Master of Arts in Population Studies

The Master of Arts in Population Studies program at the University of Zambia is designed to equip students with advanced knowledge and analytical skills to study population dynamics and their implications for social, economic, and environmental development. Graduates of this program will be well-prepared to work in various sectors, including government agencies, research institutions, non-governmental organizations, and international organizations, where they can contribute to policy formulation, program planning, and implementation of population-related initiatives. Aligned with the University of Zambia’s mission, “To provide quality and relevant higher education, research and innovation that shape the future of society” this program aims to support national and global development efforts by producing highly skilled population scientists. With a strong emphasis on research, data analysis, and innovative solutions, the program seeks to address the growing demand for experts who can provide evidence-based insights into population trends, health, migration, fertility, and socio-economic development.

Population studies has become an immensely challenging and exciting discipline in many spheres and at all levels of social, political and economic development in Zambia. All these developments have indicated the need to develop and introduce a graduate training research program in population studies. The need for localized training in population studies is supported by many organizations that find overseas training costs to be rather prohibitive. Furthermore, a number of these institutions have begun to appreciate the value and relevance of population studies in their operations. The need for localized training has become even more urgent given donor agencies’ reluctance to support long – term training at masters and doctoral levels.
In recent times, it has become increasingly difficult for UNZA to send staff abroad for further studies at masters and doctorate levels because of paucity of funding. The establishment of a local graduate program will therefore reduce the pressure to solicit for funds in order to send academic staff for overseas training. The establishment of a master’s degree programme in population studies at UNZA will also have cost-effective implications as future population scientists will be trained locally.

The programme aims at equipping graduates with demographic and statistical skills geared to solving practical problems in the public and private sectors of the economy.

At the end of programme, the candidates will be expected to do the following:
i. To equip population scientists with practical demographic, computer, research, and statistical skills.
ii. To give the population scientists practical experience in the execution of research project using primary/and secondary data.
iii. To equip population scientists with data analysis and report writing skills.

The following are the objectives of the programme;

i. To equip graduates with practical demographic, statistical, computing, and research skills necessary for addressing population-related challenges in the public and private sectors.
ii. To develop graduates’ capacity to design and undertake research using both primary and secondary population data.
iii. To develop practical skills in demographic and statistical data analysis, including the interpretation and application of population data for evidence-based decision-making.
iv. To equip graduates with competencies in research report writing and dissemination of demographic and statistical findings to relevant stakeholders.
iv. To prepare graduates to apply demographic and statistical knowledge to solve practical population and development problems in the public and private sectors.