An Internet mediated PhD programme in computer science and information technology

The PhD degree is a requirement for promotion in academia. The brain drain experienced by Sudan and other neighbouring countries has led to a scarcity of PhD supervisors. Thus, many young Sudanese college lecturers holding Master degrees find it difficult to do their PhD locally in Sudan. Furthermore, they cannot seek education abroad due to economic, social and family commitments. This paper describes the PhD programme of Sudan University of Science and Technology which employs the Internet to facilitate the utilization of the international human and technical resources by providing PhD supervisors from renowned universities all over the world. PhD students from all over Sudan and the neighbouring countries participate in lectures, seminars and receive research supervision through interactive software (WebEX) providing audio, video and chat facilities. Students have to come to the university once or twice a year for face to face exams, discussions with supervisors and presentations or progress seminars.