- Program Goal
2.Program Objective
The major objectives of the currently running PhD level training in horticulture are to:
- Produce highly qualified graduates with the knowledge, attitude and skills necessary for promoting horticultural crops production, processing and marketing.
- Generate and/or adopt appropriate technologies through client oriented, demand driven and problem solving research activities in the areas of horticultural crops, production and processing.
- Actively involve in the dissemination of appropriate technologies to ultimate users through the college’s well cherished community outreach programs, workshops, net working and consultancy/advisory services.
- Highly qualified in terms of their profession for both practical and scientific aspects of horticulture.
- Subject matter experts on production, management, processing, marketing and value addition of horticultural crops.
- Primary resourceful persons to serve for consultation on investment in horticulture industry and policy issue pertaining to their specific field.
- Horticultural researchers who are capable of planning and conducting of research to bring about changes in yield and quality of various horticultural crops.
- As researchers, they can engage in research institutes, universities, and other higher education institutes to actively involve in research activities in horticulture and related fields;
- As teachers or trainers, they will have a broad range of opportunities, varying from teaching in universities, development worker for an NGO or a governmental body, as a consultant for private enterprises/ companies, as an extension worker for farmers and regional communities and so forth.
- As policy makers, involve in policy formulation and implementation in the field of horticulture and related disciplines
- PhD graduates might also opt to take up their own business as private investors or entrepreneurs or mangers within a commercial farm or business And of course there are still different job sectors where they might be engaged in.
- Supervisors and managers in different organizations,
- Team members in innovation, production and propagation of feasible and appropriate post-harvest technology tools and methods.
- Federal and regional agricultural and related offices,
- National, regional and international research centers,
- Higher learning institutions,
- NGOs,
- Unions/Cooperatives,
- Private horticultural farms,
- Spices, herbs and medicinal plants processing industries,
- Coffee and tea processing industries,
- Fruits and vegetables processing industries,
- Quality standardization agency,
- Food safety and quality analysis laboratories,
- Exporting agencies of agricultural products.
- Graduate Committee Appointment – The Graduate Committee is appointed by the department head each academic year and is composed of staff actively engaged in advising graduate students. The Graduate Committee chairperson will serve as liaison with the Graduate School. Final decisions on acceptance/rejection of applicants and award of departmental assistantships are made by the department head.
- Graduate Committee (Council) Duties – During review of the applicants for admission, the Graduate Committee should ensure that established criteria are met. This includes assurance that a suitable advisor is available for any potential graduate student.
- Admission Appeals – Appeals of admission are made to the Graduate Committee chairperson.
- Appointing advisory committee – Members of the Advisory Committee may be suggested by the student and approved by the major advisor. Committee members should be selected for their background in the area of specialization and their potential contributions as consultants or active participators in the student’s research. The committee should consist of a minimum of three or a maximum of five staff members, including at least one from outside the student’s major department. Membership on advisory committees is a major responsibility that teaching staff should not enter into unless they are prepared to make a commitment to fulfill the responsibilities of a committee member. These responsibilities include careful review of the research proposal with suggestions for improvement, providing technical expertise that complement the skills of the major advisor such that the student has at his/her disposal a wide array of technical skills required to complete a current research problem in horticulture and a willingness to teach such techniques to the student, thesis/dissertation review to ensure that the research is completed and presented in a manner that facilitates publication, a keen eye to the possibility of ethical breaches, and fair-minded participation on the student’s oral and written examinations.
- Changing committee memberships- Changes in a student’s committee will be granted only upon approval of all committee members, new and old. A form will be available at the Graduate School for change in committee composition.
iii.Approving Dissertations
- The PhD degree examination requires submission of dissertation by the candidate, based on the results of his/her research.
- At list three months before the dissertation is submitted, the candidate shall, through his/her advisor, give notice of his/her intention to submit the thesis. He/She shall do this in writing to the Chairperson, Postgraduate Studies Committee, submitting at the same time, the proposed title and general scope of the work.
- Every dissertation for the PhD degree must be accompanied by declaration by the candidate stating that it is the candidate’s own original work and that it has neither been submitted nor concurrently being submitted in any other institution. The dissertation for examination must be submitted in five copies, one for the graduate program/school, one for the department, one for the library, one for the major adviser, and one for the student.
- The dissertation shall contain a statement of copyright by the author.
- Every dissertation submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy must be satisfactory with respect to its format and Literary presentation.
- A PhD candidate may also submit in support of his/her dissertation any relevant publications of which he/she is the sole or joint author. In case of joint authorship, he/she will be required to state his/her own contribution to the publication.
- The examination process shall comprise two parts, namely (1) Examination of thesis, and (2) Oral Examination.
- For every PhD candidate, Postgraduate Studies Committee shall appoint, on recommendation of the relevant Department/Departmental Graduate Committee, at least three qualified examiners of whom one shall be external to Jimma University College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine.
- The Internal examiners shall be required to submit their report about the thesis within a maximum period of one month and external examiners a maximum of two months from the date of receipt. If reports are not received within two months for internal examiners and three months for external examiners, new examiners shall be appointed. Mailing time and other constrains will however be taken into account before new examiners are appointed.
- The thesis submitted is of an acceptable standard, and that the candidate be allowed to sit for a viva voice examination before incorporating comments and typographical errors suggested by examiners.
- The Thesis be rejected but may be re-submitted after a further period of research and/or study ranging from 6-9 months.
- The thesis be rejected outright.
A thesis recommended by examiners for re-writing and re-examination after one re-submission and re-examination will be rejected.
- The dissertation presented is the original work of the candidate.
- The broader subject in which the study is based is fully grasped by the candidate; and.
- The weaknesses in the dissertation (if any) can be adequately clarified by the candidate.
- The PhD degree be awarded to the candidate subject to making minor corrections and revisions in the thesis as detailed in the viva voce proceeding and in the thesis by examiners.
- The PhD degree not be awarded due to failure by the candidate to defend the thesis successfully. The candidate be allowed to re-write and resubmit the thesis for re-examination.
- Candidate fails outright (reasons detailed in viva voce proceedings).
B.The Chairperson of the viva voce panel shall submit to Postgraduate Studies committee the recommendation of the panel and a comprehensive report approved by the oral panelists detailing all the questions addressed to the candidate and the answers given to those questions.
- Doctoral Degree in Horticulture
- Amharic version “Ê¡ƒ_ƒ Ç=Ó] uJ`+”M†`”
Course Code |
Course Title |
Cr. hrs |
HORT 701 |
Biometrical Tools for Data Analysis |
3 (2+1) |
HORT 702 |
Advanced Physiology of Horticultural Crops |
3 (2+1) |
HORT 711 |
Scientific Paper Writing |
2 (1+1) |
HORT 712 |
Graduate Seminar on Current Topics in Horticulture |
1 (1+0) |
Total |
|
9 (6+3) |
ii.Elective Courses
Elective courses will carry a minimum load of four credit hours. Based on the students’ training background and the PhD research to be handled, most of the time students experience difficulties to find the right (relevant) course/s among those given in the PhD curriculum. To alleviate such problem, it is suggested the students to be allowed to choose and take courses from graduate study programs (MSc and / or PhD courses) within the host department, and sister departments such as Postharvest Management and others (i.e., in addition to the ones indicated under the elective courses list in this document). To avoid unforeseen communication gaps among the various offices (responsible bodies), a recommendation/approval (in written form) for the selection of such course/s has to be made by the Advisory Committee of the student, and communicated to the Graduate Council of the department and Head of the host department (HOD). The approved elective course/s list has to also be formally communicated (through HOD) to the College registrar as this will ease registration process.
Elective Courses*
Course Code |
Course Title |
Cr. hrs |
PLAG 731 |
Soil-Water-Plant Relationships (E) |
2 (1+1) |
HORT 721 |
Applied Plant Biotechnology (E) |
2 (1+1) |
HORT 722 |
Integrated Pest Management of Horticultural Crops (E) |
2 (1+1) |
HORT 732 |
Advanced Processing of fruits and vegetables (E) |
2 (1+1) |
Total |
|
4(2+2) |
In consultation with their advisers, students may also be allowed to choose relevant elective course/s from the graduate programs (MSc and/or PhD) of related disciplines within the host department and or sister departments within JUCAVM.
i. Bridging Courses
With a recommendation of the Advisory Committee (and the Graduate Council of the department), the student may be required to take a bridging course/s to fill his/her knowledge and skill gaps. Any deficiencies identified by the Advisory Committee in the student’s background course work, should therefore be detailed and communicated (in writing) to the Graduate Council, and Head of the host department, and must be made up (deficiencies filled) before the student is allowed to start his/her PhD research.
Students with non-horticulture training background should take bridging courses (which would include Plant/Crop Physiology, and production courses of the major horticultural crops: Vegetables, Fruits, Coffee, Tea and Spices, and Floriculture) so as to fill knowledge and skill gaps in the areas of basic horticulture. The student therefore needs to clear/take the identified bridging course/s before he or she enrolls for the core and elective courses recommended for those joining the PhD in Horticulture program. Such course/s should be taken through strict class attendance and assessment.
Semesterial Course Distribution
Year I Semester I .
Code |
Course Title |
Cr. hrs |
HORT 701 |
Biometrical Tools for Data Analysis |
3 (2+1) |
HORT 711 |
Scientific Paper Writing |
2 (1+1) |
PLAG 731 |
Soil-Water-Plant Relationships (E) |
2 (1+1) |
HORT 721 |
Applied Plant Biotechnology (E) |
2 (1+1) |
|
Semester Total |
7 (4+3 |
Year I Semester II
Course Code |
Course Title |
Cr. hrs |
HORT 702 |
Advanced Physiology of Horticultural Crops |
3 (2+1) |
HORT 712 |
Graduate Seminar on Current Topics in Horticulture |
1 (1+0) |
HORT 722 |
Integrated Pest Management of Horticultural Crops (E) |
2 (1+1) |
HORT 732 |
Advanced Processing of fruits and vegetables (E) |
2(1+1) |
HORT 742 |
Thesis Work ((Doctoral Dissertation – proposal writing) |
3(0+3) |
|
Semester Total |
9 (4+5) |
Year II (Semester I and II)
Course No. |
Course Title |
Cr. Hrs |
HORT 742 |
Thesis Work (Doctoral Dissertation) |
12 |
|
Total |
12 |
Year III (Semester I and II)
Course No. |
Course Title |
Cr. Hrs |
HORT 742 |
Thesis Work (Doctoral Dissertation) |
15 |
|
Total |
15 |