Bugema University in Bugema, Uganda, has a pioneering history in Adventist education. It began in 1927 as a training institution for pastors and church workers and later moved to its current location in 1948. Over the years, it expanded its offerings to include secondary education, junior college, and a four-year seminary. In 1994, it obtained a government license to operate as a university and received accreditation for its programs in theology, business administration, and religion.

Bugema University has 7 schools, offering programs in arts and social sciences, business, and information technology. It provides a wide range of degree programs, vocational certificates, and professional licenses. The university has experienced steady growth, attracting students from various African countries.

IIn 2009, Bugema University received a charter from the President of Uganda, recognizing it as a fully-fledged university. It established a graduate school and introduced programs in business administration, education, development, counseling psychology, and public health. The university holds accreditation from the Adventist Accrediting Association and is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda.

Bugema University is committed to maintaining high standards of academic excellence and quality assurance. It follows a comprehensive document outlining self-regulating procedures to ensure the best educational experience for its students.

The mission of Bugema University is to offer an excellent and distinctive holistic Christian education designed to prepare students, through training, research, and scholarship, for productive lives of useful service to God and to the community with integrity, honesty and loyalty.

Bugema University holds as its philosophy the belief that true education fosters the restoration of the lost image of God in human beings through the harmonious development of the physical, mental, social, and spiritual dimensions of life. The philosophy is manifested in the “3H” program of the University curriculum, which emphasizes the learners’ balanced and positive development of the Head, Heart, and Hand as they prepare for service here and for life in the hereafter.

Bugema University envisions training for “Excellence in Service”.

1. To provide academic programs which will allow the students to acquaint themselves with various fields of knowledge and to acquire skills that will facilitate personal, social, academic, and professional development in order to meet individual and societal demands.

2. To instill in the students an unswerving allegiance to the principles of Christian faith and a sense of personal responsibility so that they are prepared to render useful service to God and to humanity.

3. To lay emphasis on applied research relevant to the development needs of the community, including encouraging research leading to the development of patents.

4. To encourage all faculties to devote part of their time to research for publication in internationally recognized journals.

5. To select its students solely on the basis of merit while taking cognizance of the need to apply special criteria to potentially able but disadvantaged students.

6. To continue upgrading the quality of its teaching, research and administrative staff through vigorous staff development and staff appraisal schemes.

Bugema University aims to develop the whole person; therefore, the following objectives reflect this holistic approach: