MA History

Final University of Nairobi examinations shall be given at the end of every semester in each taught course unit; each final examination shall be in the form of a three-hour written examination paper.

Where a semester-long project paper is required, work on the project paper shall be started and completed during the final semester of the postgraduate diploma programme. The project paper shall be graded as though it were 2 taught course units without coursework, and consequently, the paper shall contribute 100% of the marks awarded in those course units.

To be awarded the postgraduate diploma, a candidate must pass all specialized, core and elective course units taken, as well as the Project Paper where applicable.

All examinations shall be governed by the following rules:

i)      Each course unit shall be graded over 100.

ii)     The written final examination shall account for 60% of all the marks in each course unit, while continuous assessment tests shall account for 40%; but the Project Paper or “Independent research” paper shall be graded over 100%, as there shall be no continuous assessment test associated with them.

iii)    In every course unit taken, the pass mark shall be 50%, which shall be arrived at by adding the overall continuous coursework grade obtained in that course to the final end-of-semester grade.

iv)    A candidate who fails in any examination in a specialized, core, or elective course unit taken at the end of a semester may re-sit that examination when it is next given during scheduled end-of-semester examinations, and should he/she once again fail, may re-sit the examination one more time when it is next scheduled as part of the University’s regular end-of-semester examinations calendar, provided that he/she shall pay such fees as may be prescribed by the University in respect of such examination. There shall be no special or supplementary examinations between or during semesters.

v)     A candidate who fails in any examination in an elective course unit may, at his/her own discretion, register in an alternative elective course unit, in lieu of re-sitting an examination in which he/she failed once or more than once; provided that he/she shall pay such registration and other fees as may be prescribed by the University in respect of such examination.

In the event that a candidate re-sits the final examination in any course unit, the final grade shall be based entirely on the marks obtained in the final written examination, which shall be graded over 100 marks; and the continuous coursework marks pertaining to that course unit shall not be considered.

Each candidate’s cumulative performance in the course of the postgraduate diploma programme, as well as his/her overall performance,  shall be summarized in an average score over 100, and a letter reflecting current University practice.

A student who, for good cause supported with authenticated documentary evidence, fails to sit or complete an end-of-semester examination may be allowed to sit for the paper(s) concerned when the examination is next scheduled, without paying additional fees.