Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) is a comprehensive private university opened by the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Uganda in October, 1993. The University began with only 84 students and 2 faculties and has grown to 5,000 students and 9 faculties and schools and seven campuses. It was granted a Charter by the Republic of Uganda in 2005.
There is an unprecedented revolution in the world today and more so in the higher education sector. The 21st Century higher education landscape is characterized by rapid changes and requires us to be capable of demonstrating agility, flexibility, innovation and adaptability. This has been made even more obvious and needing urgent action in the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns. As we emerge from the emergent phase of the COVID-19 and start the recovery and refocusing phases, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) must constantly review their strategies and avoid the Halo Effect of past success. At UMU, the University’s focus has shifted from a local emphasis at its inception, to an international presence, forging innovative strategic partnerships with both local and international institutions. The University treasures local, regional and international partnerships in teaching, learning, human resource capacity development and research for mutual benefits. We have partnered with institutions (universities, research institutes, industry, funding organizations and NGOs) and engaged our 30,000-strong alumni base in Uganda, and the East African region, African, European, Asian-Pacific and North American universities. The partnerships are aimed at developing and engaging in joint research, grant applications; industry linkages; teaching and external examination and joint curricula.
Notably the University offers a unique MBA program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Impact in collaboration with the Catholic University of Milan in Italy. The uniqueness of the MBA is its emphasis on practical learning. Unlike traditional programs requiring a research product, the candidates are required to develop an innovative business plan and demonstrate ability to start and deliver the business with a proof of concept product. UMU has also embarked on an innovative 3-year PhD program in Management and Innovation and a PhD in Agri-systems management in partnership with the Catholic University of Milan. The innovativeness of the PhD is that candidates, initially members of staff at UMU, will be able to conduct their PhD studies through a hybrid of online and frontal sessions in Uganda and in Milan, and in so doing reduce the costs of travel and accommodation in Italy.
The RUFORUM Blog 
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