MSc in Agronomy

PhD in Agronomy

1.Program Goals 

• Offer relevant and quality post-graduate education that can produce knowledgeable, skilled, creative and professionally competent agronomists.
• Advances the frontiers of Agronomy
• Conduct integrated and demand driven research in Agronomy.
• Enhance crop production and productivity while maintaining the natural resource base.
• Develop and demonstrate relevant technologies

2.Program Objectives 

• Produce competent professionals in the field of agronomy.
• Generate, demonstrate and promote technologies that contribute to national food security and also increase the export competitiveness of the country. 
• Enhance the competence of the staff and capacity of the department in undertaking relevant research activities in agronomy.

3.Graduate profile 

The graduates of Agronomy specialization will be well equipped with scientific knowledge and practical skills to:

• Engage in teaching and research activities in the field of agronomy at various levels
• Identify, analyze and develop holistic solutions to the problems of crop production and protection 
• Generate, demonstrate and promote valuable technologies in crop improvement, crop production and protection 
• Manage small and large-scale agricultural farms effectively and efficiently.  
• Create their own agricultural business 
• Consult policy makers and those involved in the areas of crop improvement, crop production and protection 
• Coordinate and mobilize multidisciplinary team in the process of enhancing agricultural productivity.
• Use modern tools and techniques to solve agronomic problems 

4.Program Duration

The M.Sc. Agronomy program requires 2-3 years of study.

5.Admission Requirements

1. To be admitted to M.Sc. in Agronomy Program at JUCAVM, candidates should hold a B.Sc. degree in Plant Sciences, Crop Science, Horticulture, Soil Sciences and other related disciplines.
2. Applicants must pass written entrance examination

6.Graduation Requirements

• Successful covering of a minimum of 30 credit hours coursework
• Secure minimum CGPA of 3.00 on scale of 1- 4
• No C’s F’s  (fail) grade in the transcript
• Successful completion of MSc. thesis defense with an average of  ‘B’ grade

7.Degree Naming/ Nomenclature

 MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN AGRONOMY (¾Teƒ_ƒ Ç=Ó] u ›Óa•T>)

Teaching/Learning Methods

• The teaching-learning process of the program will be carried out through classroom lectures, laboratory practices, visits/field trips, presentations and seminars depending on the nature of the course 
• Through the thesis research work students will develop their knowledge and skill of conducting research independently.

Assessment & Evaluation Methods

Course work:

• Performance of students will be assessed through, mid-semester exams, final exams, laboratory practical reports, paper presentations, term papers and seminars depending on the nature of the course in a semester.
• Academic status of students in each course will be expressed through scaling system graded as A, B, C, D and F based on the performance of each student 
• Grade ‘B’ and above are considered as pass mark in each course 

Thesis work:

• An advisor (and a co- advisor) will supervise the research and thesis work of each student 
• Progress in research and thesis work will be evaluated at the end of each semester. 
• At the end of the study period, each student must defend orally his/her thesis during an examination administered by appointed Thesis Examination Board.

Quality Assurance

The quality of teaching will be assured: 

• Through making available reference books and textbooks, teaching materials, 
• Through active engagement of well-qualified staff members in the field works as well as acquiring better laboratory facilities

8.Course breakdown 

Table 1. Course distribution per semester

Year 1 Semester I 

Course code	Course name	Cr hrs
Agrn501	Advanced Biometry	3 (2+1)
Agrn511	Crop Ecology and Cropping Systems	3(2+1)
Agrn531	Climate Smart Agriculture and Precision Farming	2(2+0)
Agrn551	Seed Science and Technology	2(1+1)
Agrn571	Soil-Plant-Water Relations	3(2+1)
Agrn561	Soil and Water management (E)*	2(1+1)
Agrn541	Methods and Communication Skills for Graduate Research in Agronomy	1 (0+1)
	Total	14+2

*Students are required to register for one of the elective courses 

Course distribution: Year 1, Sem-II

Course code	Course name	Cr hrs
Agrn502	Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management	3 (2+1)
Agrn522	Irrigation Agronomy and on-farm water harvesting	3 (1+1)
Agrn532	Integrated Pest Management	2 (1+1)
Agrn542	Systems Analysis and Crop Modeling	3 (2+1)
Agrn512	Crop physiology	3 (2+1)
Agrn562	Integrated systems approach for sustainable intensification	2 (2+0)
Agrn532	Agro-meteorology (E)*	2(2+0)
Agrn521	Advanced Plant Breeding (E)*	2(1+1)
	Total	16+2

*Students are required to register for one of the elective courses

Course distribution: Year 2 Semester I &II

Course Code	Course name	Cr hrs
Agrn611	Graduate Seminar in Agronomy	1(0+1)
DTTP602	Development Team Training Program (DTTP)	3(0+3)
Agrn621	MSc Thesis Research	6 (0+6)
	Total	10