The ARIPO Academy offers Joint Master’s Programs in Intellectual Property in cooperation with selected academic institutions in its member states. The MIP programs are aimed at creating IP expertise in Africa, supporting IP teaching in institutions of Higher Learning, as well as promoting the IP systems in Africa. The curricula and syllabi of the programs are developed jointly by the ARIPO Academy and the partner institutions.
The following Joint Master Programs are offered:
- Master’s Degree in Intellectual Property (MIP), jointly offered by the WIPO Academy, ARIPO and the Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe
- Master’s Degree in Intellectual Property (MIP), jointly offered by the ARIPO and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana.
- Master’s Degree in Intellectual Property (MIP) jointly offered by ARIPO and the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
Objectives
The MIP Program was launched as a Training of Trainers program to:
- Create IP expertise in Africa
- Support IP teaching in institutions of higher learning
- Promote the IP systems in Africa.
The MIP program equips professionals with necessary skills to enable them play a leading role in promoting the teaching, use and protection of intellectual property.
MIP Structure
The MIP Program is structured in three phases for a duration of 12 months as follows:
Part I: Distance Learning (DL) Phase ( Three months – May to July) During the DL phase, students take a selected number of courses on IP topics via distance learning. The courses are developed and offered by the WIPO Academy. At the end of every DL course, students take online examinations.
Part II: Residential Learning Phase (Four months – August to November) During this phase, students take residential courses at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe from August to December where they have face-to-face instruction with Lecturers. Class teaching is complemented by case studies, tutorials, research work and study visits. Students also take examinations on every module that is covered. During the last two weeks of the residential learning, students are given practical training at ARIPO in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Part III: Research Project Phase (Five months – December to April) During this phase, which runs from December to April, students do research projects on selected and approved topics. Every student works intensively under the guidance of a supervisor who is allocated during the residential phase.Upon satisfactory completion of the program, students are awarded the degree of Master of Intellectual Property by Africa University.
Admissions Requirements
For admission into the MIP Program, applicants must have the following:
- A minimum of bachelors degree or its equivalent, with a second lower class, in any field from a recognized academic institution.
- A minimum of two years working experience after graduating with a first degree.
Scholarships
With a view to contributing to the development of human resources in the field of IP in Africa, scholarships are offered by WIPO and ARIPO to highly motivated persons from Africa to participate in this Program. Each scholarship covers travel, tuition, registration fees, medical insurance, board and lodge during the Residential Learning Phase. To qualify for scholarship, the applicant should not be more than 40 years of age. The age limit of 40 is not applicable to self-sponsored students.