Programmes in Agriculture

Training in Tropical Agriculture in St. Augustine has a long history going back to the early 1920s to the era of the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture. However, the undergraduate programme in Agriculture was not introduced until 1961 with the establishment of a regional university system, The University of the West Indies. Since the early 1960s, has offered postgraduate programmes in Agriculture at the masters and PhD levels. Since then thousands have graduated with a first degree, taught masters degree, Master of philosophy or Doctor of philosophy in Agriculture. Graduates of Agriculture have been making valuable contributions not only to the development of the region directly but also indirectly. As the globe faces the serious challenge of meeting the growing demand for food and agricultural products, higher education provides the opportunity to contribute positively to the world-wide effort to meet the demand and benefit from it.

The diverse programmes in St. Augustine and flexible regulations provide each student the opportunity to select and pursue programmes of choice.

Undergraduate Programmes in Agriculture

The department offers the following programmes:

• B.Sc. Agriculture
  The B.Sc. Agriculture is science and technology oriented programme preparing students for employment opportunities in different areas. The programme has a science foundation and covers agronomy, horticulture, animal science and production, soils, extension and agricultural economics. In addition students are exposed to the principles and practice of bio-systems engineering, mathematics and statistics. A student admitted to this programme is required to successfully complete a prescribed set of courses and nine (9) credits of Foundation courses in three (3) years.
• B.Sc. (General): Major in Agricultural Science
  Students who wish to combine agriculture with other disciplines or pursue a specialized area in agriculture can do so by enrolling in the Agricultural Science major. The major is a science oriented programme covering animal science, agronomy, horticulture, soils, Bio-systems engineering, mathematics and statistics. A major in Agricultural Science includes Year 1 core courses and a minimum of 32 credits of Year 2 and Year 3 prescribed courses.

For further details including lists of courses, please visit the Agriculture BSc Programmes page or check out page 47 of the UWI FFA Undergraduate Information Guide. For further information on undergraduate programmes in Agriculture please contact the programme coordinator at: food.production@sta.uwi.edu or, for information on the admissions process, please visit the Undergraduate Admissions website.

Postgraduate Programmes in Agriculture

UWI, St. Augustine offers several postgraduate programmes at the Masters and Doctoral levels. Taught Masters require one year of full-time study. Master of Philosophy (MPhil) is a research based programme requiring no more than three (3) years of full-time study. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is also a research based programme requiring no more that four (4) years of full-time study. Applications for Graduate School are taken at any time. See UWI FSA Postgraduate Information Guide 2011-2012 for programmes. Students wishing to receive University scholarships need to apply by the spring deadline provided by the School for Graduate Studies and Research.