Admission Information

The following shall be eligible for registration for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy:

(a) A holder of the Master of Laws degree of this College.

(b) A holder of a Master of Laws degree of any other recognised University.

Registration of PhD Candidates

1. Ph.D candidates may be registered as part-time or full time students.

2. Candidates shall be required to register at the beginning of the first year of their studies by using a form and to renew their registration at the beginning of subsequent years by filling in relevant Form and paying the required fees.

3. Failure to renew registration shall mean automatic discontinuation from studies.

4. The registration of Ph.D candidates shall follow the following procedure:

(a) With the help of the Department’s supervisory committee, the candidate submits a two-page statement of the intended research topic to the relevant Faculty.

(b) The Faculty will appoint a supervisor(s) for the candidate. An additional supervisor(s) may be appointed if necessary subject to approval of the Directorate of Postgraduate Studies upon submission of the recommendations by the Faculty.

5. The approval of the Ph.D Research Proposal and beginning of Ph.D thesis writing shall follow the following procedure:

(a) Within three months of the registration onto the Ph.D programme, the candidate shall present a comprehensive research proposal to the Faculty of Law.

(b) The proposal should be 25-30 pages in length (excluding the bibliography), typed in 12-point font and have double spaced lines. The proposal shall include the following:

1. Background of the Problem

2. Statement of the Problem

3. Literature Review

4. Hypothesis

5. Objectives of the Study

6. Significance of the Study

7. Methodology

8. Scope and Limitations

9. Chapterisation

10. Work Plan

11. Selected Bibliography

(c) A candidate shall submit six loose bound copies of the proposal for scrutiny at least seven days before the date of the defence of the proposal.

(d) If satisfied with the proposal’s quality, the Dean of Faculty shall submit the proposal for evaluation by a panel appointed by the Faculty Board who will examine the candidate’s proposal on behalf of the Faculty Board. At this time the student shall be required to defend his proposal before the panel.

(e) If the Faculty finds the proposal satisfactory, subject to the recommendations made by the panel, the candidate will be given an appropriate period of time to make any minor changes recommended by the panel before re-submitting three copies of the proposal in hard copy and one in soft copy (pdf) to the Faculty. At such a time the Faculty will submit the proposal to the Directorate of Postgraduate Studies.

(f) If the Faculty finds the proposal unsatisfactory, subject to the recommendations made by the panel, the candidate will be given a further three months to re-write the proposal under the supervision of his/her supervisor. At the end of such a period of time the candidate will again be evaluated in the manner described under sub-section (d). Should the proposal still be deemed unsatisfactory by the Faculty, the candidate will be discontinued from studies. At such a time the Faculty will submit the information regarding the discontinuation to the Directorate of Postgraduate Studies. A new application in a new academic year will be necessary for the candidate to be re-admitted for Ph.D studies.

(g) The Directorate of Postgraduate Studies will note the Faculty’s recommendations, observing the policy issues related to the research before approving the proposal and reporting to the Academic Committee for noting.

(h) The maximum period for the submission of the proposal is three months. Candidates will pay Tsh 100,000 for each monthly extension beyond the three months.

6. A candidate registered for the Ph.D degree programme shall undertake the compulsory course of Legal Research Methodology and may, on recommendation of the Faculty Board, be required to do one or more formal courses appropriate to his/her field of study, as prescribed by his/her supervisor(s). The respective teaching units may facilitate provision of relevant research methods and Communication Skills courses.

7. The appointed supervisor(s) shall guide the candidate in his/her research and shall submit periodic reports (twice a year) on the candidate’s progress.

Duration of PHD Programme

The duration of the study period, including the three months of research proposal processing,

(a) Shall be three years for full-time and five years for part-time candidates.

(b) If, for valid reason(s), a candidate wishes to temporarily halt studies, he/she has to apply through the supervisor, Department and Faculty to the Directorate of Postgraduate Studies for the freezing of the registration. The maximum period for freezing of registration shall be three years.

(c) Candidates who, for valid reasons, fail to complete their theses/dissertations within the specified period may apply for an extension of the registration period. The candidate shall pay Tshs. 200,000/= per month for such an extension.

(d) No candidate may be permitted to submit a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in less than two academic years from the date of registration except with the special permission of the Academic Committee.

(e) The thesis must be submitted within three years for full-time and five years for part-time candidates from the date of registration for the degree although the Academic Committee may, on the recommendation of the Faculty Board, extend this time.

(f) The total extension period shall not exceed one year for full-time and two years for part-time candidates.

(e) Granted the extensions, the maximum duration of registration for a Ph.D degree shall be four years for full-time and seven years for part-time students.

Programme of study in PHD

The Ph.D has one core module.

Core module:

PHL 901 Legal Research Methodology (4 Units)

Optional Modules:

A candidate may, on recommendation of the relevant Faculty Board, be required to do one or more formal courses appropriate to his/her field of study, as prescribed by his/her supervisor(s).