Master of Science in Plant Breeding and Seed Systems (MPBS)

The Revised Master of Science in Plant Breeding and Seed Systems (Day program)

About this Program

Applicants should posses an honours degree in any of the following biological fields: Bsc in Agriculture, Bsc in Forestry or the equivalent from a recognised university. students with pass degrees but with substantial experience will be considered.

The key focus of the program is developing a graduate with the skills and knowledge to develop and execute a plant breeding program that releases improved crop varieties that meet farmers and consumers requirements. In addition, the graduate should be able to contribute to seed systems, seed science and technology. The program runs over a period of two years. In the first year, students undertake taught courses that provide the knowledge that imparts the competencies of a plant breeder as described in Table 1 and Table 2. The courses cover the disciplines of statistics, genetics, cultivar development principles and practices, physiology, seed systems and other competencies necessary to contribute to science and interact with the multiple stakeholders in the plant breeding and crop value chains. The courses also provide the soft skills needed for the breeder to interact at the plant discipline level and effectively participate at the national, regional and international levels. In the second year, students conduct research in plant breeding and write a thesis. This contributes to development of critical skills; scientific writing and the organizational skills needed to plan and execute a successful plant-breeding program.

Core Competencies for MPBSS

  • A thorough understanding of segregation based on independent assortment of chromosomes and crossing over through the process of meiosis.

  • A thorough understanding of segregation frequencies of multiple generations and multiple genes.

  • Ability to plan plant-breeding experiments, collect accurate data and analyze the results to inform cultivar development decisions.

  • Able to manage a breeding programme, including effective hybridization of parents and the effective conduct of field & greenhouse trials and on-farm trials

  • Be able to manage field operations and greenhouse activities based on actual experience.

  • Able to develop product profiles for the different market segments for a crop.

  • Able to operate specialized screening procedures to select against yield reducing factors.

  • Able to develop new varieties and shepherd them through the release process and

    distribution channels.

  • Capable of publishing results in referred scientific journals

  • Able to succeed in an excellent PhD programme.

Admission Requirements

The general regulations for Makerere University and specifically of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will apply where appropriate. Applicants for admission to the Master of Science in Plant Breeding and Seed Systems degree programme should possess at least a 2nd Class Upper Bachelor’s degree in any of the following biological fields: BSc. Agriculture, Horticulture, Seed Science and Technology, and Forestry or the equivalent from a recognized University.

Coursework

The course work plan for the degree shall consist of;

Satisfactory completion of a minimum of 74 (Credit Units) of which part are core courses that are compulsory and other courses chosen from the list of elective courses, depending on the candidate’s field of research interest, guided by the student’s supervisors.

All course work must be completed during the first two semesters. Year 2 is reserved for research and thesis writing.
All Students will be required to attend CAES seminars and scientific activities.

Assessment of courses

The course work plan for the degree shall consist of;

Satisfactory completion of a minimum of 74 (Credit Units) of which part are core courses that are compulsory and other courses chosen from the list of elective courses, depending on the candidate’s field of research interest, guided by the student’s supervisors.

All course work must be completed during the first two semesters. Year 2 is reserved for research and thesis writing.
All Students will be required to attend CAES seminars and scientific activities.

All students will be required to complete all courses (core and electives) by the end of year one. All courses will have strong theoretical and applied aspects to permit development of competences suitable for effective and impactful research careers. Students will be required to pass all registered courses (core and electives) in order to quality to do their research. Each course shall be graded out of a maximum of 100 marks and assigned appropriate letter grades and grade points, following Makerere University Standard procedures. Courses should be completed with C or better grades. Students will retake failed courses. These regulations conform to those approved for CAES.

(a)  Each course shall be assessed on the basis of 100% total marks with proportions as follows:                 Course work – 40%, Written examination – 60%

(b)  Course work shall consist of laboratory work and progressive assessment (assignments/tests), each component assessed at 20%

(c)  For a course without laboratory work, progressive assessment shall carry 40%

(d)  A minimum of two course work assignments shall be required per course

All coursework is graded out of 40% while the end-of-semester examinations account for 60% of the overall mark.

Grading system for the programme

 

Marks

    

Letter Grade

    

Grade point

  
 

90-100

    

A+

    

5.0

  
 

80-89.9

    

A

    

5.0

  
 

75-79.9

    

B+

    

4.5

  
 

70-74.9

    

B

    

4.0

  
 

65-69.9

    

C+

    

3.5

  
 

60-64.9

    

C

    

3.0

  
 

Below 60

    

Fail

    

0

  

(b) These additional letters shall be used where appropriate W- Withdrawn from course

I – Incomplete

(c) The pass grade point per course is 3.0

(d) No credit unit shall be awarded for any course in which a student fails.

Progression

Progression through the course shall be assessed in one of three categories.

Normal Progression

This occurs when a student passes all courses taken

Probationary

This is a warning and occurs if:
a) A student fails a core/compulsory course, or
b) A student who obtains a grade point average (GPA) or a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of less than 3.0

Discontinuation

A student shall be discontinued from the programme for one of the following reasons: a) Receiving two probations on the same core/compulsory course
b) Receiving two consecutive probations based on GPA or CGPA

Retaking a course

There shall be no supplementary examination in any course of the programme. However, a student may retake any course when it is offered again in order t

  1. (a)  Pass if the student had failed it before.

  2. (b)  Improve the grade if the first pass grade was low.

  3. (c)  A student who does not wish to retake a failed course shall be allowed to take a

    substitute elective.

Graduation requirements

The degree of Master of Science in Plant Breeding and Seed Systems shall be awarded to a candidate who satisfies both conditions below

(a) An accumulated minimum of 74 courses credit units (b) A successful defence of a thesis.  

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE.
Course structure for MSc Plant Breeding and Seed Systems

Course Code

Course unit

Credit Unit

Practical Hours

Contact Hours

Lecture Hours

Assessments

Semester

Year

Category

CRS7101

APPLIED STATISTICS AND BIOMETRICS

3

30

  

30

2

I

1

CORE

CRS7104

SEED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

3

30

  

30

2

I

1

CORE

CRS7121

PLANT GENETICS

2

  

30

30

2

I

1

CORE

CRS7105

PLANT CELL AND TISSUE CULTURE

3

30

  

30

2

I

1

ELECTIVE

CRS7109

MOLECULAR PLANT MICROBE INTERACTIONS

3

100

  

100

2

I

1

ELECTIVE

CRS7113

UTILIZATION & CONSERVATION OF PLANT RESOURCES

3

30

  

30

2

I

1

ELECTIVE

CRS7118

ADVANCED MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND GENETICS

3

100

  

100

2

I

1

ELECTIVE

CRS7106

PRINCIPLES OF CULTIVAR DEVELOPMENT

3

30

  

30

2

I

1

ELECTIVE

CRS7125

POPULATION AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS

3

  

45

45

2

I

1

ELECTIVE

CRS7122

AGRONOMY AND CROP PHYSIOLOGY

3

  

45

45

2

I

1

ELECTIVE

CRS7123

PLANT BREEDING AND FIELD EXPERIMENTATION

3

30

45

30

2

I

1

CORE

CRS7129

PLANT BREEDING METHODS

5

      

2

I

1

CORE

CRS7225

LEGAL AND REGULATORY ISSUES IN AGRICULTURE

3

  

45

45

2

II

1

CORE

ABM7201

AGRICULTURAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT

3

100

  

100

2

II

1

ELECTIVE

ARI7203

SOCIAL RESEARCH METHODS

3

  

45

45

2

II

1

ELECTIVE

CRS7203

INSECT PEST MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

3

100

  

100

2

II

1

ELECTIVE

CRS7214

BIOPOLICY, BIOSAFETY AND BIOETHICS RESEARCH

3

30

  

30

2

II

1

ELECTIVE

CRS7202

ADVANCED DISEASES MANAGEMENT

3

100

  

100

2

II

1

ELECTIVE

CRS7210

QUANTITATIVE GENETIC THEORY

3

30

  

30

2

II

1

CORE

CRS7220

SCIENTIFIC WRITING & COMMUNICATION SKILLS

3

  

45

45

2

II

1

CORE

CRS7221

SEED PHYSIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY

3

  

45

45

2

II

1

CORE

CRS7223

SEED PRODUCTION SYSTEMS & CERTIFICATION

3

  

45

45

2

II

1

CORE

CRS8130

DISSERTATION (RESEARCH)

7

  

105

105

2

I

2

ELECTIVE

CRS8230

DISSERTATION (RESEARCH)

7

  

105

105

2

II

2

ELECTIVE