1. MSc in Rural Development

The Department of Rural Development and Agricultural Extension started Master’s degree in Rural Development and Agricultural Extension in 2003-04, realising the emerging need of higher learning in the subject matter. The graduate students are selected based on merit after rigorous entrance test procedures. This programme is also expected to add some contributions to the research pursuits of the Department on priority issues. This program offers two sub-specializations: ‘Agricultural Communication and Innovation for Rural Development’ and ‘Rural Development’. It provides common courses for all sub-specializations and specific courses to each sub-specialization. Elective courses are available to fulfill the requirements for M.Sc in RDAE depending on the thesis path and/or interest of students.

1.1 Admission Requirements to MSc RDAE

The general admission requirement for the MSc program in the field of Rural Development and Agricultural Extension is successful completion of academic requirements of the B.Sc. degree in Agricultural Extension/Rural Development and Agricultural Extension and related field of study and performance in entrance examination. However, graduates in agricultural sciences and non-agricultural stream (such as sociology, economics, psychology etc) have to undergo bridging/remedial courses prescribed by the DGC on the basis of their undergraduate studies before they take up graduate research. The courses may include: Adult Teaching Methods and Audio-visual Techniques, and Extension Methods and Approaches. In addition, those from non-agricultural discipline are required to successfully complete the following courses: Crop Production and Management, Animal Production & Management, and Introduction to Farm Management.

Those from agricultural stream but from other field of studies (such as Animal Science, Plant Science etc) have to take two bridging/remedial courses at undergraduate level namely ‘Extension methods and approaches’ and ‘ and ‘Adult Teaching Methods and Audio-visual Techniques

2. MSc in Agricultural Communication and Innovation for Development

The MSc AICM program is a new regional masters program hosted by RDAE department since summer 2010. This program is currently offered in other two RUFORUM member universities (Egerton University and University of Nairobi). Brief rationale of the program, learning objectives, learning outcomes and graduate profile is presented here under.

2.1 Admission Requirements to MSc AICM

The admission requirements for the MSc program in AICM are:

  • successful completion of academic requirements of a B.Sc./BA degree in agriculture, ICT or related disciplines from an accredited university, and
  • applicants must pass entrance exam and fulfill other admission criteria of the University.
2.2 Background and Rationale of the Regional MSc (AICM) Program

Agriculture is the economic driving force in most of the African countries. Agricultural research in Africa and elsewhere in the world is generating agricultural technologies that can improve food security and community development, but the impact is yet to be felt in sub-Saharan African (SSA) households in general and East and Central Africa (ECA) in particular. Even though hundreds of technologies are generated in the region, its dissemination and adoption is estimated to be very limited for various reasons. Appropriate information and communication management (ICM) is necessary to support food security by facilitating agricultural research and technology diffusion and uptake. Poor communication of information on emerging technologies, however, limits the impact of agricultural research. Most graduates of agriculture and related programs often do not acquire adequate capacity to integrate ICT in communicating agricultural knowledge. On the other hand, ICT specialists lack technical capacity to understand agricultural packages and communicate new developments in agricultural sector.

The Master’s degree program in Agricultural Information and Communication Management (AICM) is one of the key strategies set out to realize the objective of enhancing the contribution of information and communication to improved and sustainable productivity in agriculture, and to add value and competitiveness to the regional agricultural system. The program was designed through extensive consultations with national, regional and international partners and aimed at producing AICM professionals to complement rather than to duplicate national efforts that centered on short-term skills up-gradation training. Development of the program at postgraduate level was strongly supported by the findings of a training need assessment (TNA) undertaken by the Regional Agricultural Information Network (RAIN) of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in East and Central Africa (ASARECA) in 2005 that showed the number of agricultural professionals in the region with AICM skills are few. More specifically, agricultural researchers, educators and technologists in National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), Universities and extension services lack skills that can make them self-sufficient in meeting basic information needs to generate and disseminate agricultural technologies.

3. MSc in Agricultural Information and Communication Management