PhD Land Management and Governance

Objectives of the Programme

The aim of the programme is to produce human resource base with high level specialization in Land Management and Governance to drive research, policy formulation and strategic level management in land utilization for sustainable development. It is therefore meant to provide knowledge and competence in dealing with land governance and management issues, building adequate land administration systems as well as spatial governance as an infrastructure to implement land-related policies and land management strategies. At the end of the programme, participants will have acquired both theoretical and practical skills in the following critical areas:

i. Improve abilities in employing contemporary theories and technologies in analyzing landrelated problems in order to devise contextual and sensitive policies to address the challenges facing both urban and rural land use at the PhD level;

ii. Deepen understanding of underpinning concepts, principles and theories for land management and administration.

iii. Equip graduates of the Programme with skills needed to prepare and evaluate land policies at local, national and international levels;

iv. Appreciate the critical issues relating to access to land by women, youth and other marginalized groups achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs).

v. Equipp graduates of the Programme with tools to enable them to appreciate and contribute effectively to such discourse by drawing from experiences and emerging developments from national and regional perspectives at the PhD level;

vi. Construct and design effective research proposals that can be used to rigorously test land management and governance concepts against a wide range of practical and theoretical criteria relevant to the built environment at the PhD level; and

vii. Effectively communicate contemporary ideas and concepts in Land Management and Governance through quality and relevant doctoral research.

 

Entry Requirements

The requirements for admission are as follows:
a) Applicants must have a Master’s degree or its equivalent from a recognized Institution in Land Economy, Real Estate, Facilities Management, Planning, Law, Geomatic Engineering, Geography, Economics, Sociology, Agriculture, Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Urban Management, Development Studies and other related degrees from institutions of recognized standing.

b) While work experience is not necessarily a requirement, preference will be given in admission to candidates/applicants with relevant work experience.

c) All candidates must attend and pass an interview before admission.

d) Admission shall be made in accordance with existing University Regulations (direct applicants to relevant links/website).

e) Applicants are expected to submit a research proposal that focuses on the thematic areas of land management and governance, which shall be reviewed by the admissions panel.

Duration of the Programme

The PhD Land Management and Governance programme will be of four (4) years duration on full time and five (5) on part-time in line with the University’s required duration(s) for postgraduate programmes. The first year will be of taught courses as specified in section 5.1 (30 credit hours) and the subsequent years strictly of academic research to promote knowledge in the subject area.

 

Assessment Requirements

a. Continuous Assessment

This will form 40% of the overall assessment and will comprise of class tests, take-home assignments, term papers and mid-semester examination in the first year of the programme.

b. End of Semester Examination

This will form 60% of the overall assessment and will be written under formal University examination conditions at the end of the semester.

 

c. Assessment of Students’ Performance and Achievements

i. All taught courses shall be assessed by written examinations.

ii. Research modules shall be assessed by both oral and written reports

iii. Courses assessed solely by written examinations at the end of the semester have two components: the end of semester examination (60%) and continuous assessment including mid-semester examination (40%).

iv. Pass mark for each of the courses shall be 50%.

v. Regular attendance at seminars, submission and presentation of seminar reports for assessment. Oral presentations at the seminars shall be assessed.

vi. The final thesis shall be assessed by written report and oral examinations.

 

Graduation Requirements

For the award of PhD degree in Land Management and Governance, like other advanced level graduate programmes, the student must have:

i. Passed a Comprehensive Examinations of all the taught courses undertaken in the first year and the thesis with a minimum cumulative weighted average (CWA) mark of 55 percent;

ii. Fulfilled a minimum residency of two (2) years;

iii. Obtained a thesis plagiarism test score not exceeding 20% similarity index with each component being less than 2% in the similarity test using KNUST’s Turnitin system;

iv. Submitted and successfully defended a thesis at an oral presentation; and v. Shown evidence of submission of at least two manuscripts from the thesis for publication in peer-reviewed/indexed journals.

 

Employment Prospects 

Graduates in Land Management and Governance are employed in various institutions in both the public and private sectors. Graduates in the allied professions, such as planning, geography, development policy, law and the social sciences operate in the areas of land management for which they have received little or no training. The programme is geared towards equipping such graduates with the advanced degree (PhD) training. Graduates could also be employed as faculty members in tertiary institutions, fellows and senior fellows in research and policy institutions.

 

Funding

The programme shall be fully fee-paying and prospective students will have to provide proof ofsupport/sponsorship when applying for admission.