Programmes

About Course

PREAMBLE

This Masters programme is a brainchild of the Southern African Regional Universities Association (SARUA), a membership-based organisation which is open to all the public universities of the 15 countries that make up the Southern African Development Community (SADC).  SARUA was established to assist in the revitalisation and development of the leadership and institutions of higher education in the Southern African region, thus enabling the regional higher education sector to meaningfully respond to the developmental challenges facing the region.  The project follows a Southern African Regional Universities Association (SARUA) capacity needs analysis in the SADC region that identified a gap related to climate change and development competencies at the Master’s level. Funded by the Climate & Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), the project forms part of the SARUA Curriculum Innovation Network. The curriculum aims to educate and train new generations of researchers, practitioners and decision-makers in climate change and     sustainable development in the Southern African region. The approach is innovative and regionally focused, with a strong inter/ trans-disciplinary and integrated systems framing, to enable inclusive engagement with non-academic communities from different sectors relating to climate change and sustainable development in Africa. The graduate will have broad knowledge of the field, with the capacity to self-specialise rapidly as needed.

Objectives/Expected Outcomes

Upon completing the requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Climate Change and Sustainable Development, graduates should be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of climatological and sustainable development key concepts.
• Evaluate the role that climate change plays on sustainable development.
• Outline the climate change hazards, risks and the vulnerability levels.
• Develop and monitor climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role of ecosystem services in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
• Apply a multi-disciplinary approach to climate change and sustainable development intervention.
• Integrate climate change into policy formulation for sustainable development.

TITLE 

 Master of Science Degree in Climate Change and Sustainable Development

REGULATIONS FOR THE PROPOSED PROGRAMME

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Candidates with an Honours Degree in Environmental Science and Health, Public Health, Development Studies, Natural Resource Management or any other related field with at least a lower second class will normally be eligible for admission into the programme.

Special Entry

Candidates with a relevant Post Graduate Diploma (PGDip) may also be eligible for admission into the programme.                                       

DURATION OF THE DEGREE PROGRAMME AND MODE OF STUDY

The duration of the programme shall be twenty-four (24) months. It shall be offered over two (2) Stages. The programme will comprise two semesters in each stage and each semester will have four (4) weeks of class contact in each semester in Stage 1, while in Stage 2, semester one would be 3 weeks and semester 2 would be one week. The taught courses offered shall run for a total of 56 hours’ class contact each i.e., 29             hrs lecture time, 10 hours’ tutorials and 17 hours practicals. The project leading to a  dissertation shall run for two semesters in stage two.

DEGREE STRUCTURE

The programme shall consist of thirteen (13) taught courses and a dissertation    that are offered in two stages. A student shall be expected to register for  four courses in each semester of stage I, three courses and dissertation in the first semester of stage II and dissertation and one elective in the second semester of stage II.

The dissertation may be undertaken either in the Department, Industry or any other Institution approved by the Departmental Board.

CURRICULUM STRUCTURE 

Programme Assessment

Parts of a course may be examined independently during the studies. Both the continuous assessment which shall comprise 40% (20% practicals and 20% assignments and tests) of the overall mark for that part, and the written examination (comprising 60%) shall aggregate to the final mark for the whole course. Continuous assessments for courses without a practical component shall contribute 40% i.e., assignments and tests and 60% written examination. The examination assessment shall be by a three-hour written paper at the end of the semester.

To pass a course a student must have obtained an overall mark of 50% and at least 40% in the final written examination.

To pass the Dissertation, a student must obtain a minimum overall mark of 50%, with the dissertation report contributing 85% and the oral presentation contributing 15%. The Dissertation shall contribute 30% of the overall mark for the degree classification.                                                                                                                    

DETERMINATION OF RESULTS

To be eligible for the award of the MSc Degree in Climate Change and Sustainable Development, a student shall be required to pass all the courses registered for including dissertation.

DEGREE CLASSIFICATION 

The weighting of the components of the degree shall be:

Average of all taught courses    70%

Dissertation 30%

The following scheme shall be used for the courses and overall degree classification:                       

            Mark                                                                     Grade

            0   - 49%                                                                     Fail

            50 – 59%                                                                   Pass

            60 - 69%                                                                     Credit

            70 - 79%                                                                     Merit

            80 -100%                                                                    Distinction

PROCEED, REPEAT AND WITHDRAW 

Students will be required to pass Stage I before proceeding to Stage II. A student may   proceed to stage II if he/she has passed all the courses or when carrying only one course.

• A student who passes 50% of the taught courses at the end of a stage and has attained a minimum aggregate of 50% may apply to repeat failed courses in that stage.
• A student who fails more than 50% of the courses in a stage shall withdraw.
• A student who passes all thirteen (13) taught courses but fails the dissertation may  apply to repeat the Dissertation. If the student fails when repeating the dissertation, he /she shall be awarded a post graduate diploma in  Climate Change and Sustainable Development.
• A student who fails a course but has passed the Dissertation may be allowed to repeat the failed course once. If the student fails when repeating the course, he /she shall be awarded a post graduate diploma in Climate Change and Sustainable Development.