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UPSA welcomes 883 graduate students

The University of Professional Studies, Accra has welcomed hundreds of new graduate students to the University community for the 2020/2021 academic year.

The students, who are pursuing various postgraduate programmes, were formally initiated into the institution at a Matriculation Ceremony held on Friday, January 22.

In all, a total of 883 postgraduate students gained admission and registered for the semester out of 1,288 applications received by the University. This figure represents a 26.7 per cent increase over the previous year’s intake.

The new graduate students include 508 males and 375 females, bringing the male to female ratio of registered postgraduate fresh students for the 2020/2021 academic year to 6:4.

A cross-section of the matriculants swearing the Matriculation Oath

 

The matriculants include 25 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students, 31 Master of Philosophy (MPhil) students, 658 Master of Business Administration (MBA) students, 143 Master of Art/Science students and 26 Master of Business Administration (by Distance Learning) students.

Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof Abednego F. O. Amartey congratulated the students on their admission and for the successful registration for the Semester.

He welcomed them saying: “your choice to study at UPSA is a clear indication that you believe in the quality of teaching and learning being offered here, and are poised for an exciting academic experience. Thank you for your confidence in us.”

Prof. Abednego F. O. Amartey addressing the new students.

 

Prof Amartey underscored the new challenges that accompanied studying under harsh and strict conditions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These notwithstanding, he urged the students to weather the storm to attain higher heights.

“Studying during COVID times presents its set of challenges, the most critical being managing academic activities safely amidst the growing threat of the pandemic,” Prof. Amartey said.

“This development undoubtedly portends a possible disruption of academic work if care is not taken. To this end, I would like to add my voice to the call on all of us to play our part in the fight against the virus by adhering to all the COVID-19 prevention protocols.”

Some matriculants at the Ceremony

 

To ensure the safety of students and staff on campus, the Vice-Chancellor said that comprehensive safety measures have been put in place by the Management of the University to curb the spread of the Coronavirus.

In that regard, he explained that teaching and learning will be delivered through a blended mode ̶ six weeks in-person or face-to-face teaching with double contact hours per week followed by another six weeks of on-line or virtual teaching.

In his closing remarks, Prof Okoe Amartey advised the matriculants to be guided by the rules and regulations of the University. He also urged them to fully explore the opportunities that the institution offers.

Members of Convocation pose for a group photograph after the Ceremony

 

Earlier on, the Chairman of the University Council, Dr Kofi Ohene-Konadu in his welcome address called on the fresh graduate students to pursue excellence in their academic works as they ignite their preparedness to engage in the academic opportunities that UPSA offers.

To achieve this, Dr Ohene-Konadu called on the students to strike the right balance between academic work and other social and extracurricular activities whilst on campus.

The Matriculation Oath was administered by the Registrar, Dr Koryoe Anim-Wright.

 

Click for the Vice-Chancellor’s speech at the Ceremony

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