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Doctor of Philosophy in Gender, Women and Development Studies

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

Duration
3-5 years
Next intake January 2027
Public tuition
Ksh 244,800
Ksh 734,400 to Ksh 1,224,000 total
Private tuition
Ksh 288,000
Ksh 864,000 to Ksh 1,440,000 total
Job market
High
Market demand for graduates

The short answer

What it costs
Up to Ksh 244,800 a year at a public institution, Ksh 734,400 to Ksh 1,224,000 for the whole course. Up to Ksh 288,000 a year at a private one.The detail
Who can get in
A KCSE mean grade of Masters Degree or above, plus 1 subject grade. There is another way in without it.The detail
How long, and when
Takes 3-5 years, full-time, part-time, with 0 months of attachment. Next intake January 2027, at 5 institutions.The detail
Where it leads
8 careers in the catalogue. The least exposed to AI is Adolescent Mentorship Officer, at 14 out of 100.The detail

The programme

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

Overview

Students engage with advanced topics in feminist theory, women and development, gender and policy, African women's history, gender and education, women's economic empowerment, gender and health, gender and conflict, women's leadership and research methods. The curriculum emphasises original research that develops gender, women and development insights for Kenya's social transformation.

Kenya's constitutional gender provisions, women's political representation, economic empowerment challenges, gender-based violence, women's education access and the SDG 5 agenda create demand for doctoral-level gender, women and development expertise. The programme supports Kenya's gender equality and women's empowerment goals.

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

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, gender researchers, women's rights advocates, development consultants and policy analysts. They work in universities, Ministry of Public Service and Gender, NGEC, UN Women, FIDA Kenya and international development organisations.

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

What you study

10 subjects
  • Feminist Theory and African Womanism
  • Women and Development Theory
  • Gender Policy and Analysis
  • African Women's History and Movements
  • Gender and Education
  • Women's Economic Empowerment
  • Gender and Health
  • Gender, Conflict and Peacebuilding
  • Women's Leadership and Governance
  • Research Methods in Women's Studies

Modules

8 in the programme

  • Feminist Theory and African Womanism

    Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore

    Feminist theory and African womanism, examining foundational principles, conceptual frameworks, and theoretical debates that shape contemporary understanding in this field.

  • Women and Development Theory

    Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore

    Women in development theory, examining foundational principles, conceptual frameworks, and theoretical debates that shape contemporary understanding in this field.

  • Gender Policy and Analysis

    Year 1Semester 33 creditsCore

    Gender policy analysis, covering theoretical foundations, practical methodologies, and current analytical techniques used in advanced research and professional practice.

  • African Women's History and Movements

    Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore

    History of African women's movements, covering historical methods, archaeological techniques, and their application in understanding past societies.

  • Women's Economic Empowerment

    Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore

    Economic empowerment of women, covering economic theories, analytical frameworks, and their application to policy and decision-making in the field.

  • Research Methods in Women's 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

  • Gender and Conflict

    Research on gender, conflict and peacebuilding

  • Women's Economic Empowerment

    Research on women's economic empowerment

  • Women's Leadership

    Research on women's leadership and governance

  • African Women's History

    Research on African women's history

A day as a student

A typical day involves conducting gender research, analysing women's experiences data, reviewing feminist literature, attending seminars on women and development, meeting with supervisors to discuss research progress, and engaging with NGEC, UN Women, FIDA and women's groups for research collaboration.

The trade-offs

In its favourAgainst it
Kenya's constitutional gender provisions create strong demandGender research can be politically sensitive
Access to NGEC, UN Women and FIDA for researchFunding for gender research can be limited
Research contributes to gender equality and social justiceResearch 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

  • HELB Postgraduate Scholarship

    LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan

    Kenyan postgraduate students

  • CODESRIA Research Grant

    Grant

    Social science researchers in Africa

  • DAAD Kenya Scholarship

    ScholarshipKenyan

    Postgraduate students in Kenya

  • UN Women Research Grant

    Grant

    Gender researchers

Scholarships you could apply for

2 usable where it is taught
Save one and be reminded before it closes

Getting in

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

What you need

KCSE mean grade
Masters Degreeminimum entry
Alternative entry

At UoN: Masters degree from UoN or recognised institution. School of Continuing and Distance Education. At KU: Masters degree in relevant area. KSh 244,800/year. Application fee KSh 3,000.

Subject requirements
MA/Masters in Gender Studies, Women's Studies, Sociology, Development Studies or related fieldRelevant Masters from recognised university

When it next starts

Taught at 5 institutions
January 20275 institutions

Including Maseno University, Egerton University, Kisii University.

May 20275 institutions

Including Maseno University, Egerton University, Kisii University.

September 20275 institutions

Including Maseno University, Egerton University, Kisii University.

How you are assessed

3 components

  • Thesis Proposal Defence

    Oral defence20% of the mark

    Defence of research proposal before faculty panel

  • Coursework

    Continuous assessment30% of the mark

    Assignments, research papers and seminar presentations

  • Thesis

    Thesis50% of the mark

    Doctoral thesis research, submission and oral defence

Accreditation

  • Commission for University Education

    AcademicRequired

    Statutory body responsible for accreditation of university programmes in Kenya

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

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

4 roles

  • Development Consultant

    High demandKsh 170,000 to Ksh 420,000

    Consulting on gender and development

  • Women's Rights Advocate

    High demandKsh 170,000 to Ksh 420,000

    Advocacy at FIDA and NGEC

  • University Professor

    High demandKsh 180,000 to Ksh 450,000

    Teaching and research in social science departments

  • Gender Researcher

    High demandKsh 170,000 to Ksh 420,000

    Research on gender and women's studies

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, gender researchers, women's rights advocates and development consultants. They work at NGEC, Ministry of Gender, UN Women, FIDA and universities.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Certifications

Common misconceptions

  • Gender, women and development studies is only for women.

    The programme is open to all genders and examines masculinities alongside women's experiences.

  • There is no demand for this PhD in Kenya.

    Kenya's constitutional gender provisions and SDG 5 create strong demand.

  • Women's studies research is purely advocacy.

    The programme uses rigorous feminist methodologies, policy analysis and empirical research.

  • Only sociologists study this PhD.

    The programme attracts lawyers, educators, development practitioners and health professionals.

Further reading

Read next