Description of the Programme:

The Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) gives the student a solid background in Information-related sciences, opening up a bright career path to web information systems, publishing and multi-media or systems support. BIT students are introduced to a broad range of technologies including database, networking administration, web technologies and security. Graduates will be IT specialists responsible for planning, deployment, administration and configuration of computing infrastructure for organisations. Students will develop the necessary confidence and expertise of an industry professional. This qualification provides the skills and knowledge for an individual to function at a basic level of IT competency in the contemporary information society. It will enable a person to undertake basic IT functions using a personal computer and to engage in fundamental online activities. It could be described as the community standard in IT literacy and may be wholly or partially used as an access and equity programme.

Rationale of the Programme:

Computing studies globally have experienced tremendous growth in recent times. Continuous economic growth and development have substantially contributed to computing growth particularly in Uganda. This scenario calls for quality computer education for developing human capital to meet the needs of various computing entities.

The Uganda Vision 2040 aims to transform the Ugandan society from a peasant to a modern and prosperous society. This National Development Plan (NDP) is the third in a series of six NDPs that will guide the nation and deliver the aspirations of the people of Uganda, as articulated in Uganda Vision 2040. NDPIII (2020/21 – 2024/25) aims to build on the progress made, learn lessons from the planning and implementation experiences of NDPI and NDPII, and also seek to surmount some of the challenges encountered. At the end of its implementation, the country will be halfway through Vision 2040 30-year’s timeframe. Consequently, this Plan has been drafted with this context in mind.

CHAPTER 17: of NDPIII (2020/21 – 2024/25) is INNOVATION, TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFER. Countries that invest significant amounts of resources in research and innovation as well as those who put form to often informal processes of technology importation and adoption (for example through scholarships and exchange programs) are able to industrialize faster. STI Science Technology and Innovation together with Information Communication Technologies-ICT enable the acceleration of the entire economy and this supports the digital transformation and the move towards digital (smart) health, digital (smart) agriculture, digital (smart) manufacturing, digital (smart) cities among others. Technology is often imported and adopted through external trade while science and innovation are largely born and bred in-country through tertiary institutions of learning as well as technology incubation centres.

The goal of this program, therefore, is to increase development, adoption, transfer and commercialization of Technologies & Innovations through the development of a well-coordinated STI eco-system.

The key targets to be achieved by this program over the next five years include:

(i) Increasing the Global Innovation Index from 25.32 to 35;

(ii) Increasing Gross Expenditure on R&D as a percentage of GDP (GERD) from 0.4 percent to 1 percent;

(iii) Increasing business enterprise sector spending on R&D (% of GDP) from 0.01 percent to 0.21 percent.

However, despite this contribution, computing in Uganda is still growing. This is attributed to the high cost of doing business, limited production and organization capacity, absence of strong supporting environment, weak enforcement of standards and proliferation of counterfeits in the market and inadequate strategic and sustainable government investments and partnerships with other stakeholder

The Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) is the discipline of choice to fulfill this initiative because it is a response to strong industry demand. Industry reports consistently revealed a need by the Information Technologists and Information Systems designers in the job market for more system developers, system security experts and information systems managers. Furthermore, the students from the two programs were not a ready workforce as characteristically they had strong theoretical knowledge but less skilled on the practical applicability of this knowledge. The BIT program is therefore demand driven and tailored to bridge this gap as well.

Requirements for Direct Entry Scheme:

Uganda Certificate of Education (‘O’ Level) with a minimum of five (5) passes and

Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (‘A’ Level) with a minimum of two principal passes (Preferably but not limited to Mathematics, Economics, or Physics,) obtained at the same sitting.

The minimum requirement for direct entry from the 8-4-4 system shall be C+ or its equivalent from Higher Education Certificate

Requirements for the Diploma Holders’ Entry Scheme:

A relevant Diploma (with an upper second) or credit obtained from an institution recognized by National Council for Higher Education.

Requirements for Mature Age Entry Scheme

A pass of 50 per cent or higher in Mature Age examination, obtained and certified from a centre recognized by National Council for Higher Education.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE