Aquaculture is the process of rearing, breeding and harvesting of aquatic species, both animals and plants, in controlled aquatic environments like the oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds and streams.
About Programme:
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programme involves a 3 –year thesis/ research work into a problem in the area of specialization. There is no course work for Ph.D. 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 Ph.D. Degree.
Rationale
It has been the desire of successive governments of Ghana to bridge the increasing fish demand gap in the country which has arisen a result of consistent dwindling in marine fish landings.
Aquaculture has been identified as key in addressing this gap in preference to fish import as the later requires foreign exchange outlay. Considering the many demanding issues in aquaculture both globally and locally, there is the need to build human capacity at the highest level in the discipline to effectively confront the emerging challenges.
The PhD. programme in Aquaculture is therefore designed to address this need as a follow of the M.Phil. programme.
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 a 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:
| Degree | Total Period of Study | *Course work | Normative Duration of Research |
| 3-year PhD | 36 months | – | 24 months |
| 4-year PhD | 48 months | 2 semesters | 24 months |
*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:
| PhD Programme Structure | Credits | ||
| Year I | Semester I | Courses | 15 |
| Semester II | Courses | 15 | |
| Sub-total | 30 | ||
| Years II | Semester I | Thesis [preparation and defence of research proposal (6 credits); literature review and reconnaissance/pilot (6 credits)] | 12 |
| Seminar | 3 | ||
| Semester II | Thesis [data collection] | 12 | |
| Seminar | 3 | ||
| Sub-total | 30 | ||
| Years III | Semester I | Thesis [data collection] | 12 |
| Seminar | 3 | ||
| Semester II | Thesis [data collection and analyses] | 12 | |
| Seminar | 3 | ||
| Sub-total | 30 | ||
| Years IV | Semester I | Thesis [data analyses and thesis write-up] | 12 |
| Seminar | 3 | ||
| Semester II | Thesis [thesis write-up, submission and defence] | 12 | |
| Seminar | 3 | ||
| Sub-Total per Year | 30 | ||
| *Total (Minimum Credits) | 120 |
*Total credit for candidates admitted with MPhil (3-year PhD) will be 90.
Entry Requirements:
Candidates applying for admission into the PhD Aquaculture programme must hold a good research-based Master’s degree in Aquaculture, Biology or any related field of study.
Target Group
- Master’s degree holders in Aquaculture, Biology and related fields
- Professionals in the Aquaculture and the Fishing industry
Expected Output
Highly skilled personnel to address issues in aquaculture produced
Trained high-level manpower for teaching, research and extension in tertiary and other research institutions.
High-level personnel capable of facilitating policy formulation to support the growth of aquaculture locally and regionally 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 the 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.
Goal / Objectives:
The goal of the PhD. Aquaculture programme is to produce high level human resource for the aquaculture sector.
The specific objectives are to:
Train highly skilled personnel to address issues in aquaculture
Produce high level personal capable of creating and disseminating relevant knowledge to promote aquaculture
Train high-level personnel capable of facilitating policy formulation to support the growth of aquaculture locally and regionally.
Career Opportunities:
You can find jobs in the following areas:
Government agencies like Fisheries Ministry
NGOs engaged in aquatic environmental campaign
Industries in fish processing and canning
Firms engaged in commercial fishing.