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September-October 2010
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Diploma & M.Sc. in Agri-Food Safety and Quality AssuranceA welcome reception for the first batch of post-graduate students in the Diploma/MSc. Agri-Food Safety and Quality Assurance was held on Monday 13th September, 2010 at the Sir Frank Stockdale Building Foyer, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, UWI. This orientation provided an opportunity for the new post-graduate students to interact with their peers, faculty and administrative staff. The ceremony was opened by the programme coordinator, Dr. Neela Badrie, senior lecturer/researcher. She warmly welcomed students and praised them for choosing The UWI for their tertiary experience before giving a comprehensive overview of the programme. The Dean of the Faculty of Science and Agriculture, Professor Dyer Narinesingh talked about helping the ‘new pioneers’ to realize their educational goals, as there was a need to constantly re-tool oneself to cope with the continuous changes brought by each shorter generation gap. He also stressed that while pursuing this second degree, students should focus on critical thinking and be more interactive during lecture sessions. He urged the students that ‘they should not view their time spent at the University as ‘just passing exams’ but rather as a step to becoming well-rounded individuals who can make a difference in society. The Head of the Department of Food Production, Dr. Laura Roberts-Nkrumah, urged them to remain focused and do their parts to improve food safety and quality in the country and by extension, to the Caribbean region. “We should engage in consuming what we grow and try to expand local product development,” she said, adding that the goal of the programme was to establish and build a foundation for identity development and to produce proud and active members of society. The Diploma and M.Sc. programmes in Agri-Food Safety and Quality Assurance target stakeholders involved throughout the agri-food chain who may want to upgrade their skills. The programmes provide relevant education, training and research in agriculture/food safety and quality assurance with a public health focus. They are applicable to persons who are involved in and/or in microbiology, crop production and protection, animal husbandry, aquaculture, veterinary medicine, fresh food traceability, post harvest, nutrition, international food trade and legislation, chemical, physical and biological analyses, food and agriculture regulation, agriculture and food inspection, public health, agriculture-food management, quality control/assurance, food-service, agri-business, marketing, policy making, food service, research and development, food processing, agriculture and food sanitation and any other related area.
There are thirty students registered for the 2010/2011 academic year.
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The Diploma and M.Sc. programmes are offered on a part-time and full-time basis. The duration of the full-time Diploma is nine months and the full-time M.Sc runs for 12 months. The delivery of courses takes place on evenings to accommodate those who are employed. Some courses offered are: Agri-Food Safety, Project Management in Food and Agriculture, Food Quality Assurance and Evaluation of Food Policies, Research Methodology, Agri-Food Safety and Risk Analysis, Epidemiology and Food-borne Diseases, International Food Trade and Legislation.