Bachelor of Science in Agriculture

1.0 Background

The curriculum for the proposed program will cover wide aspects of Crop agronomy, Crop improvement, Crop protection, Plant biotechnology, Soil Science, Irrigation, Animal production, Animal breeding, Animal health, Appropriate agro-mechanization technology, Agro-processing and marketing, and Agricultural economics while putting into consideration the advancement in science and technology around us and in relation to the needs of the farmers. It is projected that once this course is started; it will attract both local and international students in the region.

2.0 Program Mode

MMU will execute B.Sc Applied Agriculture under the semester system. The aim is to enable the institution be more cost effective in terms of time needed to complete the degree program, flexibility among students in the course of pursuing the degree, and meeting the market demand of a changing society. The program will also allow part time students to transfer their credits from and to other institutions.

3.0 Objective of the program

The overall objective of the program is to produce graduates with basic knowledge in agriculture general and the applied knowledge related to crop production, animal production, education and extension and agricultural economics and agribusiness.

3.1 Specific objectives are:

To produce MMU graduates who can fit for employment opportunities at both national and regional level.

To equip students with the capability to employ themselves in agricultural production.

To offer both basic and applied courses to other degree programs on various fields related to agricultural production.

3. 2.1 Attributes of the graduates

The program aims at producing graduates who can

(i) Work as farm managers

(ii) Plan, appraise, manage and evaluate projects related to agriculture

(iii) Employ their skills in the fields related to crop production such as agronomy, crop protection and plant breeding

(iv) Offer practical solutions in issues related to animal health and production

(v) Work as Ranch managers

(vi) Offer consultancy on issues related to agriculture

(vii) Teach agricultural courses in schools and colleges

(viii) Work as researchers in various fields related to agriculture

(ix) Work as agricultural extension officers

(x) Manage firms producing agro-based products

Such graduates can be self employed or can be employed by the government and its parastatals, research institutions, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Community Based Organizations (CBOs), co-operative unions, financial institutions, private companies etc

3.2.2 Duration of the degree program

The proposed degree program is of six (6) semester duration

3.2.3 Admission process

Mountains of the Moon University is committed to equal opportunity and does not discriminate against qualified persons on the basis of sex, religion, colour, nationality or ethnic origin in its admission policies. Nevertheless, admission at Mountains of the Moon University is a privilege and not a right.

Prospective applicants can apply through three avenues i.e.

Direct entry
Diploma entry
Mature age entry

3.2.3.1 Entry requirements

i. Direct entry

Candidates who wish to obtain admission directly after advanced level secondary education must have obtained;

The Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) or its equivalent with a minimum of a credit in mathematics and
The Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) with a minimum of two principal passes in biology, chemistry, physics, agriculture, mathematics, economics, or geography and
Minimum weighted points set by Mountains of the Moon University Admission Board

In computing the weighted points, advanced level subjects are evaluated as follows;

Group	Weight	Subject
Essential	3	Biology, Chemistry, Agriculture
Relevant	2	Physics, Mathematics, Economics, Geography
Desirable	1	Sub-mathematics, General Paper
Others	0.5	All other subjects examined at advanced level

Points used in weighting follow the Uganda National Examination Board system i.e.

Principal Level A = 6 points
Principal Level B = 5 Points
Principal Level C = 4 points
Principal Level D = 3 points
Principal Level E = 2 Points

ii. Diploma entry

Candidates with Diplomas of at least Second Class standing in horticulture, forestry, agriculture, agricultural extension, veterinary medicine and fisheries from local or international institutions can apply.

iii. Mature age entry

Individuals with extensive industrial experience may be granted admission under the mature age entry scheme after passing the mature age entry examination.

3.2.3.2 Application procedure

Application forms are obtainable from the Registrar Academic’s office at the University premises in Fort Portal or regional offices (to be specified later) at a non refundable application fee of 10,000 Uganda shillings. Forms should be completed by intending applicants and returned to the Academic Registrar or respective regional office. The completed application form should be accompanied with;

1. Photocopies of all academic certificates held by the applicant

2. Completed health form (to be provided by the university)

3. Four passport size photographs

4. Signed code of conduct (to be provided by the university)

5. Certified/confidential report from the last institution attended (for mature candidates only)

3.2.4 Program structure

The instruction of courses under the program involves lectures, tutorials and practicals. Each course unit is evaluated using the Credit Unit (CU) as the weighting unit. A Credit Unit is equivalent to 1 Contact Hour (CH) in each week of a semester for a particular course. A contact hour is related to Lecture Hours (LH), Tutorial Hours (TH) and Practical Hours (PH) as follows;

1 Contact hour is equivalent to 1 lecture hour

1 Contact hour is equivalent to 1 tutorial hour

1 Contact hour is equivalent to 2 practical hours

A given intake for the degree program will run over a period of 3 years with each year consisting of two 17 week semesters and a 10 week recess term. The minimum and maximum semester course load per student per semester will be 15 and 25 credit units respectively.

3.2.5 Graduation requirement

A candidate qualifies for the award of the Bachelor of Science in Applied Agriculture after completing a minimum of 142 credit units.

3.2.6 Assessment and grading system

3.2.6.1 Assessment

Courses will be assessed out of 100% independently as follows;

Course work/progressive/continuous assessment: 40%

End of semester examination: 60%

For purposes of quality assurance, the University will arrange to have external examiners to assess candidates at the end of each academic year.

3.2.6.2 Grading

Marks %	Letter grade	GPA
80-100	A	5.0
75-79.9	B+	4.5
70-74.9	B	4.0
65-69.9	B-	3.5
60-64.9	C+	3.0
55-59.9	C	2.5
50-54.9	C-	2.0
45-49.9	D+	1.5
40-44.9	D	1.0
35-39.9	D-	0.5
Below 35	E	0

The pass mark for each course is 50%

3.2.7 Degree classification

Class	Cumulative GPA
First Class	4.40 - 5.00
Second class-Upper Division	3.60 - 4.39
Second class-Lower Division	2.80 - 3.59
Pass	2.00 – 2.79

3.2.8 CGPA calculation

The following procedure are used in calculating the cumulative grade point average;

Calculate the grade point average for each course independently using the table in 3.2.6.2 above.

Using the results in 1 above, calculate the cumulative grade point average for courses taken in a semester using the formula;

Σ GPA_i x CU_i

i = 1

CGPA =

Σ CU_i

i = 1

Where;

CGPA is the cumulative grade point average for a given semester

GPA: is the calculated independent grade point average for a given course in 1 above

CU: is the credit unit for a given course as indicated in the schedule of courses in 3.2.13 below

The final cumulative grade point average is an average of calculated grade point averages for all the 6 semesters allotted to the course.

3.2.9 Progression

Progression of a student is classified as normal or probationary.

3.2.9.1 Normal Progress

Normal progress occurs when the student has passed all required subjects. This happens when the student has passed each course with a minimum grade point of 2.0.

3.2.9.2 Probationary Progress

This is a warning stage, and occurs if

A student fails a course
A student obtains a Cumulative Grade Points Average (CGPA) of less than two 2 at the end of any semester.

3.2.10 Re-taking a course

There are no supplementary examinations in the semester system. When a student has to re-sit a course, he/she has to wait and re-sit that course, without penalty, when it is offered again. However, the student will have to pay the examination fee i.e. 10,000 Uganda shillings for Ugandans or USD 15 for non Ugandans. This fee may be revised from time to time. A candidate can retake a course in order to;

Pass it if he/she had failed it
Improve the grade obtained when it was previously done

When retaking the course;

The student will redo the continuous assessment and end of semester examination
The academic transcript shall indicate that the given course was retaken

3.2.11 Discontinuation

A student shall be discontinued from the program if one of the following conditions occurs; -

Receiving two probationary warnings on the same course
Receiving two consecutive probations based on Cumulative Grade Point average
Gross misbehavior not conducive to the well being of Mountains of the Moon University

3.2.12 Withdrawal from the program

Tuition will only be refunded to a student who withdraws from the program not later than 4 weeks after commencement of the academic year. Such a student will have his/her tuition refunded as follows;

Period of withdrawal	% of tuition refunded
Before end of semester week 1	80
Between semester week 1 and 3	60
Between semester week 3 and 4	40
After semester week 4	0

3.2.13 Schedule of courses

Year 1: Semester 1

	CU	LH	TH	PH	CH
AGRI 101 Introduction to animal Science	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 102 Agricultural Botany and Ecology	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 103 General Microbiology	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 104 Introduction to Biochemistry	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 105 Introduction to Soil science	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 106 Agro meteorology and climatology	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 107 Introduction to genetics	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 108 Professional ethics
AGRI 109 Introduction to computers

TOTAL	21	210		210	315

Year 1: Semester 2

	CU	LH	TH	PH	CH
AGRI 110 Introduction to statistics	3	30	15	-	45
AGRI 111 Introduction to micro and macro economics	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 112 Landforms and ecological potential	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 113 Biochemistry 2	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 114 Plant physiology	2	20	-	20	30
AGRI 115 Plant pathology	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 116 Farm power and machinery	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 117 Introduction to entomology
AGRI 118 Computer applications
TOTAL	20	200	15	170	300

Year 2: Semester 1

	CU	LH	TH	PH	CH
AGRI 201 Livestock management & production systems 1	4	45	-	30	60
AGRI 202 Biometrics	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 203 Annual crop agronomy	3	30	-	30	60
AGRI 204 Introduction to Agricultural extension	3	30	15	-	45
AGRI 205 Applied Soil Science	3	30	15	-	45
AGRI 206 Agribusiness	3	30	15	-	45
AGRI 207 Rural Sociology
AGRI 208 Principles of Surveying	3	30	15	-	45
AGRI 209 Computer applications	2	20	-	20	30
TOTAL	24	245	60	110	375

Year 2: Semester2

	CU	LH	TH	PH	CH
AGRI 209 Farm structures	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 210 Livestock management & production systems 2	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 211Applied entomology	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 212 Weed science	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 213 Research Methods	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 214 Production economics	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 215 Principles of farm management and accounts	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 216 Perennial crop agronomy	3	-	15	60	45
AGRI 217 Irrigation technologies

TOTAL	24	210	15	270	360

Year 2: Recess term (Long Vacation)

	CU	LH	TH	PH	CH
AGRI 218 Case study / Field Attachment	4	-	-	120	60
TOTAL

Year 3: Semester 1

	CU	LH	TH	PH	CH
AGRI 301 Applied Horticulture	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 302 Animal Nutrition and feeds	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 303 Pasture agronomy and seed science technology	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 304 Principles of plant breeding	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 305 Program development and evaluation	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 306 Agro product development	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 307 Field crop diseases	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 308 Soil fertility and plant nutrition	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 309 Agricultural marketing
TOTAL	24	240	-	240	360

Year 3: Semester 2

	CU	LH	TH	PH	CH
AGRI 310 Apiculture	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 311 Agro-forestry	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 312 Aquaculture production system	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 313 Organic farming	3	30	-	30	45
AGRI 314 Mushroom production	3	30	15	-	45
AGRI 315 Post harvest technology
AGRI 316 Soil and Water Conservation	3	30	-	30	45
	3	30	-	30	45
TOTAL	18	180	15	150	270

Year 3: Common course

	CU	LH	TH	PH	CH
AGRI 317 Special project	2	20	10	-	30