized by the University of Nairobi senate, wishing to transfer to the BA. programme at the University of Nairobi shall be allowed to transfer credits from his/her University if those credits are deemed relevant and meet the required minimum contact hours. A University of Nairobi student who obtains a credit or credits from a recognized university shall also be allowed to transfer those credits to the University of Nairobi. The transferred credits shall not be more than a 1/3 of the total prescribed credits and/or course units required for the award of the BA. degree.
Where a candidate wishes to be exempted from any course unit, he/she shall follow the procedure set out below: -
i) The candidate shall send a formal application for exemption to the Academic Registrar through the Dean of Arts, justifying his/her request and attaching evidence of the credentials, which would support such a request.
ii) The candidate shall undertake to submit himself/herself to an exemption examination set and administered by the Faculty of Arts, and approved by Senate. In any such examination the pass mark shall be 50%.
iii) A candidate who has to take an exemption examination shall be required to pay to the University an exemption fee as may be prescribed from time to time by the Faculty.
iv) An exemption examination shall be assessed within three weeks of its taking place, and the Faculty Board shall make its recommendation to the Senate. The Academic Registrar shall communicate to the candidate the Senate’s decision.
v) The Faculty may, for reasons of exceptional academic merit, recommend to Senate the exemption of an applicant from a core course or an elective course without being subjected to an exemption examination.
17. Regulation 9.3.2 above notwithstanding, and subject to the recommendation of the department(s) concerned, and approval of the faculty, any person qualified to attend lectures at the University of Nairobi at any given level may register for, attend lectures and be examined in one or more course units of his/her choice whenever these are taught in the parallel programmes, provided that he/she shall apply through the official channels, and pay the stipulated fees for the selected course unit(s) as well as other specified charges. At the end of the semester or academic year the student shall receive an official university transcript certifying his/her performance in the course unit(s) concerned.
Course Evaluation by Students
18. At the end of each semester, an appropriate time shall be set aside for students registered in each taught course unit to anonymously evaluate the course and the lecturer, using a questionnaire developed by the Senate.
19. The Evaluation Questionnaire shall cover the following topics as a minimum: Course title; Quality of course content (in terms of breadth, depth and integration of sources and themes); References (how current or relevant)?
20. Delivery by lecturer (well informed, clear and interesting); Match between course description and content as actually delivered, and quality of course outline; Availability of member of staff for consultations between lectures; Availability and currency of reading materials; Quality of preparation by lecturer; Quality of class discussions; Lecturer’s punctuality and/or absences.
21. The Evaluation Questionnaire shall be administered to students in every taught course by a member of staff or student attending that course appointed by the Faculty, provided that such a member shall not have taught the course during the semester in question. The member of staff or student shall seal the completed questionnaires in a prescribed envelope in the presence of the students, and shall immediately submit the said envelope to the Faculty office, which shall arrange for the expeditious processing of the answers.
22. Students may otherwise register their views regarding the quality of teaching by any lecturer to the Chair of the Department concerned, or the Dean, at any time during the semester.
Examination Regulations
23. Except as hereunder specified, common university examination regulations shall apply.
24. There shall be University examinations at the end of each semester. All course units shall be examined and written examinations processed at the end of the semester in which they are taken.
25. A candidate shall NOT be permitted to sit an examination unless he/she has attended prescribed courses of study in accordance with University regulations and to the satisfaction of the departments or programmes concerned, as well as the Faculty.
26. Unless otherwise specified, end of semester examinations shall consist of a two-hour paper for each course unit taken in the semester.
27. Assessment of each candidate’s performance in the course unit taken shall be through Continuous Assessment Tests (CATs) and end of semester examinations based on percentage grades. CAT assessment(s) shall constitute 30% of the total marks in a given unit and shall consist of an average of at least 2 assignments while end of semester examinations shall constitute 70% of the unit examined. Every department shall set procedures for CAT(s) assessments.
28. Each course unit shall be graded out of an examination of 100 marks, and the pass mark shall be 40% for each unit. These marks shall be translated into letter grades as follows:-
70% - 100% = A
60% - 69% = B
50% - 59% = C
40% - 49% = D
Below 40% = E
29. i) An external examiner shall be invited at least once in each academic year to moderate all end of semester examinations. Between the visits of the external examiner, each department shall appoint with the approval of the Dean one or more qualified person(s) at the level of Senior Lecturer and above to internally moderate end of semester examinations in order to facilitate the convening of the Faculty Board of Examiners and the subsequent issuance of provisional results to candidates. The appointment of internal moderators shall be subject to approval by the University.
ii) Provisional examination results shall be made available to students upon request following the Faculty Board of Examiners meeting at which those results are approved. The requesting candidate shall be issued with a provisional Result Slip indicating letter grades for each course unit examined.
30. A candidate who fails any end-of-semester examination paper at the First attempt shall be allowed one more attempt to sit and pass that paper when it is next offered. A candidate who fails a paper may, in consultation with the department and with approval by the faculty, substitute that course unit as long as it is not a core unit with another of the same level from the same department. This regulation shall apply in Levels III & IV.
31. Subject to regulation 30 above,
i) A Level I student who has up to but NOT MORE THAN SIX failed grades shall not be allowed to proceed to Level II unless he/she has passed the failed units. However, if the failed units happen to be prerequisites for other advanced courses, the candidate must first pass them before he/she can be allowed to register in the advanced units that require the prerequisites. Similarly, a Level II student who has up to but NOT MORE THAN SIX failed grades shall not be allowed to proceed to the next level unless he/she has passed the failed units. When re sat, a failed unit shall carry a maximum of 40% of the total marks and coursework marks shall not be considered. When retaken, a unit shall carry a maximum of 100% of the total marks and course work shall be considered.
ii) No student with failed grade(s) shall be allowed to proceed to the next level unless he/she has successfully taken and passed the re sits/retakes.
iii) A candidate who has up to 3 failed units shall be required to re sit with an option of retaking the failed units (register, attend lectures, submit coursework and sit final examination again when next offered.)
iv) A candidate who has between 4 and 6 failed units shall retake them without option of re sits.
v) A candidate who has 7 or more failed units shall be discontinued.
vi) In all retakes or re sits, marks obtained in the more recent examination(s) shall prevail; and transcripts shall identify all course units with marks obtained after a re sit or retake.
Award of Degree
32. In order to qualify for the award of the BA. degree, a candidate must have registered for, attended lectures, sat the examinations and passed in 44 units taken throughout his/her period of study for the degree in accordance with Regulation 9.3.2
33. In exceptional cases, a candidate may with the prior approval of the department and Faculty register and pay to audit courses during his/her degree programme. The audited courses must be indicated as such during registration, and only one audited course shall be allowed per semester. Grades for successfully audited courses, taken from outside the prescribed ones, shall be included in the candidate’s result slips and shall be identified by means of the symbol (AS) in parenthesis, where (AS) means Audited Successfully.
34. The audited courses shall not be considered when calculating the cumulative average score for the award of the BA. degree, since they fall outside the prescribed units required for the degree.
35. A candidate who satisfies the examiners for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Arts shall be recommended for the award of the degree. He/she shall be placed in one of the following four classes according to his/her performance: -
a) First Class
b) Second Class Upper Division
c) Second Class Lower Division
d) Pass
36. Honours shall be awarded only to a candidate who gets a First Class or a Second Class Degree. No candidate shall be awarded an honours degree if he/she passed only after retaking 4 to 6 units in any given year. However a candidate who had to re-sit 1-3 units of the minimum 44 units required to graduate may be awarded an honours degree.
37. The final classification of the degree shall be based on all the required units taken during the degree programme. The total score on the required units shall be based on cumulative average score to arrive at the final degree classification as follows:-
70% - 100% - First Class Honours
60% - 69% - Upper Second Class Honours
50% - 59% - Lower Second Class Honours
40% - 49% - Pass
38. A candidate who specializes in one discipline only by taking Option Two degree pattern shall have his/her field of specialization indicated in his/her degree certificate; for example BA. (Economics), BA. (Sociology), BA. (Public Administration), etc.
Intermission of Studies
39. A student may intermit his/her studies at any time, for a valid cause and with documentary evidence conveyed in writing to the Academic Registrar through the Dean and may resume later after duly notifying the Dean and the Academic Registrar. During the entire period of intermission the student shall be required to keep his/her registration current by paying such intermission charges as the Faculty may from time to time determine. The period of intermission shall not exceed 2 consecutive academic years.
Payment of Fees
40. Subject to such minimum charges as the Faculty may prescribe for Module II and Module III degree programme, fees shall be payable according to the number of course units taken in a particular semester. The Faculty shall in consultation with the College and the University review levels of fee payment from time to time. A candidate shall be allowed to register for a minimum of 2 course units per semester, and attend classes for the course units, which he/she has paid the prescribed fees. If a candidate fails in any course unit during any end of semester examinations, he/she must pay appropriate fees for that course unit before he/she is allowed to retake or re sit the unit. For a re-sit, a candidate shall not be required to pay tuition fees but must pay all other required fees.
41. A student who, for cause supported with authenticated documentary evidence, fails to sit or complete an end-of-semester examination may be allowed to sit for the paper(s) concerned when the examination is next scheduled, without paying additional fees.
s and letter grades obtained in each.
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