Department of Food Production

Co-ordinator – Dr Lynda Wickham

OBJECTIVE

To introduce students to all the elements of food science and utilisation necessary to allow graduates the flexibility of self employment as well as preparing them for successful employment in several sectors of the food industry. Training is student-focused and geared to facilitate individual interests. Both research and scheduling of teaching are flexible, arranged to encourage full student participation. Graduates of the MSc Programme are trained in areas of postharvest technology, commodity utilisation, food chemistry, food quality, food safety and food product development and are qualified to work in the food sector.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Candidates applying for admission to the MSc in Tropical Commodity Utilisation are required to satisfy the University’s Regulations governing entry to taught M.Sc. programmes, and should normally hold a BSc degree of at least lower second-class honours (minimum GPA 2.0 or equivalent) in Agriculture or in a related discipline.

COURSE OF STUDY

Courses may be offered in any semester depending on the demand for the course and in order to facilitate students who are registered on a part-time basis. Candidates will be required to register for the following courses:

Courses

The research project shall normally be of not more than six months duration and candidates will be expected to begin the practical aspect of the project in January and be required to submit the written report on the research project by the 15th July but no later than 15th August of the same year.

TIME LIMIT

The course of full-time study covers a twelve-month period from September of one year, to August of the following year. Candidates will normally be expected to complete all their examinations within one year as full-time students. Part-time students will normally be expected to complete the programme in two (2) years. Candidates must complete all their examinations within two years maximum as fulltime students or within four years maximum as part-time students.

AWARD OF THE DEGREE

To qualify for the award of the degree, candidates must have successfully completed six (6) courses (5 credits each) and the research project (7 credits).

The degree shall be awarded in two (2) categories – Distinction and Pass. For the award of the degree with distinction, the candidate must have obtained an average of 70% in all courses and in the research project.

EXAMINATION

A candidate must attain at least 50% in the coursework and 50% in the final examination in order to secure a passing grade for each course.

COURSEWORK

The coursework component is specified for each course. Coursework assessment will consist of all or a combination of the following: preparation of review papers in selected areas, seminar presentations and conduct of and written reports on practical investigations and laboratory sessions.

FINAL EXAMINATION

Candidates will be required to sit final written examinations in each course. The written examination shall consist of one 3-hour paper. The final examination for each course will be held at the end of the semester in which it is offered. The contribution of the final examination to the total course mark is specified for each course. Candidates, who fail no more than two courses in a given semester, will be permitted to rewrite examinations for those courses, at the next available sitting, on the recommendation of the Faculty’s Board of Examiners.

Candidates who fail more than three courses, overall, or who fail any course more than once, will normally be required to withdraw from the programme and may be permitted to continue only on approval of the Board for Graduate Studies and Research, on recommendation by the Faculty’s Board of Examiners. Normally, a candidate who does not sit a final examination for a course for which he/she is registered shall be deemed to have failed that course.