Egerton University


Egerton University is a public university in Kenya. Its website states that it is the oldest institution of higher education in Kenya.

Location

The main campus of the university is located in Njoro, a small community approximately, southwest of the town of Nakuru. This is located approximately, by road, northwest of Nairobi, the capital and largest city in Kenya. The coordinates of the university main campus are:0°22'11.0"S, 35°55'58.0"E.

History

Egerton University is the oldest institution of higher learning in Kenya. It was founded as a Farm School in 1939 by Lord Maurice Egerton of Tatton, a British national who settled in Kenya in the 1920s.
In 1950, the School was upgraded to an Agricultural College offering diploma programmes. The Egerton Agricultural College Ordinance was enacted in 1955.
The school was founded in 1939, and was originally named Egerton Farm School. It was established by a large land grant of 740 acres by Maurice Egerton, 4th Baron Egerton of Tatton. The school's original purpose was to prepare white European youth for careers in agriculture. By 1955, the name had changed to Egerton Agricultural College. A one-year certificate course and a two-year diploma course in agriculture were offered. In 1958, Lord Egerton donated another of land. Soon afterwards, the college opened its doors to people of all races from Kenya and other African countries.
In 1979, the Government of Kenya and the United States Agency for International Development funded a major expansion of the institution. With support from the Government of Kenya and USAID, the college expanded yet again, becoming part of the University of Nairobi system. In 1986, Egerton Agricultural College was gazetted as a constituent college of the University of Nairobi. The following year, 1987, marked the establishment of Egerton University through an Act of Parliament. and the college was recognized as a chartered public university.
Egerton University has made tremendous progress towards increasing access to higher education in Kenya. , and , who were chartered to become full-fledged Universities on 8th January 2013, 6th February 2013 and 19th February 2013, respectively, were all former constituent Colleges of Egerton University.

Multiple campuses

Egerton University has four campuses, one of them being a constituent college.
  • The main campus is based at Njoro and houses the faculties of Agriculture, Arts & Social Sciences, Education & Community Studies, Engineering & Technology, Environment & Resources Development, Science & Veterinary Medicine.
  • The Nairobi City Campus hosts the faculties of Arts & Social Sciences, Education & Community Studies and Commerce. It also hosts the African Centre for Distance Education.
  • The Kenyatta Campus is located from Njoro Campus and houses the Open and Distance Learning programmes.
  • The Egerton University Nakuru Town Campus College hosts the faculties of Commerce and Health Sciences.

    Faculties of Egerton University

The University has nine faculties, subdived into fifty one academic departments offering programmes at diploma, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels:
The university offers many academic programs. Students can receive a three-year diploma, a bachelor's degree, master's degree, or a doctorate.
In 2004, the university established a partnership with Western Michigan University that allows students to complete half of their degree at Egerton and finish their studies at WMU in a choice of computer science, engineering and business administration.