PhD in Sustainable Agriculture (SuAg)

The program is developed from the fact that agricultural productivity in sub–Saharan Africa has been declining in the past few decades and food needs are increasing due to population growth rates. Currently, the agricultural productivity (crop, animal, aquaculture) production in the agro-ecosystems is adversely affected by input prices (fertilizer, seeds, agro-pesticides, feeds), proper management practices, use of poor farming practices and climate change related issues, declining water resources, poor infrastructure, and governmental policy that distort agricultural markets.

Entry Requirements

Candidates to be admitted into the PhD in Sustainable Agriculture must have obtained :

  1. Possession of a second class Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture or related fields with at least a GPA of 3.0/5.0 or its equivalent in an appropriate area of study from an accredited university or similar institution of higher learning.
  2. Possession of a Master’s degree in Agriculture or related fields from an accredited university or similar institution of higher learning with a minimum GPA of 3.5/5.0 and at least an average of “B” in the relevant subjects or field of specialization.
  3. Applicants for admission into PhD programmes MUST have at least average of “B” in Master’s degree in Agriculture or related fields or equivalent from an accredited university or similar institution of higher learning.

Areas of Specialization

  1. Molecular Plant Pathology
  2. Plant Molecular Breeding
  3. Agricultural System Management

Programme Duration

Full Time

  1. Years: Three (3) Years
  2. Semesters: Six (6)

Part Time

  1. Years: Four (4) Years
  2. Semesters: 

Mode of Delivery

Blended mode or hybrid mode whereby a portion of the traditional face-to-face instruction is mixed with web-based online instruction.

Programme Outline for PhD in Sustainable Agriculture by Coursework and Dissertation

Common Core Courses

  1. BuSH 6007: Foundation of Law Philosophy and Ethics
  2. BuSH 6008: Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship Management
  3. *BuSH 6009 Organization Development Leadership
  4. *BuSH 6010 Economics of Innovation Entrepreneurship

*Core courses shall be taken by PhD students who have already covered BuSH 6007 and BuSH 6008 if they did their Master’s degree at NM-AST.

Programme Core

  1. SuAg 7101: Sustainability in Agriculture
  2. LiBE 7101: Applied Research Methods
  3. LiBE 7102: Outreach and Internship
  4. SuAg 7401: Graduate seminars
  5. SuAg 7902: Dissertation

Specialty Courses

(a) Molecular Plant Pathology
  1. SuAg 7202: Molecular Biology of Plant Microbe Interaction
(b) Plant Molecular Breeding
  1. SuAg 7201: Advanced Plant Biotechnology
(c) Agricultural Systems Management
  1. SuAg 7203: Agriculture and Farming System Management

Electives Courses

  1. SuAg 7301: Molecular Markers in Plant Breeding
  2. SuAg 7302: Advanced Genomics and Bioinformatics
  3. SuAg 7303: Soil Health Management and Sustainable Farming Systems
  4. SuAg 7304: Postharvest Physiology
  5. SuAg 7305: Issues in Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience in Agro-Ecosystems
  6. SuAg 7306: Advanced Agricultural Entomology
  7. SuAg 7307: Advanced Agriculture Enterprise Management
  8. SuAg 7308: Advances in Livestock Production Technologies

Programme Outline for PhD in Sustainable Agriculture by Research and Thesis

Common Core Courses

  1. BuSH 6007: Foundation of Law Philosophy and Ethics
  2. BuSH 6008: Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship Management
  3. *BuSH 6009 Organization Development Leadership
  4. *BuSH 6010 Economics of Innovation Entrepreneurship

*Core course shall be taken by PhD students who have already covered BuSH 6007 and BuSH 6008 if they did their PhD at NM-AST.

Programme Core

  1. LiBE 7101: Applied Research Methods
  2. LiBE 7102: PhD Outreach and Internship
  3. SuAg 7402: Research Seminars and conferences
  4. SuAg 7196: Thesis

Programme expected learning outcomes 

­­­­­­­­­­­By the end of the Programme, graduates  will be able to:

  1. Describe agricultural production systems
  2. Explain some of the improved sustainable agriculture technologies
  3. Explain challenges and opportunities in sustainable agriculture.
  4. Identify challenges and opportunities in sustainable agriculture and apply appropriate research and statistical methods to address the challenges
  5. Manipulate the agricultural production systems through improved sustainable agriculture technologies.
  6. Construct a market-driven agricultural technologies that are environmentally friendly and socially acceptable by utilizing the natural resources in a profitable manner.
  7. Developed technologies to aid in the advancements of agricultural production systems
  8. Manage and design agricultural production systems and become leading scientists, technologists and service providers in sustainable agriculture.

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