The University has climaxed the 51st Congregation with a call on the graduates to make positive and meaningful impact on their communities.
The College of Humanities and Legal Studies and the School of Graduate Studies had their sessions on the second day of the Congregation. A total of 1,858 who completed their programme of study with the College of Humanities and Legal Studies were presented during the Fifth Session. A total of 1, 357 graduands comprising 25 PhD, 70 MPhil, 46 MCom/MBA, 1 MN, 722 Med/MSc, 365 MA AND 125 PGDE were conferred with various degrees during the session for the School of Graduate Studies.
Speaking at the Fifth Session, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, said the College of Humanities was sourcing for funds to support students with start-up entrepreneurial ventures to promote visibility of the Business Incubator and motivate future graduates to make good use of the skills and knowledge from the university-wide Entrepreneurship course. “The College has a vision of sourcing for funds to establish a competition to help students to incubate their start-ups,” he noted
Prof. Ampiah indicated that the as part of the College-Industry Week Celebration, the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) delivered a public lecture was on the theme “GNPC Corporate Social Investment Model: A Discussion Note on Evolution, Implementation and Challenges. Prof. Ampiah stated that the College has secured One million Dollars which would be released in tranches of $250, 000 for four years from the GNPC for a research Chair in Oil and Gas Studies. He added that a memorandum of understanding has been signed and the GNPC Chair position has been advertised.
Addressing the Sixth Session which was dedicated to the School of Graduate Studies, the Vice-Chancellor said the University would continue to improve upon the completion rate of postgraduate students. “It is anticipated that the overall graduating number for the 2017/2018 academic year would see an improvement over the total graduating number for the 2016/2017 academic year,” he noted.
Postgraduate Research and Publication
Prof. Ampiah reported that the Academic Board has approved the article-based thesis format to encourage publication of high standard research in a timely manner by students to improve students’ completion rate and UCC institutional image through rapid dissemination of research outcomes. “The Academic Board has also approved an Academic Writing Course which is envisioned to offer opportunities to students to require and develop rhetorical knowledge and practices for studying and writing within discipline-specific contexts,” he announced. He explained that the course was expected to assist postgraduate students in research writing and publishing. He added that dual postgraduate programmes for postgraduate research degrees was approved by the Academic Board to promote multidisciplinary approach to teaching, learning and research.
Expanding Access to UCC Postgraduate Education
The Vice-Chancellor said the University would continue to expand access to postgraduate education to the doorstep of students. He stated that the College of Distance Education (CoDE) currently has an enrolment of 3, 214 who were pursuing MBA, M.ED/MA, MPhil and MED programmes at its study centres in Tamale, Sunyani, Kumasi, Accra, Takoradi and Cape Coast. He pointed out that out of the total number of students graduating, 234 received their graduate training through the distance mode.
Restructuring of CoDE
Due to the high patronage of UCC Distance Programmes, the Vice-Chancellor said the College of Distance Education was being restructured to position it for the expected high numbers and competition. Prof. Ampiah noted that College Graduate Coordinators have been appointed by Schools and Faculties to facilitate postgraduate programmes, seminars on e-learning for graduate students are mounted consistently and made more user-friendly. “ At least once in each academic year, special seminars aimed at improving graduate studies and ensuring completion of programmes on schedule are organised for graduate students where very senior faculty members take them through essentials of Graduate Studies,” he explained.