DarTU

DAR ES SALAAAM TUMAINI UNIVERSITY

(DarTU)

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DIRECTORATE OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS (D-PSRP)

The Directorate of Postgraduate Studies, Research, and Publications (PSR&P) is a coordination and service directorate aimed at assisting both students and staff of DarTU to do research effectively and efficiently. Its responsibilities include coordination and overseeing students research and completion of dissertation, coordination of staff research, and coordination of fundraising through writing competitive research proposals.

The main objectives of PSR&P are to:

  • a) Establish and implement the research agenda of the DarTU;
  • b) Change research culture of the University such that research and publications record are improved as well as research and publications are relevant and competitive;
  • c) Coordinate and improve the quality of student research at all levels;
  • d) Establish and improve collaboration with other universities, funders, and development partners both locally and internationally; and
  • e) Attract funding through writing competitive research proposals.

Functions

PSR&P functions under two broad areas.  Student Research. PSR&P coordinates research done by students, and oversees and ensures competent supervision thereof, at all levels including research reports prepared by undergraduate students usually in the final year of study, and dissertations and theses prepared by Master and PhD candidates.  Research and Publications.  PSR&P coordinates research done by staff members and their publications. This is one of the most important areas of DarTU especially the recent times when the institution is in the process of re-engineering and re-branding itself. In addition to the two areas, PSR&P hosts the Research Ethics Committee (REC) which is an independent body established to make sure that research conducted at DarTU by staff and students are ethically sound and acceptable.

Postgraduate Studies

Currently, DarTU has three postgraduate programmes namely Master in Business Administration (MBA) offered for two years in the School of Business Studies, Master of Arts in Information Studies (MAIS) offered for 18 months in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Master of Laws in Alternative Dispute Resolution offered for two years in the School of Law and Justice. Plans are underway to establish Master programmes in the School of Education and Human Development and School of Digital Technologies and Transformation Studies (SoDTTS). In addition, DarTU is planning to establish PhD programmes in the near future. DarTU’s goal is to have a strong and dynamic Graduate School of choice in the country.

Research and Publications

The volume of research and publications at this institution is still low.  But DarTU is making a commitment to change. It is expected that research will be central to the University’s transformation process and ultimate enhancement of its impact and visibility locally as well as internationally.  This will be achieved through improving the proportion of senior staff and capacity building to junior staff aimed at improving internal capacity for research. Specific areas that will be targeted include competitive research proposal writing, skills on data collection and analysis, publishing, attending local and international conferences, preparing policy briefs, etc.  There are plans to upgrade the University Small Research Grant Fund to finance these activities. Also, this Fund will be used as seed money for obtaining lucrative research grants.

DarTU has decided to formalize the process of preparing and finalization its publications. The university, through PSRP, intends to coordinate preparation, approval and dissemination of governance documents. PSR&P will be responsible in the preparation of a template that will be used in preparation of University policies, guidelines and similar documents.  The final version of the approved documents will be disseminated to make sure that all relevant stakeholders know and understand what is expected from them. PSR&P will also monitor the review dates for all DarTU documents so that appropriate measures will be taken on time.