Doctor of Philosophy in Technology, Policy and Society
Doctoral research on the governance of technology in African contexts, spanning law, policy, behavioural science and assurance. The programme exists partly to correct a structural imbalance: the scholarship that shapes global technology gov...
Employment thesis
What this programme is designed to produce
Forward publishes the destination of every programme before you enrol. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed and, where necessary, retired. Next review: 2031.
Roles
- University academic
- principal investigator
- senior regulator or policy leader
- standards body expert
- think tank director
- judicial or legislative adviser.
Employer types
- Universities and research institutes
- regulatory authorities and ministries
- the African Union and international organisations
- think tanks
- and technology companies' policy research functions.
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- Designed to build African scholarly and regulatory leadership in technology governance.
Compulsory · The Forward Core
How the Core works →Every Forward programme, including this one, carries the same five cross-cutting requirements. They are graded, not optional.
- AI Fluency
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Ethics and African Context
- Human-Advantage Skills
- Enterprise
Includes 12 months paid work-integrated learning
Am I eligible?
Check yourself against the published requirements
7 questions written specifically for Doctor of Philosophy in Technology, Policy and Society. Every answer is checked against a requirement Forward has published, and the result tells you which page that requirement comes from. Indicative only, the admissions office decides on your full file.
What is the highest qualification you hold?
Curriculum structure
The same degree, in both pathways
Every Forward programme is published in both pathways: Path One, the term plan of two six-month terms, and Path Two, the block sequence of twelve four-week blocks. Same competencies, same assessments, same award. Toggle to see this programme in each.
Path One term plan shown
Path One · The Term Model
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLA 110 | Doctoral Research Methods in Socio Legal and Policy Research Both | 8 | 6-2-2 |
| GLA 111 | Advanced Topics in Technology, Policy and Society Objective | 8 | 7-2-0 |
| GLA 112 | Research Ethics and Community Engagement Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
| GLA 113 | Academic Writing and Peer Review Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLA 130 | Specialist Reading and Literature Synthesis Objective | 8 | 7-2-0 |
| GLA 131 | Teaching Practice and Supervision Apprenticeship Performance | 6 | 1-0-10 |
| GLA 132 | Translation to Law, Regulation and Standards Objective | 6 | 5-2-0 |
| GLA 133 | Thesis Proposal and Public Defence Performance | 16 | 0-2-30 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLA 610 | Doctoral Thesis Research and Supervision (continuous registration) Performance | 0 | 0-0-0 |
| GLA 611 | Doctoral Colloquium and Publication Performanc | 0 | 0-0-0 |
Total credit units: 60
Curriculum source
Forward University Curriculum Compendium
Assessment
Coursework + project + integrated exam
Work-integrated learning
12 months paid co-operative education
Your week at Forward
A typical week on Doctor of Philosophy in Technology, Policy and Society
Path One, the Term Model: your own pace across a six-month term, one live session a week, short flexible lessons, and assessment on demand.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Curriculum explorer
Drill into the degree, step by step
Choose a study path, then a year, then a term or block, then a course. Credit totals add up as you go, and every course shows what comes before it and what it unlocks.
Step 1, choose a year
Step 2, choose a term
YEAR 1, SEMESTER 1: DOCTORAL COURSEWORK
Year 1 · this step is worth 24 CU
Cumulative
24
Programme total
60
24 CU of 60 CU completed by the end of this step (40%)
Step 3, choose a course
Pick a course to see the detail
Credits, assessment, prerequisites and what each course unlocks later.
The twelve Forward capabilities
What this programme develops in you
Every Forward degree develops the same twelve cross-cutting capabilities. The profile below is the level this programme is designed to develop and verify by graduation, on the four-level scale in Part B2 of the Curriculum Compendium. Every claim above Level 2 is verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer.
- C1Intelligent Systems FluencyLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C2Quantitative and Evidential Reasoning CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C3Ethical and Contextual Judgement CriticalLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C4Communication and Persuasion CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C5Disciplinary MasteryLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C6Technical Production and CraftLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C7Problem Framing and Systems ThinkingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary TeamingLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial LiteracyLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace PerformanceLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive CapacityLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C12Stewardship and Public Contribution CriticalLevel 3 of 4, Independent
Critical capabilities for this programme: Quantitative and Evidential Reasoning · Ethical and Contextual Judgement · Communication and Persuasion · Stewardship and Public Contribution. A graduate cannot pass out of this programme below the stated level on any capability marked critical.
Programme Learning Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Each outcome is assessed, and each is tagged with the Forward capabilities it is verified against.
- PLO 1Make an original contribution to knowledge on technology policy and society.
- PLO 2Design and execute rigorous socio legal or policy research.
- PLO 3Publish in peer reviewed venues and withstand expert scrutiny.
- PLO 4Translate findings into legislation, regulation, standards or institutional practice.
- PLO 5Teach and supervise under mentorship.
- PLO 6Apply research ethics and engage affected communities in research design.
Why this programme exists
Doctoral research on the governance of technology in African contexts, spanning law, policy, behavioural science and assurance. The programme exists partly to correct a structural imbalance: the scholarship that shapes global technology gov...
Admission requirements
A Master's degree in law, policy, social science, computing or a cognate discipline; a defensible proposal; and a supervisor with capacity. Alternative pathways: Foundation Year, diploma entry with advanced standing, mature age entry and recognition of prior learning, all governed by Part A5 and Part G. Online applicants additionally complete the compulsory Digital Readiness orientation under Part D6.
Governance & Law
Other open programmes in this School
Bachelor of Laws with Technology and Data Law
Uganda produces a large number of law graduates and a very small number who can advise competently on a data breach, a software licensing dispute, a platform liability question or an algorithmic discrimination claim. Those questions are arr...
View programme BSc (Hons)Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence Policy and Digital Governance
Africa now has a continental artificial intelligence strategy, several national policies and a growing set of regulators with statutory responsibility for digital systems, and almost no trained cadre to staff them. The people currently writ...
View programme BSc (Hons)Bachelor of Science in Behavioural Science and Human Systems
Most technology, policy and development programmes fail not because the technical solution was wrong but because human behaviour was assumed rather than studied. Behavioural science has become a standard function in governments, banks, heal...
View programme BA (Hons)Bachelor of Arts in Global Affairs and Digital Diplomacy
Africa negotiates continuously — on trade, on climate finance, on data flows, on critical minerals, on technology standards — and it does so with delegations that are frequently outnumbered and out resourced. The gap is not commitment but p...
View programme BSc (Hons)Bachelor of Science in Digital Government and Public Service Innovation
This programme replaces secretarial studies, office administration, records management and generic public administration, which together account for a substantial share of regional enrolment and which train people to perform exactly the tas...
View programme LLMMaster of Laws in Technology, Data and Artificial Intelligence Law
Practising lawyers and regulators across the region are now advising on questions their legal education never anticipated. This intensive postgraduate specialisation gives them the doctrinal depth and the technical literacy to do it properl...
View programme MAMaster of Arts in Global Digital Policy and Diplomacy
Technology is now a primary axis of international negotiation, and African delegations are routinely asked to take positions on data flows, standards, export controls and artificial intelligence norms with little institutional preparation. ...
View programme MScMaster of Science in Artificial Intelligence Governance, Safety and Assurance
Assurance is the discipline that decides whether a society can trust systems it cannot fully inspect, and it is presently practised by a few hundred people worldwide. Africa needs its own assurance capability rather than importing conclusio...
View programme