The Directorate of Graduate Studies (formerly the School of Postgraduate Studies) was established in 2011 to coordinate all matters relating to postgraduate training at Mount Kenya University. It provides academic and administrative oversight for Master’s and PhD programmes across all faculties and campuses.
Key features and milestones include:
- Sustained growth in postgraduate enrolment from 2011 to date, with a consistent increase in graduation numbers from 185 in 2020 (COVID-19 low point) to record numbers by 2025
- In 2019, MKU opened the Graduate Studies Centre of Excellence at Union Towers, Nairobi Campus, a dedicated postgraduate facility with a research library, statistical software, e-learning infrastructure, and a Zoom room for remote supervision
- In 2023, a semester unit-loading structure was introduced, specifying the exact course units and milestones a student must complete each semester. Master’s students are now expected to complete their programmes within four semesters
- Online proposal and viva voce defences are now standard practice, enabling MKU’s large diaspora student community to participate in academic milestones from wherever they are in the world
- In 2019–2021, MKU was one of only five Kenyan universities selected for the DAAD In-Country/In-Region Scholarship Programme for East Africa, awarding 24 scholarships for programmes in Nursing and Public Health