Country where institution is located: Ghana

Language(s) of instruction: English

(1) Name of parent organization, unit and/or university:
United Nations

(2) Name of demographic teaching unit, faculty or department when that differs from (1) above:
Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS)

(3) Certificates/Diplomas/Degrees awarded:
M.A.; M.Phil.; Ph.D. (all awarded by the University of Ghana)

(4) Current course offerings in demography and related subjects:
General theory and methods of demography, with particular reference to the special needs and problems of the African continent.

(5) Current (or planned) recurrent short-term courses (i.e. approximately two weeks to three-six months) offered:
None.

(6) Number of teaching staff, full- and part-time:
Full-Time

7

Part-Time
l7

(7) Number of students completing each programme annually:
25

(8) Yearly number of students enrolled in each programme:
M.A.: 25; M.Phil.: 2; Ph.D.: 2.

(9) Admission requirements for programmes(s):
(i) A good degree in any field for the M.A.; (ii) for the M.Phil., a good M.A.; and (iii) for the Ph.D., a good M.Phil. Candidates for enrolment for the M.A. should be at their ease in handling mathematics and statistics.

(10) Postal address, telephone number, fax number and/or E-mail address (if and as available), of the demographic teaching unit/programme:

Address: United Nations
Regional Institute for Population Studies
P.O. Box 96
Legon, Ghana

Tel.: Accra 774070

Fax:

E-mail Address:
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Introduction:
RIPS is a United Nations-sponsored regional demographic training centre, offering programs leading to a MA; M.Phil and a PhD in Population Studies. As part of its regular programme RIPS also organizes ad hoc, special and in-service training courses. It has close connections with the University of Ghana, on whose campus it is located. As a subsidiary organ of the Economic Commission for Africa, it is designed to serve the demographic training needs of English-speaking Africa. The programme has been in existence since l972.

Programme emphasis and academic facilities:
The programme of training lays particular emphasis upon demographic techniques, substantive demography, population and development, and population policy and planning. The Institute is also notable for its work on indirect estimation, the demography of the developing countries of Africa and historical demography in Africa. It has an independent library on population studies and social science with access to the Balme Library, the main library of the University of Ghana. There are computer facilities available (2 Compaq Prosignia 486 DX/33 M550/SCSI (File Servers) Processor with 20 Compaq Prolinea 4/33 - Model 120). Field survey facilities are also available.

The M.A., M.Phil and PhD programmes:
The MA degree which takes l2 months for completion requires an examination in three areas: Technical Demography; Substantive Demography and in Advanced Techniques of Demographic Analysis and Population and Development Interrelationships. Work on Research and Computational Methods is examined through continuous assessment. In addition a dissertation of not more than 20,000 words on an approved topic is to be prepared and submitted during the fourth term. Both the M.Phil (l8 months duration) and the PhD (36 months duration) require the presentation of a thesis on an approved topic to be assessed by the internal and external examiners appointed by the University.

Costs (including tuition and living expenses) in l994/95 were estimated at US$12,500 per annum. However, the large majority of students attending RIPS receive financial aid from the United Nations. Candidates must be nominated by their Governments, and their applications forwarded through the office of the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in their country.

Those wishing to receive further information should write to the Director, Regional Institute of Population Studies, P.O. Box 96, Legon, Ghana.

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