ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT

Speaker

Nagan Ally

Admissions Director

                                                                                                                     Welcome to Accord University!

Dear Parents/Guardians,


Warm greetings from the Accord University Admissions Office and thank you for choosing our University as an option for your education. 

My name is Mrs. Nagan Ally, the  Accord University  Admissions Director and it will be my absolute pleasure to hear from you and assist you throughout your registration process.

With a truly diverse international community of more than 50 student nationalities, and with its friendly staff and atmosphere,  Accord University  is always ready to welcome and support new families.

I hope this section of our University website gives you the information you need about our  Accord University  and how you can register.

Should you need any further information, wish to visit our lovely school campus and/or register please do not hesitate to contact me by email ( nagan@accord.edu.so )  or by telephone on+252 619002151. Please note that the Accord Admissions Office is open on Saturaday - Thursday, (9:30am-3:30pm).

Finally, we look forward to welcoming you to our  Accord University  family and having a long-term partnership with you.


Sincerely,

Nagan Ally

Admissions Director

Upcoming Events

PhD Program 2022

Upcoming 2022

PhD Programs

Program Structure

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is intended to prepare students for an academic career and research and or teaching. The PhD program requires a 48-credit master’s degree or equivalent upon entry and publication upon graduation.

PhD Degree Requirements

Total of 84 credits consisting of 18 credits of course work and 66 credits dissertation credits

  • Complete a minimum of 18 credits coursework and maintain a cGPA of not less than 3.50 (usually within the first year; i.e., 2 semesters (5 terms).

    • For Accord master graduate, this may include up to 6 credits special study.

    • For non-Accord master graduates, the 18 credits should all be courses.

  • Complete a doctoral dissertation (66 credits) Once you have completed all of the course and dissertation credit  requirements, you will no longer need to register. You  will need to enroll, however,  each term until you graduate.

  • Defend the dissertation at an oral examination.

  • Obtain a satisfactory evaluation of the dissertation from the External Examiner.

  • Have at least one scientific paper based on the dissertation published in or accepted by an international refereed journal where the student is the first author before the final examination.


PhD Program Committee

  • The chairperson (supervisor) will work with the student to form the student’s Ph.D. research committee within the first 5 terms.

  • The committee should consist of a minimum of three members, including the supervisor, who will be its chairperson. One member should be from outside the academic program or school. In cases in which the committee is comprised of two co-chairpersons, the committee should have at least two additional committee members.

Advancement to Candidacy (the dissertation proposal) shall include:

Usually 3 or 4 chapters (depends on the topic):

  • CH 1: Introduction

  • CH2: Literature review (usually from your SS report)

  • CH3: Research model and hypothesis (if your study needs). This sometimes is part of  CH2 (depends on the topic, the student and his/her supervisor, etc.)

  • CH4: Research methodology

PhD Study Schedule (Timetable):

  • Year 1 (Terms 1-5): Requires a minimum of 18 credits of coursework at AIT, of which up to a maximum of 6 credits of special studies may be taken by those candidates who earned their Master (MBA) degree at AIT.

  • Year 2 (Terms 6-10): In the 6th term, students register dissertation credits (max 6 credits/term).

  • By the end of the 7th term, students pass their advancement to candidacy (ATC) exam. The ATC exam is basically a PhD research proposal defense (a qualifying examination conducted by the PhD student program committee). Students cannot take their ATC exam unless they finish their 18 credits of coursework with a cGPA of not less than 3.50. The ATC exam should be on:

    • Full-time – 7th term

    • Non-resident – 10th term

    • Part-time – 15th term

In the 8th term (full-time), students start their dissertation research

If the student did not pass his/her ATC exam, the student will be put on probation (automatic). Two consecutive probations will mean dismissal.

  • Year 3: (11th to 15th terms) – dissertation research.

 

Starting from the 8th term, students have to submit a progress report to the committee, which will be forwarded  twice a year (One by April and another by November).


Admissions

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is intended to prepare students for an academic career and research and/or teaching. The PhD program requires a 48-credit Master’s degree or equivalent upon entry and publication upon graduation.


Entry Requirements:

To be eligible for admission to the regular PhD program, an applicant must:

  • Have strong academic records (both undergraduate and graduate) and normally hold a four-year bachelor’s degree, and a Master’s degree, preferably with a combination of course and thesis work, from an institution of good standing, acceptable to AIT. The minimum cumulative Grade Points Average (cGPA) requirement for admission to the doctoral program is 3.50 or equivalent at the master’s degree level.

  • Submit a brief outline of dissertation research proposal including the required research facilities, if necessary.

For applicants with cGPA at the master’s degree level of less than 3.50, the Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) Program

  • Full-time CAS students completing the minimum course credit requirement and attaining a cGPA of at least 3.50 at the end of the second semester are eligible for transfer to the Doctoral Degree program.

  • Students who are not eligible for transfer to the Doctoral Degree program are awarded the Certificate of Advanced Studies.

English Requirements:

  • The minimum requirement for doctoral applicants is 5.5 (minimum entry requirement).

  • Applicants admitted with conditions need to satisfy the English language requirement of 6.0 AIT-EET (or equivalent) before the third semester (7th term) of study, prior to registering for PhD thesis credits or research related.

  • As a requirement for graduation, students must attain a score of 6.0 on the AIT English Writing.

Exemption: Applicants who are citizens of and have been educated in an English-speaking country (e.g., Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA) are exempted from score submission. Proof of citizenship and studies must be submitted.




Eligibility

The Accord University  provides equal academic opportunities to all applicants and students regardless of their national origin, gender or sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.

Please note that an applicant can only apply for one program at a time.

ADMISSION ELIGIBILITY FOR VARIOUS PROGRAMS

Doctoral Degree Program

To be eligible for admission to the regular Doctoral degree program, an applicant must:

  • have strong academic records (both undergraduate and graduate) and normally hold a four-year bachelor's degree, and a Master's degree, preferably with a combination of course and thesis work, from an institution of good standing, acceptable to AIT. The minimum cGPA requirement for admission to the doctoral program is 3.50 or equivalent, at the Master's degree level.
  • English Proficiency Requirement:  AIT-EET :6 or IELTS-Academic:6 (writing 6) or TOEFL Paper: 550 (writing 59-61) or TOEFL CBT: 213 (writing 25-26): TOEFL IBT: 80 (writing 21-23);
  • submit a brief outline of dissertation research proposal (5-10 pages) including the required research facilities, if necessary.
  • Two recommendation letters.

 

Research outline for each Master's and doctoral Qualification   

  • Title

  • Summary of topic

  • Short literature review

  • Expected contribution of the study

  • Methodology to be followed

  • Availability of the data

  • List of references

  • Reasons why you are interested in the topic


Accord’s admission policy require to submit a detailed research outline for each master's and Doctoral qualification for which you apply. No application submitted without a detailed Research outline will be considered. Although this research outline may differ for each Qualification or academic department, the basic admission requirement is as follows:

  • An appropriate bachelor degree, or an appropriate postgraduate diploma.

  • Fully completed application form. Download here or visit the admission office.

  • Proof of payment of a non-refundable application fee.

  • Certified copies of all academic certificates with official transcripts.

  • Certified copy of your National Identification Document or birth certificate.

  • Proof of Payment of Application fee $50.00.

    Plagiarism of any form is unacceptable.