Welcome to Dep. of Local Governance and City Management

Our progrommes

Programmes currently on offer in the department include the following:

1. 1. BSc. Urban Governance (4-year regular programme): The programme aims to promote a student-centred teaching and learning approach that equips students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and professional ethics necessary to address urban governance challenges at both local and international levels.
   2. MSc. Local Government Administration (2-year regular programme): The MSc in Local Government Administration aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for effective local governance, addressing the human resource gaps in rural, peri-urban, and urban areas.
   3. MPhil Urban Governance (2-year programme): The MPhil in Urban Governance is designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and professional ethics necessary to effectively address urban governance challenges at both local and international levels.
   4. Ph.D. Urban Governance (3-year regular programme): The PhD. in Urban Governance aims to systematically expose students to the underlying philosophies of urban governance while cultivating competency-based empirical research skills and behavioural attributes essential for promoting sustainable cities.

BSc. Urban Governance

The programme combines taught courses with experiential learning opportunities, including industrial attachments and practical training in Geo-information Science and Remote Sensing laboratory work. There is a total of forty-nine (49) carefully developed urban governance-based courses to cover an average of 15 credit hours per trimester.

MSc. Local Government Administration

The MSc. in Local Government Administration is a one-year weekend programme. Over the first two trimesters, students undertake twelve carefully designed courses in local government administration. The final trimester is dedicated to completing a dissertation, allowing students to demonstrate their understanding of research methodologies relevant to the local government sector.

MPhil. Urban Governance

The programme comprises of carefully designed courses in urban governance, planning, management, and financing, along with practical training in GIS and urban modelling systems in the first year. Candidates are also introduced to academic writing to support the successful completion of their thesis in the final year.

Ph.D Urban Governance

As a three-year full-time programme, ten carefully designed courses are delivered across the first two trimesters of the first year. The third trimester is dedicated to practical learning in academic writing and seminar presentations, while the remaining years focus on thesis completion.

BSc. Urban Governance

Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE)/West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE)

Applicants to the degree programme must hold either a SSCE/WASSCE certificate, a diploma in a related field, or be a mature applicant.

SSSCE/WASSCE Certificate Holders:

For this category of applicants, candidates must obtain credit passes (i.e., at least grade D in SSSCE or C6 in WASSCE) in Core English, Core Mathematics, Integrated Science/Social Studies, and any three elective subjects in General Arts, General Science, Agriculture or Business Programmes.

NOTE: SSSCE and WASSCE results will be assessed as per the table below.

 General Certificate of Education (GCE) Candidates

Candidates who possess the GCE certificates must have obtained five (5) credit passes at GCE Ordinary Level including English Language and Mathematics, and three (3) passes at the GCE Advanced Level in a relevant subject area (General Arts, Science, Agriculture and Business subjects).

Diploma Holders

Applicants with Diploma or HND in a relevant field with at least a Second Class Upper or its equivalent can apply for placement at level 200. They must pass a written test as well an oral interview.

Mature Applicants

Mature applicants must have attained at least 25 years of age as at the time of the application. They must be holders of SSSCE/WASSCE or GCE Ordinary and Advanced certificates. This category of applicants must pass a written and oral examination to be conducted by the University. Applicants with organizational practice experience will have an added advantage.

MSc. Local Government Administration

To be admitted into a programme leading to the award of master’s degree (MA/MSc), a candidate must:

1. Have obtained a good bachelor’s degree in the field of social sciences or humanities from a recognized university;
2. Submit an official transcript of academic record;
3. Submit two referees’ reports, one of which must be from a person who is familiar with the applicant’s academic work; and
4. Pass a selection interview.

MPhil. Urban Governance

The entry requirements into the programme are as follows:

1. First degree (second-class lower division or better) in the Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Business, and Agricultural Science from a recognized University.
   • Candidates must submit the following official documents:
   • Officially endorsed academic transcript(s) and certificate(s)
2. Two recommendation letters; one of which should be from a person familiar with the applicant’s academic ability to pursue postgraduate studies
3. A maximum of five-page research proposal
4. Pass a selection interview.

Ph.D Urban Governance

The entry requirements into the programme are as follows:

1. First degree (Second-Class Lower Division or better); and
2. A relevant research-based Masters’ (MA/MSc/MPhil) degree in the Social Sciences/Humanities.

BSc. Urban Governance

By the end of the programme, students should be able to:

1. Critically engage with contemporary debates and approaches in urban governance and propose solutions in areas such as infrastructure, services, crime prevention, mobility, housing, sanitation, and land use management;
2. Become well-informed professionals with the ability to analyse urban policies, frameworks, and governance systems; and
3. Acquire critical, analytical, and practical skills to harness the benefits of urbanisation while addressing its challenges within Southern Urbanism.

MSc. Local Government Administration

By the end of the programme, the following specific objectives should be achieved:

1. Deepen Understanding: To enhance students’ knowledge of local government policies and practices for better appreciation of local governance.
2. Improve Application: To develop the ability to apply acquired knowledge and skills to improve management processes at various levels of local government.
3. Strengthen Analytical Skills: To build capacity in planning, managing, and mobilising resources for local transformation.
4. Enhance Evaluation: To produce graduates capable of assessing the impact of policy changes and practices within local contexts.
5. Foster Creativity: To nurture innovative thinking and adaptability for driving transformational change in local authorities.

MPhil. Urban Governance

By the end of the programme, students should be able to:

1. Apply relevant knowledge and skills to transform current urban management challenges into safe, resilient, inclusive, and sustainable urban systems;
2. Critically explain and relate key urban governance theories to real-world experiences;
3. Engage with current debates and propose solutions to urban governance issues, particularly in areas such as infrastructure, service delivery, urban economy, mobility, housing, sanitation, and land use management; and
4. Become well-informed professionals capable of analysing urban policies, frameworks, and governance systems with interdisciplinary insight.

Ph.D Urban Governance

By the end of the programme, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the philosophy of the social sciences and apply it within the field of urban governance;
2. Develop a theoretically grounded and critically informed understanding of complex and interrelated urban governance issues to minimise challenges and maximise development potential; and
3. Acquire critical, analytical, and practical skills to effectively harness the opportunities of urbanisation while addressing its challenges in Ghana and across Africa.

Upon completing the academic programme, graduates are well-prepared for both academic advancement and professional engagement. Graduates are also equipped for employment opportunities in internaional development agencies, research and academic institutions, non-governmental and civil society organisations, as well as within metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies.