Welcome by the Pro Vice Chancellor for Graduate Studies

Several Caribbean countries aim to become developed, knowledge-based societies within 10 to 25 years. To achieve this they will have to develop the capacity to use information creatively to enhance productivity and competitiveness in the global marketplace. This will demand a well-educated populace who can contribute to innovation and entrepreneurship, movingus from being suppliers of raw materials and primary products to being producers of more finished products higher up the value chain.

Our skill and inventiveness may be manifested in art, artistry, sports, management or science & technology. But whether developing sports persons, music or molecules, no nation will prosper without a flourishing system of graduate education producing a strong cadre of well educated, globally competitive graduates.

Your choice to enter the Graduate School of the University of the West Indies promises to be an investment which will pay excellent dividends both to your society and to yourself in terms of expected salary and job opportunities but also in terms of enriching personal satisfaction and enjoyment of your life. Like any investment, there are risks and up-front costs, but the opportunities that will open up to you will outweigh them. Do enjoy and benefit from your stay with us.

Ronald E. Young
Pro Vice Chancellor
School for Graduate Studies & Research
The University of the West Indies

Dear New and Returning Students

A warm welcome to all of you but, as Pro Vice Chancellor for Research, permit me to say a special welcome to all new and returning research students. Universities are judged primarily on the quality and relevance of their research, but no University can be effective in research without a strong, enthusiastic and committed cadre of research students. It is therefore you, through your research, who must help to generate the knowledge, the policy advice, the understanding of ourselves and the innovative links to business necessary for regional development and enhanced quality of life. It is you, through this process, that must seek to become the critical thinkers and future leaders required by our societies.

We do not expect you to achieve this on your own. It is our responsibility to provide the enabling environment and guidance necessary for you to realise your full potential and conduct research of quality and relevance. It is your responsibility to understand the critical role you play and commit yourselves to delivering fully on this goal. You should view us as members of the same academic community to which you belong, for we share the same scholastic, academic and societal goals. You should therefore communicate with us whenever you need advice or support.

Have a pleasurable, stimulating and productive academic year.

Welcome by the Principal

The University of the West Indies prides itself on being a centre for world-class research, scholarship and creativity, ingredients widely acknowledged as being responsible for the creation of new knowledge and understanding in the region.

This enviable reputation has enabled us to recruit exceptional faculty and attract top students. Recently, the sterling reputation of the University was further enhanced when three members of our teaching staff shared in the Nobel Peace Prize for their work on climate change.

Not content with sitting on our laurels, the leadership of the UWI is committed to making our university the most respected and sought-after institution for the delivery of first-rate graduate programmes and the production of higher-degree graduates who are at the forefront of contemporary scholarship and professional development.

In choosing to pursue postgraduate studies here at the UWI, you have elected to be part of a distinguished tradition of Caribbean scholarship which continues to make critical inputs into the economic, social and cultural transformation of the region.

Your work is expected to advance and expand the body of knowledge at the UWI and contribute to building our reputation as an institution of international repute. You are assured of our support as you embark on this important academic journey which is bound to result in greater self-actualization and discovery.

Gordon Shirley
Pro Vice Chancellor & Principal
UWI, Mona Campus