Social Integration as a Predictor of Program Completion of PhD Students in Makerere University

This study examined social integration as a predictor of program completion of PhD students in Makerere University. Anchoring in Tinto’s Model of persistence, social integration included: knowledge sharing, peer interaction, socialization, institutional culture and faculty interaction. Using a mixed methods approach, both cross-sectional and phenomenological designs were used to collect data from 104 PhD graduates through self-administered questionnaires and interviews. The results revealed that the faculty interaction aspect of social integration positively and significantly predicted program completion. However, knowledge sharing, peer interaction, socialisation and institutional culture did not. The study recommends that university management should support social integration of PhD students by enhancing faculty interaction to foster timely completion of their programs.