Arts & Humanities

Doctor of Philosophy in African Women Study

The Doctor of Philosophy in African Women Studies is a doctoral programme offered at the University of Nairobi through the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. It is designed to produce scholars capable of advancing interdisciplinary research on gender, women's rights and feminist theory within the African context. The programme draws on sociology, history, law, development studies and political science to examine the lived experiences of African women.

Students engage with advanced topics in feminist theory, gender and development, women's rights frameworks, African feminist thought, research methodology and policy analysis. The curriculum emphasises original research that contributes to understanding the social, economic, political and cultural dimensions of women's lives in Kenya and across the African continent.

Kenya's constitutional commitments to gender equality, the two-thirds gender rule debate and the active civil society sector focused on women's rights create a robust context for doctoral research in this field. The programme addresses the need for evidence-based scholarship to inform policy on gender-based violence, women's economic empowerment, political participation and access to education.

Teaching is delivered through seminars, supervised research and independent study. Students present their research at departmental seminars, attend conferences and engage with organisations working on gender issues. The programme is offered full-time at the main campus of the University of Nairobi.

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, gender researchers, policy analysts, programme directors in NGOs and advisors to government ministries. They work in academia, development agencies, women's rights organisations and international bodies such as UN Women and the African Union.

The programme is ideal for individuals passionate about gender equity and social justice who wish to contribute original research to African feminist scholarship and influence policy on women's empowerment.

Duration: 4 years
Public, up to: Ksh 326,400
Private, up to: Ksh 343,850
Job market: Moderate

The programme

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

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 5 students
Award: PhD

What you study

10 subjects

Feminist Theory
Gender and Development
African Feminist Thought
Research Methods in Gender Studies
Women's Rights and Law
Gender-Based Violence Studies
Women's Economic Empowerment
Policy Analysis
African Social History
Qualitative Research Methods

Modules

8 in the programme

Advanced Feminist Theory
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Critical examination of feminist theoretical frameworks and their application to African contexts
Gender and Development
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Analysis of gender in development theory, policy and practice in Africa, exploring development theories, sustainable practices, and their application in addressing contemporary challenges in Kenya.
Research Methods in Gender Studies
Year 1Semester 33 creditsCore
Qualitative and quantitative research methodologies for gender research, covering quantitative and qualitative approaches, data collection techniques, and analytical frameworks relevant to.
African Feminist Thought
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Indigenous African feminist epistemologies and theoretical contributions, covering theoretical foundations, practical methodologies, and contemporary research developments relevant to doctoral.
Women's Rights and Legal Frameworks
Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore
International and Kenyan legal frameworks on women's rights, examining legal frameworks, regulatory regimes, and their practical implications for professional practice in Kenya.
Gender-Based Violence Studies
Year 2Semester 33 creditsCore
Research on causes, manifestations and responses to gender-based violence, covering gender theories, feminist frameworks, and their application in social analysis and policy.
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.
Thesis Research
Year 3Semester 26 creditsCore
Doctoral thesis research and dissertation writing, involving original research, literature review, data analysis, and the production of a doctoral dissertation contributing new knowledge to the.

Specialisations

Gender and Development
Research on gender in development policy and practice
Women's Rights and Law
Legal frameworks and women's rights advocacy
Women's Economic Empowerment
Research on women's economic participation and empowerment
Gender-Based Violence
Research on violence against women and response mechanisms

A day as a student

A typical day involves reviewing feminist literature and policy documents, conducting field interviews with women's groups, analysing qualitative data from community research, attending seminars on gender theory, meeting with supervisors to discuss thesis chapters, and engaging with NGO partners on research findings.

The trade offs

In its favour

Addresses Kenya's constitutional gender equality commitments and policy needs
Growing demand from NGOs, government and international development agencies
Interdisciplinary field drawing from sociology, law, history and development studies

Against it

Limited funding for doctoral research in gender studies in Kenya
Few supervisors with doctoral specialisation in African women's studies
Field research can be sensitive and emotionally demanding

What it costs

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

What it costs, and where

Against 188 arts & humanities courses

Public278k to 326k

278k at University of Nairobi326k at Kenyatta University

Private150k to 344k

150k at Mount Kenya University344k at Daystar 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 278K/yr (sociology.uonbi.ac.ke). Daystar 343.85K. KU, MKU unverified.

HELB provides postgraduate loans for Kenyan students. DAAD offers scholarships for postgraduate study. The African Women's Development Fund provides grants for research on women's rights in Africa.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
DAAD Kenya Scholarship
African Women's Development Fund Grant

Scholarships

3 recorded

DAAD Kenya Scholarship
ScholarshipKenyan
Postgraduate students in Kenya
African Women's Development Fund
Grant
African women researchers and activists
HELB Postgraduate Scholarship
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan postgraduate students

Getting in

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

What you need

KCSE mean grade: Masters Degree
Alternative entry: Holder of relevant Masters degree from a recognised university with research background in gender or social sciences

MA/MSc in Gender Studies, Sociology, Development Studies or related field
Relevant Masters

How you are assessed

3 components

Coursework
Continuous assessment30% of the mark
Essays, seminar presentations and class participation
Thesis
Thesis50% of the mark
Doctoral thesis research, submission and oral defence
Thesis Proposal Defence
Oral defence20% of the mark
Defence of research proposal before departmental panel

Accreditation

Accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Offered at the University of Nairobi through the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education
AcademicRequired
Statutory body responsible for accreditation of university programmes in Kenya

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

4 roles

University Professor
High demandKsh 180,000 to Ksh 450,000
Teaching and research in gender studies, sociology and development studies departments
Gender Researcher
Moderate demandKsh 150,000 to Ksh 350,000
Research at universities, think tanks and international organisations
Policy Analyst
Moderate demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 300,000
Advising government and NGOs on gender policy formulation
NGO Programme Director
High demandKsh 160,000 to Ksh 400,000
Leading women's rights and gender programmes at NGOs

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, gender researchers, policy analysts and NGO programme directors. They work in academia, development agencies and women's rights organisations.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Certifications

Industry links

Common misconceptions

African Women Studies is just about women's issues.
The field examines gender relations, power structures, policy frameworks and social transformation affecting entire communities.
There are no career prospects in gender studies.
Kenya's constitutional gender requirements, NGO sector growth and international development priorities create demand for gender experts.
Gender research is purely advocacy, not academic.
Doctoral research employs rigorous qualitative and quantitative methodologies to produce evidence-based scholarship.
African feminist scholarship just copies Western frameworks.
The field develops indigenous theoretical frameworks rooted in African experiences, cultures and socio-economic realities.