SERVQUAL Analysis of Graduate Supervision at Makerere University, Uganda

This study examined the quality of graduate supervision at Makerere University using the SERVQUAL framework’s five dimensions of reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. Employing a qualitative case study design, data were generated through in-depth interviews with graduate students, supervisors, administrators, and alumni across five academic colleges. The findings reveal substantial variation in supervision quality, largely driven by individual supervisory practices rather than institutionalised systems. Reliability and responsiveness were constrained by delayed feedback, weak enforcement of timelines, and administrative inefficiencies. Although supervisors were generally perceived as academically competent, gaps in mentoring capacity, procedural knowledge, and ethical consistency undermined assurance. Empathy was uneven, with working and self-sponsored students reporting limited flexibility and pastoral support. Inadequate and unevenly distributed research infrastructure further constrained supervision effectiveness. The study concludes that supervision challenges are systemic rather than individual and recommends university-wide supervision policies, mandatory supervisor training, digitised monitoring systems, improved infrastructure, and formalised student support. The findings extend African higher education scholarship by demonstrating both the utility and limits of SERVQUAL framework in graduate supervision contexts.