Bachelor of Science in Horticulture

Admission Requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Horticulture

Candidates must have obtained the minimum University and School admission requirements.
The following shall be eligible for registration for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Horticulture in the Department of Water & Agricultural Resources Management:

a)    Holders of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) with mean grade of C+ or equivalent with passes at C plain or above in Biology or Biological Sciences/C + (plus) in Agriculture; C (plain) in Chemistry and C (plain) in any one of the following subjects: Physics, Physical Sciences, Mathematics or Geography
b)    Holders of KCSE mean Grade of C- or equivalent plus a Diploma in a relevant field from an institution recognized by the Senate.
c)    Holders of ‘O’ level Division II or equivalent plus, a Diploma in a relevant field from an institution recognized by the Senate
d)    Holders of ‘A’ level with two Principal Passes or equivalent in Biology and any one of the following subjects: Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Geography or Agriculture.
e)    Holders of KCSE mean Grade of C plain or equivalent plus a Diploma in Biological Sciences or related sciences from an institution recognized by the senate.
f)    Holders of a higher national Diploma in Biological Sciences or related sciences from an institution recognized by the Senate.
g)    Holders of a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences or related sciences from an institution recognized by the senate
h)    Equivalent qualifications to the above from institutions recognized by the Senate

Duration of Study
Four (4) academic years

Expected Learning Outcomes
At the end of the degree programme, the student should be able to:
i)    Perceive and appreciate the importance of horticultural crops in the national economy,
ii)    Contribute to improved production and marketing of horticultural products,
iii)    Set up and run private horticultural enterprises,
iv)    Participate in scientific research on various facets of horticultural and other crops,
v)    Promote domestic, urban and institutional landscapes through design, development and maintenance.

Career prospects
The University of Embu aims to train Agriculturist who will work in industry and academia

Bachelor of Science Horticulture Courses/Unit Distribution Table

 

First Year

Code	Course title	Hours
CCS 001	Communication Skills	45
CCS 010	HIV & AIDS	45
SCH 101	Inorganic Chemistry	45
SCH 103	Physical Sciences Chemistry	45
ACS 103	Mathematics	45
ACS 101	Agricultural Botany	45
ACH 101
Code	Course title	Hours
CCS 002	Fundamentals of Development	45
AEC 102	Introduction to Micro-economics	45
AEB 101	ICT and Computers	45
SCH 102	Organic Chemistry	45
ACS 104	Principles Plant Physiology	45
ACS 105	Principles of Genetics	45
ASS 102	Introduction to Soil Science	45

 

Second Year

Code	Course title	Hours
AEC 201	Sociology and Development	45
AEC 202	Introduction to Macro-economics	45
ACS 206	Bio-statistics	45
ACS 201	Principles of Crop Production	45
AEB 201	Power Systems and Machinery for Agriculture	45
AEB 202	Farm Structures and Materials	45
ACP 202	Agricultural Entomology	45
	Semester II
Code	Course title	Hours
SBT 202	Microbiology	45
ABC 201	Plant Biochemistry	45
ACH 201	Plant Propagation and Nursery Management	45
ACP 203	Principles of Weed Science	45
ACH 202	Greenhouse Production and Protected Environment	45
ACH 203	Beverages, Medicinal and Nut crops	45
ACP 201	Principles of Plant Pathology and Disease Control	45

 

Third Year

Code	Course title	Hours
ACS 302	Principles of Plant Breeding	45
ACH 301	Olericulture 1: Temperate Vegetables	45
ACH 302	Herbs and Spices	45
ACH 304	Floriculture 1 – Cut Flower Production	45
ACH 303	Seed Science and Technology	45
ASS 307	Soil Fertility and Fertilizer Use	45
AEC 301	Farm Management	45
	Semester II
Code	Course title	Hours
ACP 304	Environmental Management	45
ACP 305	Crop Pests and their Management	45
AEB 302	Irrigation and Water Management	45
AEC 304	Agriculture Policy and Law	45
ACH 305	Landscape Design and Maintenance	45
AEC 302	Production  Economics	45
ACS 306	Design and Analysis of Experiments	45
	Semester III
ACH 306	Horticulture Field Attachment

 

Fourth Year

Code	Course title	Hours
ACS 410	Plant Biotechnology	45
AEC 403	Agric. Extension and Technology Transfer	45
ACP 409	Pesticides and Phytosanitary Regulations	45
ACH 401	Pomology 1 - Tropical and Sub-Tropical fruits	45
ACH 402	Flower Arrangement and Utilization	45
ACH 407	Turf Grass Management	45
ACS 409A	Special Projects and Seminars	45
	Semester II
Code	Course title	Hours
ACS 404	Post-harvest Physiology and Technology	45
AEC 410	Agricultural Marketing and International Trade	45
AEC 408	Micro-Enterprise Development & Management	45
ACH 404	Pomology II – Temperate fruits	45
ACH 405	Olericulture II - Indigenous and Unique Vegetables	45
ACH 406	Floriculture II – Landscape and Indoor Flowers	45
ACS 409B	Special Projects and Seminars	45
		45

 

Graduation Requirements
i)    To qualify for the award of a degree, a candidate for the Bachelor of Science in Horticulture degree shall take a minimum of fifty seven (57) units during the four years of study.
ii)    A candidate may be allowed, on requisition, to graduate with a maximum of one failed unit. The unit shall be non-core unit.
iii)    The degree award and classification shall be based on the average score of all the units taken in the programme.

Award of Degree
a)    The degree award and classification shall be based on the average score of all the fifty-eight (57) units taken in the programme.
b)    The degree award shall be Bachelor of Science in Horticulture.

Classification of Degrees
A candidate who qualifies for Award of the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Horticulture shall be placed in one of the classes as follows:

i)    First Class Honours                                         70% - 100%   
ii)    Second Class Honours (Upper Division)             60% - 69%
iii)    Second Class Honours (Lower Division)            50% - 59%
iv)    Pass                                                          40% - 49%