Department of Food Production

Coordinator – Dr Afiya John

OFFERED ONLINE / FACE-TO-FACE

OBJECTIVE

This programme aims to provide further training to graduates of the relevant undergraduate programmes offered by the Faculty of Food and Agriculture during a twelve-month course of study as full-time students, or twenty-four (24) months as part time students, that will equip them to:

• become self-employed as entrepreneurs in their own right;

• provide employment for other individuals;

• apply their training to improving the domestic and regional food supply through the production of value added products that, in turn, will increase utilisation of primary agricultural products, provide more secure markets for farmers/primary producers by increasing the demand for raw material for processing, provide products to facilitate import substitution, provide products for export to earn foreign exchange, and ultimately, effect a reduction in the national and regional food import bill, while improving national and regional food and nutrition security.

The objectives are:

• to produce graduates who are work-ready and can contribute to the food and agriculture sector;

• to increase student enrolment at the graduate level by providing an attractive programme that is relevant to the current global, regional and national environment;

• to attract graduates from extra regional areas since the programme is relevant to other Small Island States.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

The general pre-requisite for entry into the MSc in Value Addition for Food and Nutrition Security is at least a Lower Second Class Honours BSc degree in Agriculture, Human Ecology, Agribusiness or the Biological Sciences (or equivalent qualifications and working experience).

It is expected that the support system for the MSc TCU will be applied to the replacement programme and that the same facilities will be utilised since the graduate courses are the same with effectively only one new course.

COURSE OF STUDY

The MSc in Value Addition for Food and Nutrition Security will normally extend over 12 months of full-time or 24 months of part-time study.

A candidate for the MSc in Value Addition for Food and Nutrition Security will be required to complete seven core courses, and a research project- a total of 45 credits.

Exemptions will be granted where the candidate’s postgraduate work experience and other activities demonstrate knowledge equivalent to that which would be gained through completion of the research project. Candidates will be assessed on a case by case basis.

AWARD OF THE DEGREE

To qualify for the award of the MSc, candidates must pass all core courses and the research project.

Candidates must meet all the requirements for the award of the MSc. with the exception of the research project.

POSTGRADUATE REGULATIONS & SYLLABUSES 2020 / 2021

The degree shall be awarded in two categories – Distinction and Pass. For the award of the degree with Distinction, the candidate must have obtained an average mark of 80% or more, across all core courses, and 80% or more in the Research Project.

CORE COURSES

MSC PROGRAMME

The MSc programme comprises 35 credits of taught courses and a compulsory 10-credit research project for a total of 45 credits. The MSc degree shall be awarded upon successful completion of all the prescribed courses and the compulsory research project.

The degree shall be awarded in two categories - Distinction and Pass. For the award of the degree with Distinction, the candidate must have obtained a minimum average mark of 70% or more in all core and elective courses as well as 70% or more in the Research Project.

EXAMINATION

A candidate must attain at least 50% in order to secure a passing grade for each course. For some courses, coursework accounts for 100% of the marks, and there is no final examination.

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 full-time students or within four years maximum as part-time students.

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.