As part of the programme, students are also trained in agricultural processing, packaging, marketing, economics, accounting, among others. The expectation is that they would pass on such knowledge to the farmer as Extension Officers after graduation. This makes the Agricultural Extension Officer one of the most well rounded agricultural sector practitioners. As a result, they have become some of the most sought after professionals required to run rural based and agricultural focused NGOs, manage agricultural sector MDAs, as well as run private commercial farms. They are also seen as the best-equipped professionals in demand to teach at agricultural training institutions.

To qualify for admission, an applicant must meet the following minimum requirements: • Be nominated by their employer organisation; • Possess a Diploma in Agriculture or a related field from a recognized institution; • Have a minimum of three years post-diploma field experience in extension services; • Either possesses five General Certificate of Examination (G.C.E) Ordinary level credit passes including English Language, Mathematics and at least two science subjects. OR Passes in Core English Language, Core Mathematics and Core Integrated Science at the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) or the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE). In addition, candidates must have grades not lower than “D” in SSCE or C6 in WASSCE in any TWO of the following three (3) elective subjects: General Agriculture or Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics.

Career applicants with Diploma in Agriculture who do not have the requisite G.C.E. “O” Level, SSSCE or WASSCE passes in English, Mathematics, and Sciences will be required to go through a remedial programme offered by the School of Agriculture and pass before they are considered for admission.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme involves a 3 –year thesis /research work into a problem in the  area of specialisation. There is no course work for PhD students but where necessary, a student may be required to take some prescribed courses at the masters’ level.  Students at this level start the thesis/ research work from the first year and are expected to complete after 3 years before the award of a PhD Degree.

Rationale

Unsustainable land use in coastal areas in Ghana driven by rapid infrastructure development, e.g. port expansion, oil and gas development are impacting the productivity of coastal areas.  In addition, poor management and overexploitation of coastal natural habitats and ecosystems threaten coastal life-supporting systems. Climate change–related events such as sea-level rise, land subsidence, storm surge, and increased coastal flooding contribute to the vulnerability of coastal areas. The PhD programme in ICZM is therefore designed to build the needed human resource capacity to respond to these challenges.

PhD Programme Structure

Candidates admitted with Bachelor’s degree and/or a taught Master’s degree (e.g., MSc) will pursue a 4-year PhD programme; candidates admitted with research-based Master’s degree (e.g. MPhil) will pursue a 3-year PhD programme.

PhD programmes are offered only in full-time mode. The periods of study are as follows:

*This applies only to candidates admitted with Bachelor’s degree for 4-year PhD programme; they will be required to take courses on discipline-specific knowledge and research skills. Candidates admitted with a taught Master’s degree will undertake 4-year research.

Supervisors may recommend appropriate courses to equip students for their research work and thesis writing. Candidates for 3-year PhD programme may be recommended to audit requisite courses.

The total credit load for each PhD programme is as follows:

*Total credit for candidates admitted with MPhil (3-year PhD) will be 90.

The goal of the PhD Programme in Integrated Coastal Zone Management is to train high-level professionals with the needed technical and scientific competencies to engage in research, extension and training in marine and coastal resources management. 

At the end of the programme, graduates will be equipped to:

1. suggest technical policy advice to government and coastal-related industries 
2. lead enforcement of regulatory efforts at all levels of coastal management
3. provide solutions to help sustain the social and economic assets of coastal areas
4. engage in teaching and research in coastal resources management in academia.

You can find jobs in the following areas:

1. Government agencies like Fisheries Ministry
2. NGOs engaged in aquatic environmental campaign
3. Industries in fish processing and canning
4. Firms engaged in commercial fishing.

Candidates applying for admission into the PhD programme in Integrated Coastal Zone Management must hold a good research-based Master’s degree in a relevant natural/social science discipline, from a recognised university.

Target Group

• Master’s degree holders in relevant Biological and Social Science fields.
• Professionals with relevant background in the coastal and marine industry- government, private and NGO sector.

Expected Output

• Trained high-level manpower for teaching, research and extension in the areas of Integrated Coastal Zone Management in tertiary institutions.
• High-level personnel with managerial capacities in the coastal zone management and related fields produced.
• Graduates capable of training lower level personnel in coastal zone management  produced.

Progression Requirements

• Students pursuing 4-year PhD must pass all required course work (grade C minimum)
• All students should present their research proposals successfully in a seminar  
• All students must make good progress on the research activities and submit biannual progress report to the Department and UCC School of Graduate Studies (SGS)
• All students must participate in at least 75% of the regular seminars organized by Department and SGS.

Graduation Requirements

A candidate will be considered successful if his/her PhD thesis:

• Passes both internal and external assessment (60% minimum score)
• Is successfully defended in a viva voce (60% minimum score).

In addition, candidates must satisfy all SGS and UCC requirements for graduation.