As the 2026 academic year begins, various universities are unveiling new and proposed academic programmes aimed at better aligning higher education with the demands of the job market and national development needs.
This initiative is a direct response to current concerns about the mismatch between graduate skills and labour market demands. Concerns have been raised regarding the practicality of some university courses, with employers pointing out that many graduates are missing essential skills for the workplace.
Makerere University
At Makerere University, the country’s oldest public institution of higher learning, four new programmes have been introduced aimed at strengthening research and responding to national needs.
According to the academic registrar, Prof Buyinza Mukadasi, the programmes are targeting global needs, particularly in economic management, climate change adaptation and agricultural development.
‘The world now lies on research and value addition which is critical. For instance, the meteorology programme is intended to address the shortage of trained weather and climate experts, at a time when Uganda continues to experience extreme weather events that affect agriculture and disaster preparedness,” he explained.
PROGRAM DURATION
PhD in Accounting and Finance 3 years
PhD in Management 3 years
Bachelor of Science and Meteorology 3 years
Bachelor of Science in Horticulture 4 years
Kyambogo University
The Vice Chancellor of Kyambogo University, Prof Eli Katunguka, stressed that the proposed programmes to the NCHE intend to meet societal and professional needs, as institutions adjust to changes in the economy and technology. ‘The proposed programmes respond to gaps in advanced training, research and specialised skills required in the public sector, private industry and community development. These programmes reflect our commitment to skills-based training, inclusion and responsiveness to societal needs and have been developed in line with NCHE standards and are aligned to Kyambogo’s mandate as a skills-oriented institution.’
Prof Moses Muhwezi, the principal of Makerere University Business School (Mubs), said the university is actively developing and refining programmes across multiple fields, including health management, innovation, auditing, business intelligence and energy management. ‘These programmes are designed to meet current labour-market demands, public-sector reform priorities, and learner-centred education,’ Prof Muhwezi said. He added: ‘We are moving beyond traditional theory-driven models toward skills-based, learner-centred, and employment-ready education.’ Under the CBC model, 80 percent of assessment is based on practical work, including projects, assignments and real-world tasks, while exams account for only 20 percent.
MUST
The Vice Chancellor of Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Prof Pauline Byakika-Kibwika, said a proposed faculty would help address persistent challenges affecting agriculture and livelihoods in south-western Uganda, including low productivity, animal and crop diseases, climate shocks, limited extension services and weak value addition. She added that the university aims to align the new faculty with national priorities under the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), particularly increasing production, productivity and value addition while promoting environmental conservation. ‘We will directly contribute to national development through training, research and innovation in agriculture, environment and veterinary sciences,’ she said.
Victoria University
Victoria University has introduced a Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science and in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics for the 2026/2027 academic year. Mr Conan Businge, the university’s marketing and student recruitment manager, said the courses are designed to respond to a rapidly changing job market and skills gap in Uganda and globally being created by digital transformation. ‘Some of the courses we have started are those the country badly demands for at this time, with the changing job market globally. We design these with a global outlook, since we don’t only teach Ugandans but also students from more than 50 countries and need to be trained to work anywhere in the world,’ he said.
Kampala International University
KIU Vice Chancellor, Prof Muhammed Ngoma called for a broader shift away from teaching-only models towards universities that are driven by research, innovation and problem-solving. ‘Universities must move away from knowledge reproduction to knowledge creation and research should inform public policy, industry and national development. With time, we shall introduce bachelor’s degree programmes in the same areas,’ Prof Ngoma said. ‘Our goal is to produce graduates who are confident, competent, relevant to society and competitive in the job market,’ the university added.
Kampala University
Mr Julius Ssekatawa, the university’s public relations officer, said: ‘All these ones [programmes] are new and already accredited. We have been observing them and they are new on board in response to market and public demands.’ He cited developments in Uganda’s oil and gas sector as a key motivation. ‘We have seen people retire after many years of work but fail to manage retirement. We thought it is necessary that people are prepared for that stage of life,’ he said.