PHD IN AQUACULTURE AND FISHERIES MANAGEMENT
GRADUATE PROFILE
A PhD graduate in Aquaculture and Fisheries management will be able to:
- Teach aquaculture and fisheries courses in universities and other institutions.
- Provide advisory/ consultancy works to policy makers, investors and other relevant stakeholders in aquaculture and fisheries
- Devise management plans to meet national needs of using aquatic resources in a sustainable manner
- Apply appropriate technologies for the efficient and sustainable utilization of fisheries resources
- Adapt the contemporary scientific knowledge on aquaculture and fisheries practices to ensure sustainable utilization of fisheries resources
- Facilitate the link between higher institutions, communities, and other stakeholders towards the common goals of fighting community problems and for sustainable utilization of the fisheries and other aquatic resources
- Develop and implement aquaculture projects and business ventures
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Admissions to the program are competitive based on the following criteria:
- Applicants need to have Master Degree in Aquaculture and/or Fisheries, Biology, Animal Sciences, Wetlands Management, Environmental Sciences and other related fields which will be determined by the Department Graduate Committee (DGC) of Department of Biology
- Applicants need to have an MSc cumulative grade point average (cGPA) of 3.00 and above from accredited higher learning institution
- Submit a preliminary synopsis of planned PhD research for review and approval, and admission depends on availability and consent of advisor
- Successful performance (i.e. a minimum of 50 %) in the aptitude examination that encompass basic knowledge on subject matter, language test, basic computer skills, research ethics and others. The purpose of the examination is to ascertain whether a candidate is capable of the independent and thoughtful research required for the PhD program.
- Having publication(s) in (a) reputable journal(s) is an added advantage
- Based on the DGC assessment, candidates whose MSc background are not directly or related to Fisheries and Aquaculture will be required to take the bridge courses from the MSc program in Aquaculture and Fisheries before becoming eligible to register for the PhD courses proper (see Section 16).
Duration of the study is 4 years. A candidate who fails to complete within the set schedule must present an acceptable justification in consultation with his/her research supervisor(s) for possible extension as per the existing JU regulation pertaining to the case.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
A candidate must fulfill the following requirements of the School of Graduate studies (SGS) of Jimma University (JU) for graduation:
- A candidate should have a minimum course work of 12 credit hours and dissertation work of 12 credit hours.
- A Cumulative Grade Point Average (cGPA) of 3.00 must be obtained in the course works
- No less than “B” grade(s) in any course(s) taken
- If there is a chance to link a candidate’s project to foreign universities a candidate in the sandwich scheme is required to spend at least 1 ½ years at the Department, Jimma University. Six credit hours of the 12 required graduate courses may be completed by residence courses taken at an accredited University or institute other than Jimma University. However, the equivalence of the courses taken abroad will be evaluated against the course list of the launched program.
- The Doctoral Dissertation shall constitute individual effort in academic pursuits to identify and analyze problems by applying sound methodology. A Doctoral Dissertation shall constitute the partial fulfillment of the requirement to the PhD Degree program. To be eligible for graduation, a candidate should:
- Publish at least one article in reputable peer reviewed journals.
- Submit at least one manuscript to a publisher and produce evidence of submission from editorial board
- Make oral paper presentation at one national or international level
- Present a compiled monograph for final open public defense of his/her Doctoral Dissertation.
- However, special cases can be entertained to permit a candidate to defend the Doctoral Dissertation by getting approval/advice from the candidate’s advisory board in consultation with respective supervisor(s) regardless of the criteria listed in a & b above.
- A candidate must successfully defend his/her Dissertation. If the student’s dissertation is rated “Fail”, he/she may be allowed to re-correct his/her work in a maximum duration of 6 months grace period.
- The result of the Dissertation evaluation will be an average of one external examiner (hereafter defined as a relevant professional outside Jimma University, either from Ethiopia or abroad) and one internal examiner (hereafter defined as a relevant professional from within Jimma University). A student must first submit the thesis, in an acceptable form, to the Advisor, who will return it, with comments, within six weeks. The revised Doctoral thesis may then be passed to the Advisory Committee which will then determine whether the Thesis is ready for submission. The student’s advisor(s) in consultation with the Advisory Committee recommend potential external and internal examiners. The public oral defense of the thesis is arranged by the Department and conducted according to rules and regulations of Jimma University.
DEGREE NOMENCLATURE
Upon successful completion of the program, the candidate will be awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in Biology (Aquaculture and Fisheries Management); In Amharic: የፍልስፍና ዶክትሬት ዲግሪ በስነ-ሕይወት (አኳካልቸር ና የዓሳ ሀብት አስተዳደር)
LIST OF COURSES
| S. No. | Course Title | Course No. | Cr. hrs. | Course category |
| 1 | Seminar I (Advanced topics in Aquaculture and Fisheries I) | Biol 741 | 1 | Compulsory |
| 2 | Seminar II (Advanced topics in Aquaculture and Fisheries II) | Biol 742 | 1 | Compulsory |
| 3 | Independent Study | Biol 743 | 2 | Compulsory |
| 4 | Advanced Techniques in Aquaculture | Biol 711 | 3 | Compulsory |
| 5 | Advances in Fish Stock Assessment and Management | Biol 722 | 3 | Compulsory |
| 6 | Advanced Limnology | Biol 732 | 3 | Elective |
| 7 | Advanced Research Method and Scientific Writing | Biol 744 | 2 | Elective |
| 8 | Doctoral Dissertation | Biol 841 | 12 (P/F) | Compulsory |
| Bridge courses | ||||
| 1 | Introduction to Fish Diversity and Biology | Biol 501 | 2 | |
| 2 | Fisheries post-harvest Technology | Biol 503 | 2 | |
| 3 | Statistics for a Biologist | Stat 505 | 2 | |
| 4 | Feed and Nutrition in Aquaculture | Biol 514 | 2 |
COURSE BREAKDOWN
Based on the DGC assessment, candidates whose MSc background are not directly or related to Fisheries and Aquaculture will be required to take the following bridge courses from the MSc program in Aquaculture and Fisheries before becoming eligible to register for the PhD courses proper during Year I Semester I. Consequently, for such students the course work duration before proceeding to the PhD Dissertation will be one and half academic year. These courses are considered part of the student’s PhD training and thus appear on the student’s academic transcript. The course schedule for students taking bridge courses will accordingly extend from Year I Semester I through Year II Semester I i.e. one and half academic year.
Year I Semester I (for students taking bridge courses)
| Bridge courses | ||
| Course Title | Course No. | Cr. hrs. |
| Introduction to Fish Diversity and Biology | Biol 501 | 2 |
| Fisheries post-harvest Technology | Biol 503 | 2 |
| Statistics for a Biologist | Stat 505 | 2 |
| Feed and Nutrition in Aquaculture | Biol 514 | 2 |
| Total | 9 |
Year I Semester I (Year I Semester II, for students taking bridge courses)
| Course Title | Course No | Cr.hrs. |
| Advanced Techniques in Aquaculture | Biol 711 | 3 |
| Seminar I (Advanced topics in Aquaculture and Fisheries I) | Biol 741 | 1 |
| Independent Study | Biol 743 | 2 |
| Total | 6 |
Year I Semester II (Year II Semester I, for students taking bridge courses)
| Course Title | Course No | Cr.Hr. |
| Advances in Fish stock Assessment and Management | Biol 722 | 3 |
| Seminar II (Advanced topics in Aquaculture and Fisheries II) | Biol 742 | 1 |
| Elective | Biol 7xx | 2-3 |
| Total | 6-7 |
Year II Semester I (Year II Semester II, for students taking bridge courses)
| Course Title | Course No. | Cr. hrs |
| Doctoral Dissertation* | Biol 841 | 12 (P/F) |
| Total | 12 (P/F) | |
| *Doctoral Dissertation will continue to the end of the program |