UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

University of Zimbabwe
1955-2005

50 UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE
Years
of
Service to the nation

POSTGRADUATE

POSTGRADUATE PROGAMMES 2006–2008

PROGRAMES

2006–2008
CALENDAR
 UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

POSTGRADUATE DEGREE
PROGRAMMES
2006-2008
CALENDAR

• General Information • Addresses • Telephone numbers

• General Information for Students • General Academic Regulations

• Degree Programmes and Faculty Regulations

© University of Zimbabwe
2005

The Calendar is as far as possible accurate and up-to-date at the time of going to print. However, it
should be noted that not all programmes of study or courses described herein will necessarily be on
offer each year.

UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

Compiled by the Information Office, University of Zimbabwe

Typeset at the University of Zimbabwe Publications Office
Printed by Mazongororo Paper Converters
 HISTORICAL NOTE
The University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland which became the University of Rhodesia on
1 January 1971, was incorporated by Royal Charter on 11 February 1955.

The original impetus for the founding of a University in Rhodesia was given by an offer in 1945 by
Mr. J.F. Kapnek of £20 000 for such a purpose. This encouraged Mr. L.M.N. Hodson, QC, to gather
together a group of men and women under the title “Friends of the University of Rhodesia” to
publicise and foster the idea. This group, which shortly changed its title to “Rhodesia University
Association” faced some opposition and much indifference, but with enthusiasm and perseverance
under Mr. Hodson’s leadership continued their efforts and gained their first official recognition in
1946. On 26 October 1946, the Legislative Assembly of Southern Rhodesia accepted a motion,
introduced by Mr. Hodson as a private member, that a university should be established as soon as
practicable to serve the needs of Southern Rhodesia and Northern Rhodesia and neighbouring
territories and that a Board of Trustees should be appointed. On 19 May 1947, His Excellency the
Governor of Southern Rhodesia established by trust deed the Rhodesian University Foundation
Fund and appointed as trustees the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Secretary for Internal Affairs and
Mr. Hodson.

Twenty-four offers of sites for the University were made by municipalities and other local
authorities, by companies and by independent landowners. On the advice of the Trustees, who
visited most of the sites, the Legislative Assembly in 1948 chose the 250 acres offered by the City
of Salisbury.

In the meantime, the activities of the Rhodesian University Association had increased and regional
committees were established to assist in publicity and fund raising. In 1952 the association promoted
a private bill in the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly, which was enacted on 29 August,
1952, for the incorporation and constitution of the University. This Act established an Inaugural
Board which met for the first time in January 1953, by which time the College had received £100
000 in grants from territorial Governments and £74 000 from private and other contributors. Classes
for part-time students in Accountancy had been started in 1952 and the premises of St. Joseph’s
Home at 115 (later 147) Baker Avenue (now demolished) were purchased to accommodate these
classes and to serve as the headquarters of the Inaugural Board.

The Central African Council, quite independently of the Inaugural Board, had decided on the
recommendation of a committee under the chairmanship of Sir Harold Cartmel-Robinson, to appoint
a commission to report on the needs of higher education for Africans in Central Africa. This
commission, under the chairmanship of Sir Alexander Carr-Saunders, visited the three territories in
November 1952, and presented its report in February 1953. It recommended the establishment of a
university, beginning as a University College, on an inter-racial basis, either in Salisbury if this
proposal could be appropriately associated with the plans of the Inaugural Board, or if not, in Lusaka
in Northern Rhodesia.

In June 1953, the Inaugural Board made its decision that the sole test for admission to the University
would be educational attainments and good character. On 13 July 1953 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
the Queen Mother laid the foundation stone on the Mount Pleasant site. Her Majesty later graciously

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consented to accept office of President, when the Charter was granted, and so continued until
February 1970.

In September 1953 at the invitation of the Inter-University Council of Higher Education a delegation
of representatives of the three Central African Governments and the Inaugural Board visited London
for discussions with the Inter-University Council, the University of London and the British
Government. Her Majesty’s Government announced its willingness to contribute £1 250 000
towards capital costs of the College on condition that the recurrent costs were provided from other
sources.

This condition was met by the grant of £150 000 per annum by the Federal Government towards the
recurrent income of the College for the five years beginning 1 January 1956. The British Government
later increased its capital gift by a further £150 000, making a total grant of £1 400 000. The City
of Salisbury increased its gift of land from 250 to 474 acres.

These generous grants enabled the College to erect buildings to house the Faculties of Arts,
Education, Science and Social Studies, the Halls of Residence, the Students’ Union and staff houses.
Other major benefactions for buildings were:

The Library (Anglo American Corporation, B.S.A Company,

Rhodesia Selection Trust) £200 000
The Beit Hall (Beit Trust) £36 000
Basil Fletcher Court Flats (Ford Foundation) £24 000
College Chapel (Dulverton Trust) £15 000
Sports Pavilion (Rhodesia Breweries) £10 000

In November 1953, Dr. William Rollo, formerly Professor of Classics at the University of Cape
Town, was appointed interim Principal for two years and was succeeded in December 1955 by Dr.
Walter Adams, formerly Secretary of the Inter-University Council. During Dr. Rollo’s tenure of
office as Principal, appointments were made to the first ten headships of academic departments and
to the post of Librarian. The basic layout plan of the site was formulated and approved and the first
buildings begun. Publicity and fund-raising campaigns increased the total of the benefactions
received by the College (other than the grants from the British and Federal Governments) to over
£300 000.

The year 1956 was devoted to detailed planning and preparation. The college was admitted to the
privilege of Special Relation with the University of London. The original heads of departments,
joined by others, formed the Academic Board which negotiated with the University of London the
entrance requirements for the admission of students, special syllabuses in each teaching subject
adapted to local conditions, examination arrangements and other academic matters. Research
projects were started. The Library made substantial acquisitions by purchase and by gifts. The
science departments acquired their initial stocks of apparatus and equipment and established
ancillary services such as a botany garden and herbarium. The Federal Government gave the College
1 200 acres, part of the Archie Henderson Agricultural Research Station in the Mazoe Valley, for
development as a farm for teaching and research. A few years later it acquired 60 square miles of
virgin country on the shore of Lake Kariba on which a research station was established in association
with the Universities of Oxford, Glasgow and Witwatersrand. This is on lease from the Government.

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Rapid progress was made in developing the Mount Pleasant site. The Science Research Laboratories
were occupied. On 3 December 1956, the Governor-General, Lord Llewellin, opened the south wing
of the Arts Building. Early in 1957 the College was able to vacate the premises at 115 Baker Avenue
and transfer all its activities to Mount Pleasant, and in March teaching for full-time students began
in the Faculties of Arts and Science and for graduates taking the one-year programme for the
Certificate in Education.

In 1963 the Medical School was opened, the cost being raised by the College from the Nuffield
Foundation. It was affiliated to the University of Birmingham and thus students for the degrees of
MBChB, obtained a Birmingham qualification. In 1968 the school was named the Godfrey Huggins
School of Medicine in honour of Lord Malvern, who had been Chairman of Council from 1958 to
1968.

The dissolution of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland at the end of 1963 raised questions on
the future of the University College, which were considered at meetings between the governments
of the United Kingdom and Southern Rhodesia in April 1964. It was then agreed by them that the
University College should continue as “an independent institution of learning, open to all races,
serving not only the higher education requirements of Rhodesia but also contributing to the
advancement of knowledge, science and research in Central Africa and within the international
community of Universities”.

The Government of Rhodesia agreed to give financial support to enable the College to continue, and
the British Government agreed to contribute £250 000 for each of the three succeeding years. The
main finance for the University is now provided by block grant from the Government of Zimbabwe.

In January 1970 the College and the University of London agreed to a phased termination of the
Scheme of Special Relation so that the last intake for degrees of the University of London was that
of 1970. In April 1970 the formal association of the University of Birmingham with the College was
also terminated and the last intake for medical degrees of the University of Birmingham was that of
1970. In September 1970 the University College Council enacted new Statutes in terms of the
Charter establishing the University of Rhodesia, governed by a Council and Senate. Full university
status was achieved on 1 January 1971. At the end of 1973 the first full year of students with
University of Rhodesia degrees graduated in the Faculties of Arts, Science and Social Studies.

In March 1974 the first student for a four year honours degree were accepted into the Faculty of
Engineering and the first graduates, eleven in number, completed their degrees in 1977.

At independence, the University of Rhodesia became the University of Zimbabwe. In January 1980
the Faculties of Agriculture and Commerce and Law were established, these disciplines having
previously been included in the Faculties of Science and Social Studies respectively.

In 1982 a Bill to make further and better provision for the governance of the University was enacted
by Parliament thereby replacing the Royal Charter. That same year, the Faculty of Veterinary
Science was established with an intake of eighteen students, eleven of whom graduated in 1986.

In 1988, the Faculty of Commerce and Law split into two distinct faculties, namely the Faculty of
Commerce (with two departments, Accountancy and Business Studies), and the Faculty of Law
(with three departments, Procedural Law, Private Law and Public Law).

iii
In 1989, the University assumed responsibility for the Bachelor of Technology programmes at the
Bulawayo Technical College and Harare Polytechnic.

In 1990, the University of Zimbabwe Amendment Act was enacted.

The overall number of students enrolled in the University increased from the first intake of 68 in 1957
to 2 240 in 1980, to 9 300 in 1990 and to 12 500 in 2004.

Out of the 48 474 students who had graduated from the University by the end of 2004, 43 572 of these
graduated after the attainment of independence.

The post-independence era also saw the expansion of the physical infrastructure at the University
and this included the construction of the Great Hall and five new halls of residence increasing the
number of resident students from about 800 to 4 500 at the beginning of 2005.

Currently, the University has 10 Faculties, namely: Arts, Agriculture, Engineering, Commerce,
Law, Science, Medicine, Social Studies, Education and Veterinary Science.

Since Independence, the range of medical degrees has also expanded to include Medical Laboratory
Sciences, Nursing Sciences, Radiology, Rehabilitation, Dentistry and BSc Health Education and
Health Promotion among others.

In the Faculty of Commerce new courses and degree programmes introduced since 1982 include
Government Accounting and Law, Business Studies, Business Studies Computing Degree and a
Master’s degree in Tourism and Hospitality Studies. The Master of Business Administration Degree
was introduced in 1986.

Over the years the University has been putting emphasis on research mainly through its non-teaching
units which include Lake Kariba Research Station, Institute of Development Studies, Development
Technology Centre, the African Languages Research Institute, the Institute of Environmental
Studies and the Centre for Defence Studies.

The University of Zimbabwe helped start four new State Universities namely Chinhoyi University
of Technology, Masvingo State University, Zimbabwe Open University and Bindura University of
Science Education.

The University also has associate institutions which include teachers’ colleges, technical colleges,
agricultural colleges, nursing colleges and seminaries where it provides quality control and
opportunities for further training. In 2004, 6 446 students from teachers’ colleges graduated with the
University of Zimbabwe Diploma in Education.

iv
 ADDRESSES

UNIVERSITY

Situation: Mount Pleasant Drive

Mount Pleasant
Harare

Postal: University of Zimbabwe

P.O. Box MP 167
Mount Pleasant
Harare

CLINICAL DEPARTMENTS OF THE COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES

Postal: P. O. Box A 178
Avondale
Harare

Situation: Parirenyatwa Hospital

Mazoe Street
Harare

UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE LIBRARY

P. O. Box MP 45
Mount Pleasant
Harare

TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS: TELEPHONE: 263-4-303211

UNIVERSITY, HARARE FAX: 263-4-333407, 335249
TELEX: 26580 UNIVZ ZW

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 TELEPHONE NUMBERS

OFFICE HOURS NUMBERS

Main Campus: 263-4-303211

Administration
Library
All Teaching Departments on the University site
Non Clinical Departments of Medicine

College of Health Sciences: 263-4-791631

Faculty Office
All Clinical Departments

Departments at Harare Hospital: 263-4-64685

Histopathology
Obstetrics and Gynaecology 263-4-621345

Institute of Development Studies 333341/3 or 307900/3 or 307905/6

AFTER HOURS NUMBERS:

Faculty of Medicine:
Departments at Mount Pleasant
Animal House 303221
Pharmacy 303210

OTHER UNIVERSITY AFTER HOURS NUMBERS:

Accommodation and Catering 333543
Complex I 333544
Complex II 333545
Law Library 303224
Main Library 303225
Maintenance Yard: Site & Transport 303278
Senior Common Room 303211 Ext. 1127
Student Health Service Clinic 335148
Veterinary Hospital 303574/5
Works Department Electrician 303298

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Halls of Residents
Wardens:
Swinton Hall (Women) 303236
Carr-Saunders Hall (Men) 303229
Manfred Hodson Hall & New Hall (Men) 303232
Medical Students’ Residence (Services Manager) 722223
Mount Royal Residence 792961
New Residential Complex Phase 1 (Men) 303243 Ext 1638
New Residential Complex Phase 2 (Men) 303223 Ext 1741
New Residential Complex Phase 3 (Men) 303238
New Residential Complex Phase 4 (Women) 303217
New Residential Complex Phase 5 (Women) 303241
Non-Resident Warden 303211 Ext. 1848
Teachers Hostel

UNIVERSITY OFFICE HOURS

The hours of business of the Registry and the Bursar's Department are:
8.00 a.m. to 12.45 p.m. (Monday to Friday)
2.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. (Monday to Thursday)
2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. (Friday)

3
 GENERAL INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS

The teaching and research activities of the University of Zimbabwe are the responsibility of the
Senate as the academic authority of the University.
The Senate consists of all Deans, Deputy Deans, Professors, Associate Professors and Chairmen
of departments, the Pro-Vice-Chancellors, the Librarian and members elected by the full-time
lecturing staff of each Faculty. The President of the Students’ Union is an ex officio member and
there is provision for membership of five students elected by the Students’ Union. Senate is
presided over by the Vice-Chancellor. Senate regulates the admission of students, the provision
of programmes of study and the conduct of examinations. It recommends to the Chancellor the
conferment of degrees and other awards to the University and it meets two or three times each term.
Universities have found it expedient for the closer ordering of teaching and research to group
related subjects into Faculties. The University of Zimbabwe now has Faculties of Agriculture,
Arts, Commerce,Law, Engineering, Education, Medicine, Science, Social Studies and Veterinary
Science. For each Faculty there is a Faculty Board consisting of the teaching staff of the subjects
assigned to a Faculty. The Faculty Board elects one of its senior members as chairman and
spokesman on other University committees. He is the Dean of Faculty and he is assisted by a
similarly elected Deputy Dean. Faculty Boards meet two or three times each term.
Cutting across department and faculty boundaries is the University Library providing the
bibliographical basis for teaching and research throughout the University. The University
Computer Centre and the Language Laboratory (in the Department of Linguistics) also provide
services to several Faculties.
For individual counselling in academic, financial and personal matters, each student is assigned
to a Student Adviser within his own Faculty, with whom he is encouraged to discuss his progress
in the University and any problems which may arise. Other counselling resources available are
listed below in the section headed “Dean of Students: Department of Student Affairs”.

STUDENT DISCIPLINE
The University is a society in which high standards of communal life must be established and
maintained for the benefit of both present and future members of the University. A high level of
personal integrity and a developed sense of responsibility are as important to the University as
outstanding scholastic achievement. A proper concern for the reputation of the University and
what it ought to stand for makes it incumbent upon its members to live decent and ordered lives
both on and off the University site.
When registering as a member of the University, a student is given a copy of the Rules of Conduct
and Discipline and signs a statement in which he acknowledges that he has been furnished with
the rules and that he undertakes to order his conduct while a student of the University in accordance
with these rules.