VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT:
Agriculture is the professional art of applying science and technology to cultivating the soil, producing crops and livestock. It also encompasses managing human and physical resources to supply an adequate quality and quantity of food at reasonable costs to fulfil the needs of an increasing world population.
The primary goal of the faculty is to be the best faculty of Agriculture and Rural development in Cameroon.
The faculty’s vision is to develop a partnership of faculty, students, and staff, government and non-governmental organization leaders working in concert to provide the highest quality learning experiences which enhance the development of able and responsible intelligent citizenship, living and earning a livelihood and thereby contributing to the building of one of Cameroon’s best agricultural universities.
The complementary goals to reinforce the primary goal of the faculty are to:
Serve as the primary comprehensive agricultural resource of Cameroon for education, research and service to the public
Provide local and national leadership in agriculture
Structure the faculty for maximum effectiveness and continuous improvement in contributing to the University’s complex mission of education, research and technology transfer.
Maintain a faculty environment that is intellectually challenging for faculty, staff and students.
Develop a Faculty climate that is supportive of women and men and one that reflects Cameroon’s rich cultural and ethnic diversity.
MISSION
The mission of the faculty is to transfer high quality instruction in the specific fields; to accomplish leading research and scholarly publications in pursuit of advanced knowledge and its application in the agricultural sciences and also to render needed services to the agriculture profession, industry and Cameroon.
In light of this, the Faculty of Agriculture has developed coherent and comprehensive educational programs to transfer knowledge and skills that will enhance the management of Cameroon’s agricultural and animal production, forests, wildlife and natural resources including water. The faculty will prepare students for the HND in various specialties and other higher university diplomas in Agriculture, forestry, animal science, wildlife and natural resources management, environmental studies and community development, cooperatives and mutuality.
Agriculture curricula are highly integrated; courses follow each other in a \
A student in the Faculty has a variety of curricula from which to choose. Each department curriculum leads to the award of either a diploma or a Bachelor of Science Degree. This is unique and also includes many courses common to all curricula. The feature is intended to help students who are undecided on a specific major to transfer from one curriculum to another in the Faculty before the second year with little, if any, loss of credits. The major difference in curricula is the course work required by the department. Some departments offer specialization options which further define the curricula and the required course work. Generally, curricula are designed to assist the student in the preparation for his/her selected profession. HND and Degrees awarded in the Faculty of Agriculture and Rural Development are:
B.Sc. Community Development and Cooperative Management.
Duration of the Degree Program:
Studies leading to the Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Degree take 4 years or 8 Semesters for full-time studies. This duration will vary for transfer cases and for part-time studies.
The total number of Credits required for the BSc Degree is 120 of which 60 must be in the specialty.
Admissions are those for the Faculty. They include GCE “O” and “A” Level Certificates with passes in the relevant subjects including English and General Mathematics at the GCE “O” Level. Transfer cases are evaluated on a case- by -case basis.
STUDENT GUIDANCE SYSTEM (MENTORING)
Students in the Faculty of Agriculture and Rural Development work closely with an academic adviser who is associated with the curriculum in which the student is majoring. All registered first year students are encouraged to participate in the university wide orientation program in which they have the opportunity to meet and work with academic advisers in planning their adjustments to university life and provide helpful information on career opportunities. In addition, they make a special effort to adjust the course schedule to accommodate student’s interests and capacities.
The programs outlined below propose a two year program for the HND and four-year course of studies leading to the B.Sc. degree in the specified curriculum. Full-time instruction is offered throughout the year. The academic year is divided into two semesters of sixteen weeks each, beginning in mid October and ending in June.
Department of Environmental Sciences and Water Resources Management
The Environmental science program offers both a major and a minor. The major is designed to develop students’ understanding of environmental issues, their political, legal, scientific, social, and economic inter-relationships. Students also acquire knowledge and skills to deal effectively with such complex multidisciplinary issues as population, resource use and environmental protection. In addition, emphasis is placed on developing strong writing, research, qualitative and quantitative analyses and communication skills. The program further includes land use, natural resources management, and the relationship between public health and the environment.
The water resource management (WRM) program prepares professionals for agro-industry and livestock operations, water management, and relationships between strategies in urban, semi-urban and rural communities.
The program is designed to train professional through course work, creative research, seminars, field work, role play and case studies. Graduates can use the knowledge acquired to address sustainable resource use issues and confront current and future regional, national and global environmental concerns. Some of the major career opportunities include; Environmental Resources Planner, Environmental Analyst, Environmental Education Officer, Wildlife Specialist, Environmental Health and Safety Specialist. Petrol-chemical and Environnemental Pollution Control Officer etc.
A degree in Forest Resources Management in the Department of Environmental Studies and Water Resources Management, aims at promoting through teaching, research, publication and extension the proper development and wise use of our forests, savannas, wildlife, freshwater fisheries and the watershed. The Department will train both professional and sub-professional personnel for the renewable natural resources sector. It will offer courses leading to a 2- year Higher National Diploma (HND) and a 4-year B.Sc. degree in Forest Resources Management.
FACULTY CONSTRAINTS (BARRIERS TO PROGRESS)
The faculty has a very strong foundation upon which to build for the future. Numerical goals have been set which focus on increasing the size of the department faculty to at least specialized full-time scientist, soil scientist, Entomologist, Climatologist, plant pathologist- each with a minimum of M.SC. degree and some distinguished and highly experienced technical field/laboratory support staff.
The faculty recognizes the value of a strong base of external funding and the need for a focused fund raising effort. The Heads of Departments increasingly will become involved in these activities.
The faculty of Agriculture and Rural Development plan establishes the following fund-raising priorities:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Rural Sociology and Extension Education
Research and training in Agriculture Economics, Rural Sociology and Extension Education are major themes/concerns of international and national development, including the sustainable management of economic resources, gender issues, and micro-enterprise finance and farm enterprises/businesses.
The focus of the Department is to ensure that students are well prepared and capable of contributing efforts aimed at alleviating poverty and improving livelihood and well being of rural populations.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY AND SOIL SCIENCE
B.Sc. AGRONOMY
The curriculum is designed to provide students with learning experiences, knowledge, and skills that will enable them work in crop production or agricultural extension advisory services with emphasis on agronomic production, farm supplies (fertilizers, seeds, grains, pesticides) businesses. Students are also prepared to enter graduate school for advanced studies leading to a career in research or teaching crop or soil science; or, self employment in production agriculture.
DEPARTMENT OF FOOD TECHNOLOGY
B.Sc. OPTIONS
GENERAL OBJECTIVES
At the end of the course students should:
- Have a good knowledge of the physiology of the cell, food nutrients, sources and their functions to the body.
- Apply the knowledge acquired in solving common nutritional problems in the society such as kwashiorkor, marassmus, hypertension, gastritis, gout.
- Understand what catering and tourism involve and use this knowledge to set up private business enterprises.
Graduates can look forward to exciting opportunities in owning and operating business enterprises in Hotel Management and Food Delivery Systems and in Home Economics. This will help to alleviate the ever-rising unemployment and problems of food related diseases.
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES & WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
B.Sc. Environnemental Science
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Environmental Studies and Water Resources Management Program encourages students to use the resources of the university and its community to acquire an interdisciplinary understanding of issues dealing with natural resources, their utilization and environmental protection. Students receive strong educational preparation touching on population, land use, natural resource management - forestry, fisheries, wildlife, energy, water management, pollution and the relationship between health and the environment.
The Water Resources Management (WRM) program prepares professionals for agro-industry and livestock operations, water resources management strategies in urban, peri -urban and rural communities. For many communities, water is a scarce commodity and pollution and solid waste disposal have rendered some sources a danger to public health.
B.Sc., FORESTRY FOREST RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
A degree in Forest Resources Management in the Department of Environmental Science and Water Resources Management, aims at promoting through teaching, research, publication and extension the proper development and wise use of our forests, savannas, wildlife, freshwater fisheries and the watershed. The Department will train both professional and sub-professional personnel for the renewable natural resources sector. It will offer courses leading to a 2- year Higher National Diploma (HND) and a 4-year BSc degree in Forest Resources Management.
B.Sc. ANIMAL SCIENCE
The HND in Animal Health and Production is taken at the end of the first two years of studies at BUST
- Provide mastery of the principal physiological functions in relation to animal production
- Equip students with basic animal breeding methods
- Provide students with technical know-how on animal management techniques
- Provide training on the identification, control of diseases of mammalian and avian species.
DEPARTMET OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, COOPERATIVES AND MUTUALITY:
B.Sc. Community Development and Mutuality
CURRICULUM
Offers undergraduate programs in Community Development, Cooperative Movement and Management to students with diverse backgrounds and field experience. The program includes foundation courses in disciplines, problems and issues in participatory learning and activities pertaining to community mobilization, cooperation, and cooperative entrepreneurial actions. Community leadership, capacity building for community, cooperatives and mutualities and research in these areas. General and management personnel training for industries, community and co-operative ventures and coordinators of common initiative groups(NGOs) and resources mobilization
Contact:
The General Secretariat
The Registrar
The Vice Chancellor
INDECO LTD (Secretariat).
Students Union and Alumni Affairs
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