Dr Joseph Kwasi Brenyah
Background: I was a Health Services Administrator at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, with an undergraduate degree in Policy Planning at KNUST, a Master’s degree in Health Services Planning and Management and a Professional Certificate in Chartered Administration and Management with the Chartered Institute of Administration and Management Consultant-Ghana.
Why CSPS? I was motivated to enrol on the CSPS programme on two grounds. First, to change my profession from Health Services Administrator to a Lecturer, I needed to earn a Ph.D. Secondly, I was motivated by the robust MA programme offered at the CSPS about which I had heard great things. I therefore envisaged that their Ph. D programme would be similarly robust. Of my three course options (School of Public Health, University of Ghana; Centre for Social Policy Studies, University of Ghana; and Development Planning, KNUST), I chose CSPS because of the strong reputation of their MA programme, and the expectation that I would learn about broad-based issues in the new Ph.D. programme. Almost all global issues are based on policies and with the CSPS background in Social Policy Studies, I was convinced I would be very versatile on completing the programme.
My CSPS Experience: I was impressed by the solid faculty members and robust learning process at CSPS. The Centre strictly applied the Graduate School rules to the Ph.D. programme and enforced strict deadlines in assignments and presentations. The effective and timely communication between faculty and staff was also notable.
Goals: I graduated from the PhD programme through the support of CSPS faculty, and attained my goal of becoming a Lecturer at KNUST. Also, I have gained broad knowledge on social issues and that has enabled me to offer community services, handle many courses and be more mindful of social implications in my communications and teachings.
Networks: At CSPS, I often contributed to the Centre’s research projects through data collection and qualitative analysis for the department. This equipped me with project research skills and enhanced my collaborative relationship with researchers, faculty, and fellow colleagues.
To prospective students: I would encourage prospective students to go into social policy studies. They should prepare very well for CSPS admission interviews and be ready to go through the vigorous learning activities at the Centre upon successful admission. They should be mindful of deadlines and be ready to learn hard for their comprehensive examinations.