Master of Science Degree in Food Security and Sustainable Agricultural Production

The Master of Science Degree in Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture provides an in depth scientific understanding of food security and sustainable agriculture globally, regionally, nationally, at community and household level.

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The programme will equip students with skills, principles, strategies and analytical techniques relating to food security and sustainable agriculture. The programme will create links with Non-Governmental Organisations, and Government Departments so that students can appreciate the nature of real life food insecurity challenges facing individuals, households, communities and the nation. The research component in the programme provide students with skills of finding the current food security status of households, evaluation of food security programmes and finding practical solutions to pressing food insecurity challenges.

Learning Outcomes
On completion of the programme, students are expected to:

• have an understanding of the global context of food insecurity including its main causes;
• carry out food security and vulnerability assessment using different approaches;
• be able to conduct independent research and produce food security and sustainable agriculture reports in a number of different formats (e.g. written, verbal);
• analyse food security intervention strategies;
• be able to design policies that enhance food security at global, continental, national and household level.

Career Opportunities
Graduates from this programme can embark on careers in research, consultancy, policy formulation and project management for international organisations, government departments and national agencies, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), research institutes, academia, commercial companies across the world and various organs of the United Nations including the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

• The minimum entry requirements for the production option are a BSc Degree in Agriculture, Biological Sciences, Food Science, Nutrition and Forestry with a 2.2 grade or better.
• The minimum entry requirements for the policy option are a BSc Degree in Agriculture, Natural Resources Management, Geography, Development Studies or any Social Science Degree with a 2.2 grade or better.
• Candidates with at least 2 years of relevant working experience with a pass will also be considered.

The Master of Science Degree in Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture programme shall extend over a period of 2 academic years of study. Taught Courses shall be covered in the first academic while the second academic year shall be for the Research Project (MFS 517).

The Degree Programme shall be arranged as follows:

• Part I: Students shall take at least five modules per semester in their first year of study.
• Part II: During the second academic year of study, students shall be required to do a research project on Food Security and/or Sustainable Agriculture.

ASSESSMENT
Taught Courses

• Course work shall account for 40 % and the formal examination shall account for 60 % of the overall assessment.
• Each taught course shall normally be assessed through a three-hour formal examination and course work.
• The examiners may, at their discretion, require candidates to present themselves for an oral examination.

Research Project

• To be allowed to register for the Research Project (MFS 517), the student must have passed Applied Research Methods (MFS 511).
• The Department shall normally approve two supervisors for student’s Research Project.
• The Student shall submit three loose bound copies of the Research Project (MFS 517) to the Department for marking.
• The assessment of the Research Project (MFS 517) shall be based on a dissertation submitted at least 1 month within the second academic year.
• Normally, the dissertation shall be assessed by two examiners, excluding the supervisors.
• The Departmental Board of Examiners shall consider the two examiners’ assessments and decide on the final mark for the dissertation.
• At the discretion of the examiners, the Student may be required to do a viva voce of the Research Project (MFS 517) before a selected Departmental Panel of Examiners.
• Award of student certificates shall normally be based on meeting all academic requirements, including development of a manuscript in acceptable form based on the student’s research.

DETERMINATION OF RESULTS
For each course, the Departmental Panel of Examiners shall determine, for each student a continuous assessment mark, a formal examination mark and a final mark to determine whether the Student has passed.

Each Departmental Panel shall submit, for each course and research project under its control and for each student enrolled, the final mark and the result to the Faculty Board of Examiners.

AWARDING AND CLASSIFICATION OF THE DEGREE

To be eligible for the award of an MScFS, a candidate must have;

• Submitted two bound copies of the Research Project and a CD, which incorporate all amendments recommended by the Departmental Board of Examiners,
• Passed all core courses in the programme, and
• Accumulated a minimum of 60 credits.

Marks for 10 taught courses including all core courses and the research project shall be used to classify the degree

The weightings and classification of the degree shall be as follows:

Weighting

Part I: 60 %
Part II: 40 %

Classification
Distinction: 80 % and above
Merit: 70 – 79 %
Credit: 60 – 69 %
Pass: 50 – 59 %
Fail: 49 % and below

COURSES

PART I SEMESTER 1

PART 1 SEMESTER 2 PRODUCTION OPTION

PART 1 SEMESTER 2 POLICY OPTION

PART 2