This archive report was first published on 29 September 2019.
Kenya's Education Reforms: A Shift Towards Marketable Degrees ¶
Published on September 29, 2019, the University of Nairobi scrapped 40 courses in education reform plans, citing that the courses had not attracted any student for the last five years.
As education reforms gradually take shape in public universities, some undergraduate courses are being removed from the curricula. However, there are still marketable undergraduate degrees in Kenya that can secure a job in the current workforce.
1. Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery ¶
Admission to this course requires exceptional grades at the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination. The course works are demanding and take approximately 7 years to complete. Graduates can work as medical doctors or surgeons.
These degrees are highly lucrative, attracting prestige and job security. They are very marketable locally and globally.
2. Degree in Clinical Medicine ¶
Individuals who desire to pursue a career in medicine but have fewer cluster points required for a medical doctor can take this route. The degree course takes 5 years, inclusive of a one-year internship program. With the country grappling with a shortage of medical personnel, this degree provides workers in a ready market.
Professionals in this field are essential in providing primary care to patients, and some people consider them as assistant doctors.
3. Bachelor of Pharmacy ¶
Hospitals, big or small, must have a pharmacist. Then there are tens of thousands of privately owned chemists and pharmacies. Selling medicine is a lucrative business, as people get sick every day. As the world evolves, new diseases are being discovered, and disease is treated with medicine purchased from chemists or hospitals.
Businesses making and marketing all types of drugs and medicine employ pharmacists as part of the sales team.
4. Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Biotechnology ¶
Agriculture is the economic backbone of Kenya, and we need to produce quality cash and domestic crops in large quantities. In this degree of education, students obtain biological knowledge and skills to handle challenges found in crops, general agriculture, soil, animal health, among others.
Holders of this degree can work in technological research institutions, genetic engineering fields, manufacturing, pharmaceutical industries, among others.
5. Bachelor of Engineering Electrical and Telecommunication ¶
This course takes 5 vigorous years and covers a wide range of basic telecoms science and engineering topics, including drawing, calculus, circuits, and telecoms network theory. Graduates work in telecommunication companies, such as mobile phone companies, internet service providers (ISPs), communication parastatals, media companies.
6. Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Literature ¶
This course gives you essential skills to work as a language expert in either Kiswahili or English in a wide range of scenarios. This course creates career opportunities in journalism, writing, translation, and publishing.
7. Bachelor of Arts Education ¶
There is a huge shortage of teachers from primary school, secondary, and universities. Furthermore, many private schools pop up yearly. This degree is therefore very competitive in the workforce. An individual can work as a teacher, educational consultant, college lecturer, examiner, curriculum developer, education quality and assurance officer, school inspector, among others.
