PhD Programs

In addition to the general requirements laid down by Addis Ababa University, admission to ACEWM graduate degree program requires satisfactory completion of Master’s Degree at a college or university of recognized standing with a grade point of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale or equivalent in ECTS. However, students with grade point averages between 3.0 and 3.5 will be given consideration based on their experience and achievement.

The age limit at the time of application for PhD applicants is 40 years or less.

Documents to be Compiled in One PDF and Submitted during Application

1. A cover page containing applicant’s full name as it appears on applicant’s ID/Passport, full contact details including residential and postal address, email and telephone number (s), and intended field of study
2. A copy of identification card/Passport,
3. Detailed curriculum vitae not exceeding 4 pages,
4. Authenticated copies of previous degrees and official transcripts from previous university/college,
5. (Official original transcripts from each college or university at which the applicant has completed course work must be on file before an application can be processed),
6. Applicants who have completed their degree/diploma from foreign universities (other than Ethiopia) are required to obtain their degree/diploma equivalent from the Ethiopian Higher Education Relevance and Quality Agency (HERQA) before admission. (Academic documents authentication by relevant office is mandatory during admission),
7. Consent letter and CV of the supervisor to be from AAU/Partner institute who will supervise the applicant research work during the study period,
8. Concept note not exceeding five pages,
9. A personal statement/motivation letter describing the candidate’s interest to join the program not exceeding 500 words, stating clearly and succinctly the reason for seeking graduate study in Water Management at Addis Ababa University, the applicant’s career goals, and research interests. (The applicant may include information about any unique circumstances, special abilities, awards, achievements, scholarly publications, or professional history that are relevant to the admission decision),
10. Letters of recommendation from three referees who are knowledgeable about the applicant’s academic, professional and scholarly ability and potential must be submitted. Applicants should not request letters from individuals who would have an objective conflict of interest (e.g., friends and family). Additional recommendations may be requested,
11. Applicants sponsored by their institutions are required to submit a sponsorship letter from their institution. (The form can be downloaded from http://www.aau.edu.et/documents/registrar/),
12. Employed applicants must provide a letter of full commitment from their employers that they will be granted study leave.,
13. Certificate of professional experience if there is any,
14. Cost-Sharing clearance documents for Ethiopian applicants.
15. Applicants must have sufficient knowledge of English language and provide proof of proficiency
16. Applicants are required to take and pass the Graduate Admission Test (GAT) (http://www.aau.edu.et/blog/announcement-_-graduate-admission-test-gat/).
17. Applicants need to meet also the general requirements laid down by the School of Graduate Studies, Addis Ababa University (www.aau.edu.et(Admission Requirement).)

Intended Learning Outcomes of the PhD Program
Content (Knowledge)
By the end of the program, students will:

• Understand the principles, concepts and tools of water management in the respective specializations;
• Have a broad, multi-disciplinary foundation in water science, technology and management;
• Have formed associations with a substantial number of students in other disciplines.

Skills By the end of the program, students will:

• Be able to effectively apply their disciplinary knowledge in a multi-or, inter-disciplinary setting;
• Effectively communicate project analyses and results to classmates and faculty;
• Be able to develop new interdisciplinary knowledge.

Values By the end of the collaborative program, students will:

• Be able to work cooperatively with experts in water management;
• Understand the importance of multi-, inter-or trans-disciplinary approaches in the water sector;
• Be able to identify the role of their discipline expertise in multi-or interdisciplinary problem solving.

Teaching-Learning Approaches
The PhD Degree is conferred upon candidates who have demonstrated scholarship and expertise in their field of specialization, and conducted novel independent research. To this end, the doctoral programs are designed to develop the skills needed to conduct and interpret original research and to develop a strong sense for the interdisciplinary nature of water management. As graduate education draws from the vigor of the research programs and activities in the ACEWM through the content of the courses and the organization of the curricula, close mentorship provision is incorporated in the program through the institution of the Supervisory Committee, which also helps to enhance the efforts of the students in original research and professional development.
Moreover, in order to help students, acquaint themselves with the high-level original research required of them, the programs incorporate series of seminars the students are required to deliver. Since water management by nature encompass multidisciplinary, fieldtrips and laboratory work that allow students to observe the physical underpinnings of the water system; it is hoped that these will constitute a highly effective educational strategy. The teaching-learning methods also include, in addition to class lectures, other collaborative learning activities such as presentation, assignment, seminar, demonstration, etc. They are specific to a given module, and thus they are included in the module syllabus.
 
Assessment Strategies for PhD Program
Module Assessment
Evaluation of course work will normally be based upon written papers, oral presentation, and other forms of examination as determined by the individual instructor. One of these requirements is that graduate students maintain a grade of not less than B in all courses. Failure to do so can result in dismissal from the program.
All students are required to complete a thesis as partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree offered by the programs. The thesis must be defended at an oral examination. Candidates are also expected to respond to questions relating to the specific principles involved in their research and to questions ranging widely over related subjects. In addition, the supervisory committee records and keep control of the students’ progress which will be placed in the students’ files. The assessments also involve the preparation the technical reports, field reports, research style articles and oral and poster presentations. Practical skills are assessed through coursework assessments in the form of laboratory and field exercises, technical report writing, oral and poster presentations, field-based reports and research articles. The research project allows the student to demonstrate practical skills to the highest standard. The program assessment is passed if all designated practical skills to the highest standard. The program assessment is passed if all designated module assessments of the program curriculum have been successfully completed as stipulated.
Supervision
Students will come under the general supervision of a Supervisory Committee (SC), which will be established by the CGC for a group of students admitted to a given specialization. The Supervisory Committee is responsible for helping the students develop a program of study and for reporting to the CGC every 6 months on the students’ progress towards completing the degree requirements. A Supervisory Committee will follow up a group of students starting from their admission until their graduation. The SC has four of five members consisting of

• Three members with relevant field of specialization and believed to possess sound experiences and authority in the PhD specialization.
• The principal thesis advisor;
• The co-advisor, where applicable under the recommendation of the Supervisory Committee.

Doctoral Dissertation

1. The doctoral dissertation shall constitute the partial requirement for the fulfilment of PhD degree.
2. The doctoral dissertation shall constitute individual effort in academic pursuits to find a genuine solution to problems. The conclusions arrived at and/or the methodology employed shall be such standard as to have been judged original. In as much as possible the areas of study shall be relevant to Ethiopian problems.
3. Candidates shall have their research proposal approved by the CGC and College of Natural and Computational Science Academic Commission (CNCAC). The candidate will be responsible to an advisor who shall be approved by the same CGC. Whenever there is more than one advisor, one of them shall be designated as the principal advisor.
4. A PhD candidate shall, during his first year of enrolment, consult concerned academic staff about a doctoral dissertation topic and based on mutual agreement between staff and candidate, the CGC shall approve research advisor(s) for each candidate.

The PhD dissertation can be submitted in two forms. It can be submitted as monograph-based doctoral dissertation: a traditional approach in which a PhD candidate writes a comprehensive piece of research in a book form, with typically separate chapters for literature review, conceptual development, analysis, and conclusion. Alternatively, it can be submitted as publication or article-based dissertation where a PhD candidate authors or co-authors multiple articles which are then joined together to constitute the PhD dissertation document.

Procedures for Examination and Submission of Thesis/Dissertation

1. When a candidate, after conferring with the advisor, gives notice of readiness to submit his thesis, the CGC shall designate an examining board. The board shall have a minimum of three and a maximum of five members including the advisor. Normally internal members of the examining boards shall be drawn from the advisory committee.
2. Dissertation shall be submitted to the Center at least two months before the date of defense
3. For a dissertation, external examiners must be assigned of which one must be from a reputable university abroad.
4. Examinations may be conducted through electronic media. The external examiner shall be a full member of the board.
5. The candidate shall defend his doctoral dissertation in front of the duly appointed Examining Board.

It is a mandatory requirement that PhD graduating students must publish or produce evidence of acceptance for publication of at least two articles in reputable journals including for the Monograph-based doctoral dissertation. The reputability of the journals in which the articles are published will be verified by the center. The published articles should be directly extracted/emanated from the PhD dissertation work and advisor(s) should be in the list of co-authors. The time of publication should be within the PhD study time.

Learning Opportunities
Students successfully completing from this program will have ample opportunities to continue further specific trainings within the country of postdoctoral opportunities.

Employment Information
Students successfully completing from this program can join higher education institutions, research institutions, national and international water sector organizations and will have an opportunity to exercise the profession and entitled to obtain professional license from competent authorities such as the Ministry of Water and Energy, Environmental Protection Authority, etc.

As all our PhD programs are internationally accredited, graduates from ACEWM will have a competitive advantage to join regional and international academic and water and environment related organizations.