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MSc. PLANT ECOLOGY

The msc. Programme will provide the student with the knowledge, skills and insight required to operate as an independent professional within the field of Ecology and to be a suitable candidate for a subsequent course of study leading to a career in Ecological research

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  1. Candidates must satisfy the minimum requirements laid down in the University Common regulations for Masters Degrees as spelled out in the School of Graduate Studies common Regulations
  2. In addition, candidates should normally have a minimum of a B.Sc. Second Class, Lower division degree or its equivalent in Botany or related Plant Sciences from a recognized university.

PROGRAMME DURATION

The duration of M.Sc. degree shall normally be two academic years.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

(i) The Masters Degree programme in Plant Ecology shall, normally, consist of coursework, examination and thesis/project, normally extending over a period of two academic years distributed over four semesters of full time/part-time attendance provided that part-time attendance shall not exceed a period of four calendar years from the date of registration. 

(ii) The Masters degree in Plant Ecology shall consist of a minimum of 14 units, and a maximum of 19 units of coursework, examination and thesis distributed over four semesters 

(iii) Courses are structured in units, where a unit is defined as a three-hour lecture or two hours of tutorials, or three hours of practical and 1 hour lecture session per week per semester. A semester is defined as fourteen teaching weeks, plus another two weeks of university examinations.

(iv) The candidate shall submit a research proposal to the DPGSC within 2 weeks of the third semester.

(v) The processing of the submitted research proposal from the DPGSC to School of Graduate Studies shall take a maximum of four (4) weeks.

(vi) In the second year, the student shall undertake a supervised research project in accordance with the School of Graduate Studies Rules and Regulations and the Department of Botany requirements.

  1. Students found deficient in certain core courses shall be required to audit and pass examinations in the pertinent courses.

Programme Courses

FIRST YEAR FIRST SEMESTER
SBT 801  Methods and Techniques in Botany 
SBT 802  Biometry, Experimentation and Methodology 
SBT 803  Herbarium Practice 
SBT 804  Applied Ecology 
SBT 805  Special Topics 
SBT 813  Community Structure and Composition 
SBT 821  Wetland Ecology 
FIRST YEAR SECOND SEMESTER
SBT 814  Ecology of Marine Algae 
SBT 815  Ecology of Phytoplankton 
SBT 816   Plant Production Ecology
SBT 817  Limnology 
SBT 818  Marine Littoral Communities 
SBT 819  Eutrophication and Pollution 
SBT 820  Rangeland Ecology 
SBT 812  Physiological Plant Ecology
SBT 837              Biotechnology 
SBT 862  Research methodology and Proposal writing 
SECOND YEAR FIRST SEMESTER
SBT 899  Research Project [data collection] 
   
SECOND YEAR SECOND SEMESTER  
SBT 899  Research Project [data analysis and thesis writing]