Agriculture is the science and art of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to live in cities.
Entry Requirements:
WASSCE and SSCE Holders
The School of Agriculture offers a 4-year general B.Sc. Agriculture programme for applicants coming in with a WASSCE or SSCE background.
To qualify for admission into the programme:
Candidates must possess Credit passes (C6 for WASSCE and D for SSCE) in the 3 Core subjects (English Language, Mathematics, and Integrated Science/Social Studies) and 3 Elective subjects; In addition, candidates must have Credit passes in three (3) Elective Subjects under any of the options listed below:
OPTION ONE:
General Agriculture, Chemistry and any one other Science/Agriculture subject
OPTION TWO:
Chemistry, Biology and Physics/Elective Mathematics OPTION THREE:
Any three subjects from the following Agricultural Science Electives – General Agriculture, Crop Husbandry and Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, and Forestry.
Candidates applying under Option Three will, as a School requirement, be considered for admission only after they pass a 6-week Remedial Science Programme organized by the University of Cape Coast during the long vacation period preceding the start of the academic year.
The overall aggregate for 6 subjects, under all the options, must not exceed 36 (WASSCE) or 24 (SSCE).
Post-Diploma Applicants The School of Agriculture also offers a 3-year Post-Diploma programme leading to the award of a B.Sc. (Agriculture) degree.
Successful applicants join the regular B.Sc. (Agriculture) class at Level 200.
To qualify for admission into the programme, candidates must satisfy all of the following requirements:
Possess a Diploma in Agriculture or a related field, from a recognized University or Polytechnic Must have Credit passes (WASSCE or SSCE) in English Language and Mathematics;
OR should have passed the Mature Entrance Examinations organized by the University of Cape Coast.
In addition, candidates are expected to pass a selection interview.Candidates must include with their completed Application Forms, certified copies of all certificates and academic transcripts relevant to their application for verification purposes.
Career Opportunities:
The B.Sc. (Agriculture) programme has existed with the inception of the School.
It has been reviewed twice in response to changing needs of consumer demand and world market situations.
Since the last review in 2003, the agricultural sector worldwide has seen even more technological changes driven primarily by the ICT revolution and the advent of challenges such as Climate Change, Biotechnology, Organic Farming, Post-harvest losses, Food Safety and Quality Standards, Value Chain Agriculture, Animal Welfare and Precision Agriculture.
To make the School’s products stay competitive, there is the need to once again review the existing curriculum to take care of these current, as well as other emerging trends and threats to agricultural production.
This will at the same time help to keep our graduates knowledgeable and therefore more marketable after school.
The School of Agriculture seeks to address the challenge to revive and modernize agriculture in Ghana through offering leadership in manpower training and development at the research, extension, and production levels. This review will provide an innovative, competitive, exciting, and enhanced new curriculum that emphasizes practical-based training and skills development in the agricultural sciences, entrepreneurship and agribusiness management, and effective communication for all its graduates.
Goals of the Programme
The main goal of the B.Sc. (Agriculture) programme is to produce graduates who are academically skilled, professionally competent, and innovative enough to respond to emerging challenges in agriculture and related sectors, and therefore be more marketable.
The programme offers students the opportunity to:
acquire the requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes to effectively deal with existing and emerging challenges of the agricultural sector
deepen students’ appreciation of current market/consumer demands and standards, and how these impact on production principles
obtain a solid grounding in scientific/technical principles and practical experience in agriculture
develop strong leadership, interpersonal, team-building, and entrepreneurial skills needed to identify and utilize opportunities in the sector, and
get committed to the implementation of Ghana’s vision for sustainable utilization of its agricultural and natural resources.