Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Engineering

The Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Engineering is a doctoral programme offered at Egerton University and JKUAT. It is designed to produce scholars capable of advancing research in agricultural machinery, irrigation systems, post-harvest technology, soil and water conservation engineering and farm power systems. The programme applies engineering principles to solve agricultural production and processing challenges.

Students engage with advanced topics in farm power and machinery, irrigation and drainage engineering, agricultural processing engineering, soil and water conservation, renewable energy in agriculture, precision agriculture and research methods in agricultural engineering. The curriculum emphasises original research that develops engineering solutions for Kenyan and African agriculture.

Kenya's agricultural mechanisation agenda, the expansion of irrigation schemes under the Big Four priorities and the need for post-harvest loss reduction create demand for doctoral-level agricultural engineering expertise. The programme supports Kenya's goal of transforming agriculture from subsistence to commercial production through appropriate technology.

Teaching is delivered through coursework, laboratory sessions, field experiments and supervised research. Students design and test agricultural equipment, conduct irrigation experiments and develop processing technologies. The programme is offered full-time and part-time with a minimum duration of three years.

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, agricultural engineering researchers, machinery design engineers, irrigation consultants and food processing technologists. They work in universities, KALRO, agricultural machinery companies, irrigation agencies and food processing firms.

The programme is ideal for individuals with backgrounds in agricultural engineering, mechanical engineering or related fields who wish to contribute original research to agricultural technology development.

Duration: 3-4 years
Public, up to: Ksh 392,000
Private, up to: Ksh 150,000
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: 4 students
Award: PhD

What you study

10 subjects

Farm Power and Machinery
Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Agricultural Processing Engineering
Soil and Water Conservation Engineering
Renewable Energy in Agriculture
Precision Agriculture
Research Methods in Agricultural Engineering
Machine Design for Agriculture
Post-Harvest Technology
Agricultural Structures and Environment

Modules

8 in the programme

Advanced Farm Power and Machinery
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Design, testing and optimisation of agricultural machinery and equipment, exploring cutting-edge developments, theoretical frameworks, and research methodologies at the forefront of the discipline.
Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Design and management of irrigation and drainage systems, covering engineering principles, design methodologies, and their application in solving complex technical problems.
Agricultural Processing Engineering
Year 1Semester 33 creditsCore
Engineering aspects of post-harvest processing and food technology, covering engineering principles, design methodologies, and their application in solving complex technical problems.
Soil and Water Conservation Engineering
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Engineering solutions for soil erosion control and water conservation, covering engineering principles, design methodologies, and their application in solving complex technical problems.
Research Methods in Agricultural Engineering
Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore
Research design and methodology for engineering research, covering quantitative and qualitative approaches, data collection techniques, and analytical frameworks relevant to doctoral-level.
Precision Agriculture Technologies
Year 2Semester 33 creditsCore
Sensors, GPS and data analytics for precision farming, covering agricultural principles, production technologies, and their application in sustainable farming systems.
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

Farm Power and Machinery
Design and development of agricultural machinery
Post-Harvest Processing
Engineering of food processing and storage systems
Soil and Water Conservation
Engineering solutions for soil and water management
Irrigation Engineering
Design and management of irrigation systems

A day as a student

A typical day involves designing and testing agricultural equipment in engineering workshops, conducting irrigation experiments in the field, analysing machine performance data, reviewing engineering literature, attending research seminars, and meeting with supervisors to discuss experimental results and thesis progress.

The trade offs

In its favour

Kenya's agricultural mechanisation and irrigation expansion drive demand
Research produces tangible technologies for farmers
Combines engineering with agriculture for interdisciplinary impact

Against it

Requires access to engineering workshops and field equipment
Research can be expensive due to equipment and materials
Limited number of supervisors with agricultural engineering specialisation

What it costs

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

What it costs, and where

Against 332 engineering courses

Public170k to 392k

170k at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology392k at University of Nairobi

Private120k to 150k

120k at Strathmore University150k at Mount Kenya 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

JKUAT 170,167/yr (kenyaeducationguide). MKU 150,000/yr (mku.ac.ke). UoN, Strathmore unverified.

HELB provides postgraduate loans. DAAD offers scholarships for postgraduate study. NACOSTI provides research grants for engineering and technology research.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
DAAD Kenya Scholarship
NACOSTI Research Grant

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Scholarship
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan postgraduate students
DAAD Kenya Scholarship
ScholarshipKenyan
Postgraduate students in Kenya
NACOSTI Research Grant
GrantKenyan
Science and technology researchers in Kenya

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. Must submit a research proposal.

MSc in Agricultural Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related field
Relevant Masters from recognised university

How you are assessed

3 components

Thesis Proposal Defence
Oral defence20% of the mark
Defence of research proposal before departmental panel
Coursework
Continuous assessment30% of the mark
Laboratory reports, design projects and seminar presentations
Thesis
Thesis50% of the mark
Doctoral thesis research, submission and oral defence

Accreditation

Accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Offered at Egerton University (Faculty of Agriculture) and JKUAT. Professional registration with the Engineers Board of Kenya may be pursued.

Accredited by

Engineers Board of Kenya
Professional
Professional registration for engineering practice in Kenya
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 agricultural engineering departments
Irrigation Consultant
High demandKsh 150,000 to Ksh 380,000
Designing and managing irrigation projects
Machinery Design Engineer
Moderate demandKsh 160,000 to Ksh 400,000
Designing agricultural machinery and equipment
Agricultural Engineering Researcher
High demandKsh 170,000 to Ksh 420,000
Research at KALRO, universities and international research institutes

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, agricultural engineering researchers, machinery design engineers and irrigation consultants. They work in universities, KALRO, irrigation agencies and agricultural machinery companies.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Certifications

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Agricultural engineering is just about tractors.
The field covers irrigation, processing, soil conservation, renewable energy, precision agriculture and post-harvest technology.
There is no demand for agricultural engineers in Kenya.
Kenya's mechanisation agenda, irrigation expansion and food processing growth create strong demand.
Agricultural engineering is less rigorous than other engineering fields.
The programme applies the same engineering principles to complex biological and agricultural systems.
Agricultural engineering research has no practical application.
Research develops technologies for irrigation, post-harvest processing and mechanisation directly used by farmers.