Agriculture

Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural and Applied Economics

The Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural and Applied Economics is a doctoral programme offered at the University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and Kenyatta University. It is designed to produce scholars capable of advancing research in agricultural economics, applied economics, agribusiness and agricultural policy, addressing Kenya's agricultural transformation and food security needs.

Students engage with advanced topics in agricultural economics theory, econometrics, agricultural policy analysis, agribusiness management, trade and marketing, natural resource economics and research methodology. The curriculum combines coursework with thesis research on agricultural economics relevant to Kenya's agricultural sector.

Kenya's agricultural sector faces challenges in productivity, market access, climate change and policy implementation. This creates demand for doctoral-level agricultural economics research to inform policy and practice.

Teaching is delivered through coursework, examinations, policy analysis projects and supervised thesis writing at university agricultural economics departments and research facilities.

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, agricultural economists, policy analysts and agribusiness consultants. They work in universities, research institutes, government agencies, international organisations and agribusiness firms.

The programme is ideal for holders of master's degrees in agricultural economics, agribusiness management, economics or related fields who wish to advance to doctoral-level research in agricultural and applied economics, contributing to Kenya's agricultural transformation through research on economic theory, policy analysis and agribusiness development to support food security, rural development and sustainable agricultural growth for Kenya's agricultural sector and broader economic development.

Duration: 3-5 years
Public, up to: Ksh 464,000
Private, up to: Ksh 313,700
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 8 students
Award: PhD

What you study

8 subjects

Agricultural Economics Theory
Econometrics
Agricultural Policy Analysis
Agribusiness Management
Trade and Marketing Economics
Natural Resource Economics
Research Methods in Agricultural Economics
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Agricultural Economics Theory
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Advanced agricultural economics theory, examining foundational principles, conceptual frameworks, and theoretical debates that shape contemporary understanding in this field.
Advanced Microeconomic Theory
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Consumer and producer theory, market structure and welfare economics, exploring cutting-edge developments, theoretical frameworks, and research methodologies at the forefront of the discipline.
Econometrics
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Advanced econometric methods, covering theoretical foundations, practical methodologies, and contemporary research developments relevant to doctoral study in this area.
Econometric Methods
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Advanced econometric techniques for agricultural economics research, covering theoretical foundations, practical methodologies, and contemporary research developments relevant to doctoral study in.
Agricultural Policy Analysis
Year 1Semester 33 creditsCore
Research on agricultural policy, covering theoretical foundations, practical methodologies, and current analytical techniques used in advanced research and professional practice.
Agribusiness Management
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Research on agribusiness management, covering strategic planning, organisational behaviour, and contemporary management challenges relevant to professional practice.
Development Economics
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Economic development theory and its application to agricultural transformation, exploring development theories, sustainable practices, and their application in addressing contemporary challenges.
Trade and Marketing Economics
Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore
Research on trade and marketing, covering economic theories, analytical frameworks, and their application to policy and decision-making in the field.
Natural Resource Economics
Year 2Semester 33 creditsCore
Research on natural resource economics, covering economic theories, analytical frameworks, and their application to policy and decision-making in the field.
Research Methodology
Year 2Semester 33 creditsCore
Research design, data collection and analytical methods, covering quantitative and qualitative approaches, data collection techniques, and analytical frameworks relevant to doctoral-level research.
Research Methods in Agricultural Economics
Year 3Semester 13 creditsCore
Research methodology, covering quantitative and qualitative approaches, data collection techniques, and analytical frameworks relevant to doctoral-level research in the field.
Departmental Seminars
Year 3Semester 13 creditsCore
Research presentations and peer review of doctoral work, providing a platform for doctoral candidates to present research findings, engage with peer feedback, and explore contemporary debates in.

Specialisations

Natural Resource Economics
Research on natural resource economics
Agricultural Policy Analysis
Research on agricultural policy
Agribusiness Management
Research on agribusiness management
Agricultural Finance
Research on agricultural finance
Econometrics
Research on econometric methods
Trade and Marketing
Research on trade and marketing
Food Security Analysis
Research on food systems, food security and nutrition policy
Agricultural Policy and Trade
Research on agricultural trade policy and market integration

A day as a student

A typical day involves morning coursework on agricultural economics theory and econometrics, afternoon policy analysis projects and data analysis, literature review on agricultural policy, and meetings with thesis supervisors on agricultural economics research.

The trade offs

In its favour

Strong demand from government, research institutes and international organisations
Kenya's agricultural sector creates strong research demand
Access to KALRO and IFPRI for research collaboration
Research directly informs agricultural policy and food security

Against it

Coursework is intensive with 12 courses in the first year
Field research requires travel to rural areas
Requires strong quantitative and analytical skills
Research may require extensive field data collection

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 303 agriculture courses

Public252k to 464k

252k at Egerton University464k at University of Nairobi

Private168k to 314k

168k at Kenya Methodist University314k at Kabarak University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

UoN 464K, Egerton 252K, KU 367K/yr (official sites). KeMU 168K, Kabarak 314K/yr.

HELB postgraduate loans are available. NACOSTI grants support agricultural research. IFPRI may offer food policy research grants.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
NACOSTI Research Grant
IFPRI Research Grants

Scholarships

5 recorded

RUFORUM Research Grant
Grant
Agricultural researchers at RUFORUM member universities
HELB Postgraduate Scholarship
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan postgraduate students
IFPRI Research Grant
Grant
Food policy researchers
HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 60,000Kenyan
Kenyan citizens in postgraduate programmes
NACOSTI Research Grant
GrantKenyan
Researchers in Kenya

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: Master's degree in Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness Management, Economics or related field with coursework, examination and thesis
Alternative entry: Bachelor's and Master's degrees from recognised institutions; draft research proposal

How you are assessed

5 components

Thesis Defence
Thesis50% of the mark
Final oral defence of doctoral thesis
Coursework Examinations
Written exam30% of the mark
Written examinations on coursework
Policy Analysis Project
Practical20% of the mark
Practical policy analysis project
Thesis
Thesis50% of the mark
Doctoral thesis research, submission and oral defence
Coursework
Continuous assessment30% of the mark
Assignments, econometric exercises and class tests across 12 courses

Accreditation

This programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE).

Accredited by

Commission for University Education
AcademicRequired
Statutory body for university accreditation

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

7 roles

Development Consultant
High demandKsh 150,000 to Ksh 380,000
Consulting for World Bank, FAO, USAID and development organisations
University Professor
High demandKsh 180,000 to Ksh 450,000
Teaching and research in agricultural economics departments
Research Economist
High demandKsh 160,000 to Ksh 400,000
Research at KALRO, IFPRI, AERC and international research institutes
Agribusiness Consultant
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 250,000
Consulting on agribusiness development
Agricultural Economist
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 220,000
Economic analysis of agricultural sector
Policy Analyst
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 250,000
Analysis of agricultural and food policy
University Lecturer in Agricultural Economics
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 220,000
Teaching and research in university agricultural economics departments

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers in academia, agricultural economics research, policy analysis and agribusiness consulting with high demand for agricultural economics expertise in Kenya.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

Jupyter Notebook
Code
R
CodePrimary
Stata
AnalyticsPrimary
Python
Programming
EViews
Econometrics
Tableau
Analytics
Google Scholar
Analytics
Microsoft Excel
Spreadsheet

Certifications

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Agricultural economics is just about farm management
The programme covers econometrics, policy analysis, trade economics, natural resource economics and agribusiness management.
The programme has limited career prospects
Kenya's agricultural sector creates strong demand for economics expertise in government, research and agribusiness.
Only agriculture graduates can study this programme
The programme accepts holders of master's degrees in agricultural economics, agribusiness management, economics or related fields.
Agricultural economics research is not rigorous
The programme involves advanced econometrics and quantitative policy analysis.
The programme is purely theoretical
The programme includes policy analysis projects and real-world agricultural data analysis.