Bachelor of Science in Banking and Development Finance (BBDF)

Introduction

This course is intended to meet the demands of the Ugandan changing Banking and financial sector by producing graduate professionals with specific skills in modern banking and financial institutions management.

The financial sector in Uganda in recent years has grown rapidly as indicated by the many commercial banks, microfinance institutions, insurance companies and financial cooperatives. There is increased government interest in microfinance considered to be central in government policy drive of “Prosperity for All-Boona Baggagawale” introduced in February 2006. This perspective of growth is projected to require a large number of skilled and professional manpower in the financial sector as the policy aims at establishing of at least one SACCO per Sub County.

According to AMFIU (2008) the bulk of the financial service providers in Uganda are unregulated and do lack skilled manpower and appropriate tools to develop financial products which meet the rural client’s needs. Also in spite of a relatively well developed formal financial sector of banks and a well advanced regulatory system, structural weaknesses and sector outreach depth still pins the Ugandan Banking sector behind the Banking sectors of other East African countries, DED (2009).

Mountains of the Moon University in line with its policy of establishing demand driven courses has established a need-based professional academic program tailored for the financial sector. This three year six-semester Bachelor of Science in Banking and Development Finance (BBDF) course is shaped in an interdisciplinary framework incorporating concepts and skills vital for the effective and efficient management of Banks and other financial institutions.

On completion of this course, graduates are competent enough to be absorbed in financial sector as skilled, efficient and professional manpower.

Course Mode

This course is executed under the semester system which is more cost effective in terms of time needed to complete this course, flexibility among students in the course of pursuing the course, and meeting the market demand of the rapid changing Banking and Finance Sector.

Course Objective

The main objective of this course is to provide students with high-level skills, knowledge, and understanding of banking and development finance especially how finance interfaces with other aspects of economics to impact on economic development of a country like Uganda.

Specific objectives:

To produce MMU graduates fit for dynamic national and international banking industry.
To give Students an insight into the pivotal role of the Banking and finance system in the Ugandan economy
To prepare Students for a career in areas of Banking and finance management

Course Expectations

In line with MMU’s mission; the course provides students with expertise in areas of economics, banking and finance making them the best trained professionals to be absorbed in banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions, stock broking firms, large corporations and government regulatory bodies.

Course Duration

This course runs for three years full time; divided in six (6) semester duration

Admission process

MMU is committed to equal opportunity and does not discriminate against qualified persons on the basis of sex, religion, color, nationality or ethnic origin in its admission policies. Nevertheless, admission at MMU is a privilege and not a right.

Prospective applicants for this course can apply through three avenues i.e.

1. Direct entry

2. Diploma entry

3. Mature age entry

Entry requirements

The Admission to this course is governed by the University regulations, statutes, regulations and Policies of the school of Business and Management Studies.

Direct entry

Candidates who wish to obtain admission directly after advanced level secondary education must have obtained;

The Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) or its equivalent with a minimum of a credit in mathematics
The Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) with a minimum of two principal passes in mathematics or Economics, or its equivalent

In computing the weighted points, advanced level subjects are evaluated as follows;

Group	Weight	Subject
Essential	3	Mathematics, or Economics
Relevant	2	Statistics, Accounting and Commerce
Desirable	1	Other Business Subjects, General Paper
Others	0.5	All other subjects examined at advanced level

Points used in weighting follow the Uganda National Examination Board system i.e.

1. Principal Level A = 6 points

2. Principal Level B = 5 Points

3. Principal Level C = 4 points

4. Principal Level D = 3 points

5. Principal Level E = 2 Points

Diploma entry

A 1^st or 2^nd class diploma or its equivalent in microfinance and business studies or its equivalent from recognized tertiary institutions can apply.

Mature age entry

Individuals with extensive industrial experience may be granted admission under the mature age entry scheme after passing the mature age entry examination.

Application procedure

Application forms are obtainable from the Registrar Academic’s office at the University premises in Fort Portal or regional offices (to be specified later) at a non refundable application fee of 10,000 Uganda shillings. Forms should be completed by intending applicants and returned to the Academic Registrar or respective regional office. The completed application form should be accompanied with;

1. Photocopies of all academic certificates held by the applicant

2. Completed health form (to be provided by the university)

3. Four passport size photographs

4. Signed code of conduct (to be provided by the university)

5. Certified/confidential report from the last institution attended (for mature candidates only)

Existing and Proposed Infrastructure for the Program

The classroom space is in place at the department. A big collection of relevant text books and other resources are available in the University Library.

The program has developed a provisional Banking Lab with over 10 computers installed with Banking applications and an Electronic library with online text books, journals and other relevant publications specifically for this program and are frequently updated.

In addition the Department is closely working on a proposed plan of constructing a high tech. modern Banking Laboratory, the first of its kind in Uganda and the region at large where students will be trained and assimilated in the practical banking environment. This is aimed at imparting students with practical skills, knowledge and understanding of the real banking operations.

Teaching Methodology

Basic methodology adopted for teaching and learning is:

Lecture method with adequate use of audio visual aids such as OHP, LCD etc.
Classroom discussions, Simulation activities, term papers, assignments and case presentations in different study areas
Both Field Placement and project works included in the course structure
Seminars and talk program for expanding the horizon of knowledge
Training and research works relating to banking, finance and development

Course structure

The course is conducted on the credit basis. Each course unit is evaluated using the Credit Unit (CU) as the weighting unit. A Credit Unit is equivalent to 1 Contact Hour (CH) in each week of a semester for a particular course. A contact hour is related to Lecture Hours (LH), Tutorial Hours (TH) and Practical Hours (PH) as follows;

1 Contact hour is equivalent to 1 lecture hour

1 Contact hour is equivalent to 1 tutorial hour

1 Contact hour is equivalent to 2 practical hours

A given intake for the degree program runs for 3 years with each year consisting of two semesters (17 weeks) and a 10 week recess term. The minimum and maximum course load per student per semester is 15 and 25 credit units respectively.

Graduation requirement

To be awarded a Bachelor of Science in Banking and Development Finance (BBDF) Degree, candidates must;

Attend classes regularly and meet the minimum 75% of the scheduled class periods for each course unit and have completed all course requirements
Complete all course units required by the Bachelor of Science in Banking and Development Finance (BBDF).
Earn a minimum grade of "C" in all courses in the Bachelor of Science in Banking and Development Finance (BBDF) program.
Demonstrate competence in the required field placement. Conduct research and write a research paper which is accepted by the examining committee.

Assessment and grading system

Assessment

Each Course Unit is assessed out of 100% distributed as follows;

Course work/progressive/continuous assessment: 40%

End of semester examination: 60%

For purposes of quality assurance, the University has an arrangement of visiting external examiners to assess candidates at the end of each academic year.

Grading

Marks %	Letter grade	GPA
80-100	A	5.0
75-79.9	B+	4.5
70-74.9	B	4.0
65-69.9	B-	3.5
60-64.9	C+	3.0
55-59.9	C	2.5
50-54.9	C-	2.0
45-49.9	D+	1.5
40-44.9	D	1.0
35-39.9	D-	0.5
Below 35	E	0

The pass mark for each course unit is 50%

Degree classification

Class	Cumulative GPA
First Class	4.40 - 5.00
Second class-Upper Division	3.60 - 4.39
Second class-Lower Division	2.80 - 3.59
Pass	2.00 – 2.79

Course Progression

Progression of a student is classified as normal or probationary.

Normal Progress

Normal progress occurs when the student has passed all required subjects. This happens when the student has passed each course unit with a minimum grade point of 2.0.

Probationary Progress

This is a warning stage, and this is in case;

A student fails a course
A student obtains a Cumulative Grade Points Average (CGPA) of less than two 2 at the end of any semester.

Re-taking a course

There are no supplementary examinations in the semester system. When a student has to re-sit a course unit, he/she has to wait and re-sit that course, without penalty, when it is offered again. However, the student will have to pay the examination fee i.e. 10,000 Uganda shillings for Ugandans or USD 15 for non Ugandans. This fee may be revised from time to time. A candidate can retake a course in order to;

Pass it if he/she had failed it
Improve the grade obtained when it was previously done

When retaking the course;

The student will redo the continuous assessment and end of semester examination
The academic transcript shall indicate that the given course was retaken

Discontinuation

A student is discontinued from the program if one of the following conditions occurs; -

Receiving two probationary warnings on the same course

Receiving two consecutive probations based on Cumulative Grade Point average

Gross misbehavior not conducive to the well being of Mountains of the Moon University

Withdrawal from the program

Tuition can only be refunded to a student who withdraws from the program not later than 4 weeks after commencement of the academic year. Such a student will have his/her tuition refunded as follows;

Period of withdrawal	% of tuition refunded
Before end of semester week 1	80
Between semester week 1 and 3	60
Between semester week 3 and 4	40
After semester week 4	0

6.0 Main Facilitators of the Course

No	Name	Title	Department	Qualification
1	Dr. Oliver Schmidt	Academic Advisor Seconded by the German Development Service (GIZ)	Business	PHD, Master of Econ., Profess. Cert. Banking
2	Dr Birgit Galemann	Academic Advisor	Business	MSc (Math), PHD
3	Mr. Muzigiti Geoffrey Baluku	Lecturer	Business	BBA, MBA
3	Mr. Kaija Mark	Lecturer	Business	Bsc(Math/Psy), MBA
4	Mr. Mpamizo Moses Ali	Lecturer	Business	Dip Educ, BED, MBA
5	Mr. Mugenyi Andrew	Lecturer	Business	Bsc Educ (Math, Econ), MBA, PHD (student)
6	Kakungulu Yunusu	Assistant Lecturer	Business	BCom, MBA (Student)
7	Kobugabe Christine	Assistant Lecturer	Business	BBA, MBA (student)

Collaborations and Links of the Program

This program is conducted by the department of Banking and Microfinance of the School of Business and management studies of MMU in collaboration with a number of institutions and individual professionals.

The Institutions linked to this program include the German Development Service (DED); Deutsche Bank AG, (Germany), Uganda Capital Markets Authority, HOFOKAM and many other Financial Institutions in Uganda.

Individual Professionals greatly attached to the program include Dr Oliver Schmidt; Academic Advisor Microfinance seconded by DED, Dr. Birgit Galemann, International Consultant for Financial Systems Development, formerly Director in Risk Management at Deutsche Bank AG, Dr. Birgit Wolf, Professor for Financial Services at University of Applied Science, Giessen (Germany), Dr. Astrid Hirsch, Econometrics Specialist at the European Central Bank, Mr.Timo Prekop, Senior Corporate Relationship Manager, Head of Acquisition, Deutsche Bank AG (Germany), Mr. Japheth Katto, Head of Capital Markets Authority, Uganda, Mr Januario Ntungwa, Former General Manager HOFOKAM, and Currently Microfinance Coordinator TRIAS Uganda.

Course Structure

Code	Course	CU	LH	TH	PH	CH
YEAR I
Semester 1
BBDF 111	Financial Arithmetic	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 112	Mathematical Economics	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 113	Critical Thinking and Study Skills	3	40	10	0	45
BBMT 111	Principles of Accounting I	3	40	10	0	45
BBMT 112	Principles of Management	3	40	10	0	45
BBMT 116	Business Ethics	3	40	10	0	45
ICTN 100	Computer Applications 1	3	30	0	30	45
	Semester Credits	21	270	60	30	315

Semester 2
BBDF 121	Macroeconomics and Finance	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 122	Statistical Methods in Economics and Business	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 123	Principles of Banking and Finance	3	40	10	0	45
BBMT 121	Principles of Accounting II	3	40	10	0	45
BBMT 123	Business Law and the Legal Environment	3	40	10	0	45
BBMT 124	Business Communications and Processes	3	40	10	0	45
ICTN 101	Computer Applications 2	3	30	0	30	45
Recess Semester: Business Placement 1		2	0	0	60	30
	Semester Credits	23	270	60	90	345
	Total First Year Credit Units	44	540	120	120	660

YEAR II
Semester 1
BBDF 211	Fundamentals & Methodologies of Microfinance	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 212	Bank Treasury Management	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 213	Development Economics and Policy	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 214	Banking and Finance Law	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 215	Corporate Financial Management	3	40	10	0	45
BBMT 212	Organizational Behaviour	3	40	10	0	45
BBMT 215	Entrepreneurship Skills and Development	3	40	10	0	45
	Semester Credits	21	280	70	0	315

Semester 2
BBDF 221	Microfinance Marketing	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 222	Risk Management and Regulation	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 223	Banking Information Systems Management	3	40	10	0	45
BBMT 225	Public and Customer Relations	3	40	10	0	45
BBMT 224	Strategic Management	3	40	10	0	45
BBMT 313	Cost and Management Accounting	3	40	10	0	45
BBMT 226	Research Methods	3	40	10	0	45
Recess Semester: Business Placement 2		3	0	0	90	45
	Semester Credits	24	280	70	90	360
	Second Year Credit Units	45	560	140	90	675

YEAR III
Semester 1
BBMT 321	Taxation principles and policy	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 311	Financial Management for Microfinance	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 312	E-Banking	3	40	10	0	45
BBMT 311	Human Resource Management	3	40	10	0	45
BBMT 312	Project Planning and Management	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 313	Process Optimization	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 314	Proposal for Research Project	3	0	0	90	45
	Semester Credits	21	240	60	90	315

Semester 2
BBDF 321	Financial Markets and Institutions	3	40	10	0	45
BBMT 323	Auditing Principles and Practice	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 322	External Development Finance	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 323	Marketing of Financial Services	3	40	10	0	45
BBDF 324	Research Project Work	5	6	0	138	75
BBDF 325	Bachelor Thesis	5	6	0	138	75
	Semester Credit	22	172	40	276	330
	Total Course Credits	43	412	100	366	645

	Total Credit for BBDF	132	1512	360	576	1980