MASTER OF ARTS RELIGIOUS STUDIES

MASTER OF ARTS

Admission and Registration Requirements

Regulation I:

A candidate must satisfy such prescribed University of Nairobi requirements as are not varied by the Faculty of Arts regulations specified below.

Subject to Regulation 1, the minimum qualification for admission to the M.A. degree programme shall be a BA. lower second class honours degree, or equivalent, relevant to the courses offered in the department in which the applicant wishes to register, and obtained from a university recognised by University of Nairobi Senate; provided that each applicant shall be required to produce original or certified copies of relevant transcripts, diplomas, degree certificates and any other certificates or documents deemed necessary to support the application.

Subject to approval by the department(s) concerned, a student enrolled in any other programme at the University of Nairobi may register for and attend lectures and be examined of his/her choice whenever these are taught, provided also that he/she shall apply through the official channels, and pay specified fees and any other stipulated charges for the selected course units.  At the end of the semester or academic year the student shall receive an official University transcript certifying his/her performance in the course units(s) concerned.

Subject to the approval of the department(s) concerned, a student enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme at any other university recognized by the University of Nairobi Senate, 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 programme, 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.

Registration for course units by continuing students shall take place before the end of the preceding semester. Where these regulations are silent on any aspect of University admission, existing University of Nairobi regulations shall apply.

Course Structure and Duration

The M.A. degree programme shall consist of coursework, examination and a project paper or thesis, and shall run for a minimum of 4 semesters of fifteen weeks each, and a maximum of 10 semesters; and this maximum may be extended only with the prior approval of the Senate of the University of Nairobi.

Mode of Instruction

Instructions shall be given in the form of lectures, lecture-discussions, class presentations, seminars, demonstration, fieldwork, lab work, student-lecturer consultations, supervised independent research, or any combination of these.

Students shall undergo continuous assessment in each taught course in each semester, which shall take the form of written tests, term paper, oral presentations, field assignment, or any combination of these.

Course Evaluation by Students

At the end of each semester, during the last class, a time shall be set aside for students registered in each taught course unit to anonymously evaluate the course and lecturer using a questionnaire developed by the Faculty office in consultation with the departments.

Examination Regulations

Final University examinations shall be given at the end of every semester in each taught course unit; and each final examination shall be in the form of a three-hour written examination paper.

To be awarded the M.A. degree, a candidate must pass all specialized, core and elective course units taken, as well as the Project Paper or Thesis.

All examinations shall be governed by the following rules:

i)      Each course unit shall be graded over 100.

ii)     The written final examination shall account for 60% of all the marks in each course unit, while continuous assessment tests shall account for 40%; but the Project Paper or Thesis shall be graded over 100%, as there shall be no continuous assessment test associated with it.

iv)    A candidate who fails in any examination in a specialized, core, or elective course unit taken at the end of a semester may re-sit that examination when it is next given during scheduled end-of-semester examinations, and should he/she once again fail, may re-sit the examination one or more time when it is next scheduled as part of the University’s regular end-of-semester examinations calendar, provided that he/she shall pay such fees as may be prescribed by the University in respect of such examination.  There shall be no special or supplementary examinations between or during semesters.

v)     A candidate who fails in any examination in an elective course unit may, at his/her own discretion, register in an alternative elective course unit, in lieu of re-sitting an examination in which he/she failed once or more than once; provided that he/she pay such registration and other fees as may be prescribed by the Faculty in respect of such examination.

vi)    In the event that a candidate re-sits the final examination in any course unit, the final grade shall be based entirely on the marks obtained in the final written examination, which shall be graded over 100 marks; and the continuous coursework marks pertaining to that course unit shall not be considered.

vii)   The rules set out in (iv) to (vi) above shall also apply when a candidate fails in more than one course unit, provided that these are not core courses.  A candidate who fails a core course three times shall be discontinued.

viii)  Existing University rules and regulations pertaining to conduct during actual examinations, and to examination matters not specifically mentioned in these Regulations, shall apply to all candidates, invigilators and other persons.

A student who, for good 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.

Processing of Examinations

All written examinations shall be processed at the end of the semester in which they are taken; and the provisional results, upon formal approval at a Departmental Meeting, shall be relayed to the Faculty of Arts for formal approval by the Faculty Board of Examiners, and for onward transmission to Senate.

The Faculty shall notify students of their provisional results within thirty working days following the Faculty Board of Examiners meeting at which the results are approved.  An External Examiner shall moderate all examinations at the end of every academic year.

Exemption from One or More Course Units

A person admitted to the parallel M.A. degree programme may, on acceptable grounds, apply for exemption from one or more course units, provided that no person shall be exempted from more than 30% of the total number of course units that he/she shall be required to take in order to graduate.

Applicants who meet the following criteria may apply for exemption:

1)     A person who has followed the prescribed course of instruction in the relevant course unit or units and passed the applicable examination(s) for the semester(s) in question at the University of Nairobi;

2)     A person who has followed a course of instruction in a subject which subsumes the current content of the relevant course unit or units, and passed the applicable examination or examinations in respect of the whole subject or subjects at the University of Nairobi;

3)     A person who has followed the prescribed course of instruction in the relevant course unit or units, and passed the applicable examination(s) with a minimum of 50% in each unit taken at any other University recognized by the Senate of the University of Nairobi;

4)     A person who has followed a course of instruction in a subject which subsumes the current content of the relevant course unit or units, and passed the applicable examination or examinations with a minimum of 50% in respect of the unit or units taken at any other University recognized by the Senate of the University of Nairobi.

Intermission of Studies

Subject to the Regulation above, a candidate may intermit his/her studies at any time, for good cause conveyed in writing to the Chair of the department concerned, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, and the Director of the Board of Postgraduate Studies, and may resume later after duly notifying the Chair of the Department concerned, the Dean, and the Director of the Board of the Postgraduate Studies.  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 of Arts may from time to determine.  Such charges shall reflect the period of intermission, which shall not exceed 6 consecutive semesters.

Change of Course Registration

A candidate may officially change his/her registration from one or more course units to another or others offered in any semester, provided that such a change is effected within the first two weeks of the scheduled beginning of lectures in the semester in question, and provided that such a change does not conflict with any curriculum requirements, or prescribed course sequences.

Payment of Tuition and Related Charges

Subject to such minimum charges as the Faculty may prescribe, tuition and related fees shall be payable in advance to the official receiving officer according to the number of course units to be taken in a particular semester.  The amount of fees per course unit paid by Kenyan and non-Kenyan students shall be reviewed by the Faculty from time to time.

A student who pays fees but subsequently receives a certificate of exemption or is compelled by unavoidable circumstances to withdraw within the first three weeks of a semester, shall be entitled to a refund on a pro rata basis, less the prescribed withdrawal charge; provided that such withdrawal shall have been officially conveyed to and received by the Dean, Faculty of Arts within the first three weeks of the scheduled beginning of the relevant semester.  Students who withdraw without following this procedure, or who withdraw after the first three weeks, shall not be entitled to any refund; but shall instead be free to exercise their right to intermit their studies as provided for in these Regulations or to carry forward their fees to subsequent semesters.

Award of M.A. Degree

Each successful M.A. candidate shall be awarded a University of Nairobi M.A. degree certificate specifying his/her broad area of specialization, as determined from time to time by the respective departments and approved by Senate.  Each candidate shall also receive a University of Nairobi transcript specifying, inter alia, all the course units taken, their course codes, and the marks and letter grades obtained in each