Overview
The Faculty of Agriculture is one of the 17 academic units (faculties, schools, institutes) of Makerere University and by far, one of the most active and dynamic.

Postgraduate Programmes in the Faculty of Agriculture
The Faculty of Agriculture has continued to attract national and international students in its training and research programmes as a result of the purposeful diversification of its programmes which cope with changing clientele and societal needs.

In addition to its strong undergraduate programmes with an enrolment of about 600 students, the Faculty has several postgraduate programmes with over 100 students. The postgraduate programmes are comprised of Masters, Doctor of Philosophy, and Diploma Programmes.

Masters Programmes in the Faculty
Currently, there are a total of 9 M.Sc. Programmes in the Faculty, namely:

Programme                                                                    Department
Master of Science of Agribusiness Management               Agricultural Economics& Agribusiness
Master of Science in Agricultural Economics                      Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness
Master of Science in Agricultural Engineering                    Agricultural Engineering
Master of Science in Agricultural Extension Education      Agricultural Extension Education
Master of Science in Applied Human Nutrition                   Food Science & Technology
Master of Science in Animal Science                                  Animal Science
Master of Science in Crop Science                                     Crop Science
Master of Science in Food Science and Technology          Food Science & Technology
Master of Science in Soil Science                                       Soil Science

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Programmes in the Faculty of Agriculture
Each of the 7 Departments of the Faculty offers a Ph.D. Programme in various fields of Crop, Animal and Soil Sciences; Agricultural Economics; Agribusiness; Food Science & Technology; Agricultural Engineering and Agricultural Extension Education.

Postgraduate Diploma Programmes in the Faculty
The Department of Animal Science offers a Diploma in Animal Production and Marketing.

Type and Duration of the Programmes
Masters Degree Programmes
The Masters Degree programmes in the Faculty of Agriculture are conducted by course-work and research. The programmes are run on a semester system, each semester lasting 17 weeks. A Masters student is required to register for a total of 4 semesters.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Programmes
Doctor of Philosophy programmes in the Faculty of Agriculture are mainly by research and writing of a thesis. Course work may be taken where deemed necessary, on the advice of the supervisor.

Postgraduate Diploma Programmes
The Postgraduate Diploma programmes in the Faculty of Agriculture are conducted by course-work that includes lectures, self-study, tutorials, field practicals and field attachments.  The programmes are run on a semester system, each semester lasting 17 weeks. A Diploma student is required to register for a total of 2 semesters.

Structure of Masters Programmes
Course Work
The programmes are conducted on the credit unit basis. One Credit Unit (CU) is equivalent to one contact hour (CH) per week per semester (or a series of 15 contact hours). One CH is equivalent to one hour of lecture (LH/tutorial (TH) or two practical work hours (PH). Course work consists of satisfactory completion of a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 8 core courses and at least two electives, giving a total of 31-32 CU, including the Graduate Seminars. Core courses form the foundation of the courses and are compulsory for all the students. Electives are selected based upon students’ research project and personal interest. In addition audited courses, which are considered beneficial and relevant, can be selected outside the Department.
The general teaching techniques include lectures, seminars, case studies and paper presentations.

Research Work
The Masters programmes include a big component of research, which is usually conducted in the second year of the programme. The research is intended to give postgraduate students the opportunity to put into practice what they have learnt in courses. Candidates are required to undertake this part of the programme under at least 2 supervisors appointed by the Departmental Postgraduate Committees and approved by the Faculty Postgraduate and Research Committee. An acceptable dissertation based on the research must be presented and examined orally before a student can graduate.  Research weighs 15 CU per Semester giving a total of 30 CU for two Semesters.

Guidance on choice of research areas will be done in conjunction with the student’s supervisors. A research proposal must be written and presented to the Departmental Postgraduate Committees for review and advice before it is submitted to the Faculty Postgraduate Studies and Research Committee for approval.

Target Group
The postgraduate programmes in the Faculty of Agriculture will target people from both the Government and the Private Sectors: ministries, institutions, industry, freelance and NGOs. Candidates from regional and international universities are welcome.

Human Resource in the Faculty of Agriculture
The Faculty of Agriculture has adequate resources to manage the teaching and supervision required for postgraduate programmes. The full list of current academic staff in the Faculty of Agriculture broken down by Department is given in Appendix 2.

Physical Resources in the faculty of Agriculture
The Faculty of Agriculture has adequate physical facilities for running the postgraduate programmes in terms of physical space and teaching materials. The details are given in Appendix 3.

Individual Masters and Diploma Programmes
The detailed individual Programmes are given in the sections that follow.

Three of the core courses are common to all the Masters’ students in the Faculty of Agriculture. The common courses are:

1. CRS 7101       Applied Statistics and Biometrics*
2. AEC 7201       Research Methodology
3. AGE 7201       Graduate Seminars

*Master of Agribusiness Management students do not take Applied Statistics and Biometrics.

Common for all students is Research (30 CU).

The course codes and description for all courses are given in the Faculty Postgraduate Programmes Hand Book.

Application Procedures to the Postgraduate Programmes
Masters Programmes

1. Application forms are obtainable from the office of the Director, School of Graduate Studies.
2. Completed application forms should be submitted to the Director, School of Graduate Studies who will forward them to the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture for processing
3. The Faculty Postgraduate Studies and Research Committee will consider the applications taking into account the recommendations of the respective departments and then make its recommendations on all the applications to the Board of Postgraduate Studies and Research.
4. The Director, School of Postgraduate Studies, shall communicate the decision of the Board of Postgraduate Studies and Research to the applicant.
   

Ph.D. Programmes

1. Application forms are obtainable from the Director, School of Graduate Studies and are filled in consultation with the prospective supervisors.
2. A concept note 1-5 pages must be attached to the application form as in above.
3. School of Postgraduate Studies will forward application for consideration by the Faculty Postgraduate Committee.
4. Postgraduate Board will admit on recommendation of the Faculty Postgraduate and Research Committee, as in 3 above.
5. The candidate should produce an acceptable proposal preferably within 6 months. Two vetters (who are not supervisors of the candidate, should be satisfied with the proposal).
6. Faculty Postgraduate and Research Committee will recommend the proposal to the Postgraduate Board for approval.
7. Registration is effected when University fees have been paid. The candidate will deal directly with the Graduate School on this matter.

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