Department of Biology
Faculty of Science,
 Addis Ababa University

THE MSC PROGRAM IN BIOLOGY

The MSc program, launched in 1978/79 continued to offer training in two streams - Botany and Zoology until 1995. Evaluation of the program in 1985 had revealed that the courses were designed on the basis of availability of teaching staff. As such, the two streams program did not prepare students for specialization. Thus based on the recommendations and the feedback obtained from employers and graduates from the MSc program and that of external assessors, the MSc curriculum was revised in 1995 to cater for specialization in seven streams. The demand for research Biologists in leadership position in agriculture, industry, health and environment and that of biology instructors in various colleges and universities has increased significantly.

The seven departmental MSc programs running until 2000 were: Applied Genetics; Applied Microbiology, Botanical Sciences; Ecological and Systematic Zoology; Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences; Parasitology (Biomedical Sciences) and Insect Sciences. Among these, the Insect Sciences stream was established to serve as an East African Regional Program to be conducted in collaboration with the International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) through the African Regional Postgraduate Program in Insect Sciences (ARPPIS). An additional MSc program on Dryland Biodiversity was launched in 1997. This also is a Regional Program focusing on the Sustainable Use of Dryland Biodiversity (RPSUD) supported by SIDA/SAREC.

Following an exercise of internal and external assessment of the overall Departmental programs which was followed by the overall program review of Addis Ababa University, the Department has now decided to re-organize its teaching programs into four main units. The current MSc programs are hence accommodated to fit into the four units by bringing together related streams. The five units are: Botanical Sciences; Zoological Sciences; Applied Microbiology and Biomedical Sciences, and  Genetics and Molecular Biology. These units are further divided into streams as follows:

• Botanical Sciences Unit
  
  
  • Botanical Sciences Stream
    
    
• Zoological Sciences Unit
  
  
  • Ecological and Systematic Zoology Stream
  • Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences  Stream
  • Insect Sciences Stream
    
    
• Applied Microbiology and Biomedical Sciences Unit
  
  
  • Applied Microbiology Stream
  • Biomedical Science Stream
    
    
• Genetics and Molecular Biology Unit
  
  
  • Applied Genetics Stream
  • Molecular Biology Stream *
    
    
• Biodiversity Conservation Unit 
  
  
  • Dryland Biodiversity (RPSUD) Stream **

 

*   Specialization program area to be launched in near future.
** RPSUD (Regional Program for the Sustainable Use of Dryland Biodiversity) is a regional program involving Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania and will continue as long as the SIDA/SARE funding is available. It will, however, develop into a Departmental program in the near future. Refer to Annex III for details about this program.

General Objective of the MSc Program

The general objective of the MSc Program is to satisfy the national demand for Biologists at the (graduate) MSc level.

Specific Objectives of the MSc Program

• To produce trained personnel that are able to take up leadership in research institutions, industries and Government ministries;
• To upgrade the qualification of teachers and researchers in higher learning and research institutions;
• To produce graduates that are able to fill the middle level manpower needs of the country in the Biological, Medical and Agricultural sectors;
• To produce graduates that can play a positive role in the Society and in the Government as exemplary citizens for promoting scientific tenets in the management  of natural resources, conservation of the environment and control of pandemic diseases such as AIDS.

MSc Graduate Profile 

A Biology Master’s Graduate can:

1. identify, design and implement research projects independently or with a research team;
2. consult, advise and  counsel the Government or the Private Sector on project issues in the Biological disciplines;
3. administer programs and protocols related to his/her particular field of specialization to a wide range of clients;
4. teach in higher learning institutions;
5. positively influence society, and serves as an agent of change in matters related to Biological Sciences such as Ecology, Environment, Resources Management, Diseases control, etc

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Successful completion of the  BSc Degree in Biology or equivalent, and in other related disciplines such as agricultural, forestry, medical, nutritional, pharmacological  and health sciences,  and;
• Satisfactory performance in the aggregate score of Entrance Examination and the BSc GPA weight to be decided by the Department.
• According to university wide policy.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 in the course work, and a "pass" grade in the MSc thesis (Biol 795) research work, and according to university wide policy.