Social Sciences

Doctor of Philosophy in Gender and Development Studies

The Doctor of Philosophy in Gender and Development Studies is a doctoral programme offered at Kenyatta University through the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and at the University of Nairobi through the School of Continuing and Distance Education. It is designed to produce scholars capable of advancing research in gender, women's studies and development. The programme addresses Kenya's gender equality and women's empowerment challenges.

Students engage with advanced topics in gender theory, feminist research methodologies, gender and development, women's rights and law, gender-based violence, gender and governance, masculinities studies, gender and economics, African feminism and research methods. The curriculum emphasises original research that develops gender and development insights for Kenya's social development.

Kenya's constitutional gender provisions (two-thirds rule), gender-based violence challenges, women's economic empowerment, gender parity in education and politics, and the SDG 5 agenda create demand for doctoral-level gender and development expertise. The programme supports Kenya's gender equality and social development goals.

Teaching is delivered through coursework and supervised research. At KU, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences offers PhD in Gender and Development Studies at KSh 244,800/year for East Africans. At UoN, the School of Continuing and Distance Education offers PhD in African Women Studies.

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, gender researchers, gender policy analysts, development consultants and NGO gender specialists. They work in universities, Ministry of Public Service and Gender, NGOs, UN Women and international development organisations.

The programme is ideal for individuals with backgrounds in gender studies, sociology, development studies, social work or related fields who wish to contribute original research to gender and development.

Duration: 3-5 years
Public, up to: Ksh 244,800
Private, up to: Ksh 288,000
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: 5 students
Award: PhD

What you study

10 subjects

Gender Theory and Feminist Thought
Feminist Research Methodologies
Gender and Development Theory
Women's Rights and Gender Law
Gender-Based Violence and Intervention
Gender and Governance
Masculinities and Gender Relations
Gender and Economics
African Feminism and Womanism
Research Methods in Gender Studies

Modules

10 in the programme

Gender Theory and Feminist Thought
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Theory of gender and feminism, examining foundational principles, conceptual frameworks, and theoretical debates that shape contemporary understanding in this field.
Feminist Research Methodologies
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Feminist research methods, covering quantitative and qualitative approaches, data collection techniques, and analytical frameworks relevant to doctoral-level research in the field.
Gender and Development Theory
Year 1Semester 33 creditsCore
Gender in development theory, examining foundational principles, conceptual frameworks, and theoretical debates that shape contemporary understanding in this field.
Gender and Development Policy
Year 1Semester 33 creditsCore
Policy analysis of gender and development, analysing policy frameworks, implementation strategies, and their impact on practice within the Kenyan and broader African context.
Women's Rights and Gender Law
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Women's rights and law, examining legal frameworks, regulatory regimes, and their practical implications for professional practice in Kenya.
Gender and Economics
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Economic dimensions of gender, covering economic theories, analytical frameworks, and their application to policy and decision-making in the field.
Gender and Governance
Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore
Gender in governance, covering gender theories, feminist frameworks, and their application in social analysis and policy.
Research Methods in Gender Studies
Year 2Semester 33 creditsCore
Research design and 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.
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

African Feminism
Research on African feminism and womanism
Gender-Based Violence
Research on gender-based violence
Gender and Development
Research on gender and development
Gender and Governance
Research on gender and governance
Gender and Education
Research on gender in education
Gender and Economics
Research on economic dimensions of gender

A day as a student

A typical day involves conducting gender research, analysing gender data, reviewing feminist literature, attending seminars on gender theory, meeting with supervisors to discuss research progress, and engaging with NGEC, UN Women, FIDA and communities for research collaboration.

The trade offs

In its favour

Kenya's constitutional gender provisions create demand
Kenya's constitutional gender provisions create strong demand
Access to NGEC, UN Women and gender NGOs
Research directly informs gender equality policy

Against it

Gender research can be politically sensitive
Limited funding for gender research in Kenya
Field research on sensitive topics requires ethical clearance
Field research with vulnerable communities requires ethical care

What it costs

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

What it costs, and where

Against 241 social sciences courses

Public192k to 245k

192k at University of Nairobi245k at Kenyatta University

Private170k to 288k

170k at Kenya Methodist University288k 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

KU 244.8K (ku.ac.ke). UoN 192K (uonbi.ac.ke). KeMU 170K, Kabarak 288K/yr (eafinder, kabarak.ac.ke).

HELB provides postgraduate loans. DAAD offers scholarships for postgraduate study. CODESRIA and UN Women provide research grants for gender research.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
DAAD Kenya Scholarship
CODESRIA Research Grant
UN Women Research Grant

Scholarships

4 recorded

UN Women Research Grant
Grant
Gender researchers
DAAD Kenya Scholarship
ScholarshipKenyan
Postgraduate students in Kenya
CODESRIA Research Grant
Grant
Social science researchers in Africa
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: At KU: Masters degree in relevant area from KU or recognised institution. KSh 244,800/year. Application fee KSh 3,000. At UoN: Masters degree from UoN or recognised institution. School of Continuing and Distance Education.

MA/Masters in Gender Studies, Sociology, Development Studies or related field
Relevant Masters from recognised university

How you are assessed

3 components

Coursework
Continuous assessment30% of the mark
Assignments, research papers and seminar presentations
Thesis Proposal Defence
Oral defence20% of the mark
Defence of research proposal before faculty panel
Thesis
Thesis50% of the mark
Doctoral thesis research, submission and oral defence

Accreditation

Accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Offered at Kenyatta University (School of Humanities and Social Sciences, KSh 244,800/year) and University of Nairobi (School of Continuing and Distance Education, African Women Studies).

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

6 roles

Gender Policy Analyst
High demandKsh 170,000 to Ksh 420,000
Policy at NGEC and Ministry
NGO Gender Specialist
High demandKsh 170,000 to Ksh 420,000
Gender programmes at NGOs and UN agencies
Gender Researcher
High demandKsh 170,000 to Ksh 420,000
Research on gender and development
University Professor
High demandKsh 180,000 to Ksh 450,000
Teaching and research in social science departments
Development Consultant
Moderate demandKsh 160,000 to Ksh 400,000
Consulting on gender and development
Policy Analyst
Moderate demandKsh 160,000 to Ksh 400,000
Policy analysis at NGEC and government

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, gender researchers, gender policy analysts and NGO gender specialists. They work at NGEC, Ministry of Gender, UN Women, FIDA and universities.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Certifications

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Gender studies is just about women's issues.
The field covers masculinities, gender relations, law, economics, governance and development.
There is no demand for gender PhDs in Kenya.
Kenya's constitutional gender provisions and SDG 5 create strong demand.
Gender research is purely qualitative.
The programme uses feminist methodologies, quantitative analysis and mixed methods.
Only women study gender PhDs.
The programme is open to all genders and attracts development practitioners.