Innovative Curriculum for the PhD program in Plant Breeding
The PhD program in plant breeding at Jimma University is designed to offer an extensive and advanced curriculum, equipping students with the skills and knowledge needed to lead in the field of plant breeding. The program is structured around a series of specialized courses that provide both theoretical foundations and practical experience:
Core courses
| Course Code | Course Title | Credit Hours |
| PLBR 711 | Quantitative and population genetics | 3 (2+1) |
| PLBR 721 | Advanced molecular genetics | 3(2+1) |
| PLBR 731 | Advanced seed technology | 2(1+1) |
| PLBR 741 | Recent topics in plant breeding I | 1(0+1) |
| PLBR 712 | Molecular plant breeding | 3 (1+1) |
| PLBR 722 | Breeding for biotic and abiotic stress resistance | 2(1+1) |
| PLBR 732 | Advanced biostatistics for plant breeding | 3 (2+1) |
| PLBR 742 | Scientific research method and paper writing | 2 (1+1) |
| PLBR 752 | Recent topics in plant breeding II | 1 (0+1) |
Elective courses
| Course Code | Course Title | Credit Hours |
| ANPR 531 | Plant biochemistry | 3(2+1) |
| PLPB751 | Bioinformatics | 3(2+1) |
| PLBR 772 | Breeding for quality traits | 3(2+1) |
| PLBR 762 | Advances in plant breeding | 3(2+1) |
PhD Thesis Research
| Course Code | Course Title | Credit Hours |
| PLBR 811 | PhD Thesis Research | 12 |
- The curriculum is designed to be interdisciplinary to equip students with holistic approach in dealing with crop improvement. The courses were made to combine molecular knowledge of the current state of the art science as well as field practices in plant breeding so that the graduate will be competitive to the national and international market.