UNIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM
INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCES (IMS)

Postgraduate Programmes

PROGRAMMES OFFERED BY THE INSTITUTE

IMS offers five postgraduate programmes as listed below:

(i) Master of Science in Marine Sciences by thesis only

(ii) Master of Science in Marine Sciences (MSc MASC) by coursework and dissertation

(iii) Master of Science in Sustainable Fisheries Management (MSc SUFIM) by coursework and dissertation

(iv) Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) by thesis only

(v) Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Marine Sciences (PhD AMS-FM) by coursework and dissertation

 

MASTERS PROGRAMMES OFFERED BY IMS

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MARINE SCIENCES BY COURSEWORK AND DISSERTATION

The Master of Science in Marine Sciences by Coursework and Dissertation is aimed at producing marine scientists with the general understanding of oceanographic concepts with specialization in either Marine and Coastal Resources Management or Marine and Coastal Geo-informatics. The Marine and Coastal Resources Management specialization focuses on marine resources management as well as environmental and socio-economic issues. The programme introduces remote sensing and GIS methods as analytical tools for managing the coastal and marine resources. The programme can be seen as a convergent programme in the sense that it links and collaborates with other relevant programmes and basic research and thus giving an opening for multi-disciplinary research. It is hoped that this programme, in collaboration with others, will contribute much in the offshore stock assessment that is poorly known in Tanzania. Students will also be trained to address scientific and socio-economic issues related to coastal and marine resources through an interdisciplinary education in marine science, policy, law, quantitative analysis, databases and modelling. The Marine and Coastal Geo-informatics specialization is designed to provide an advanced education in the principles and practice of GIS and remote sensing in marine sciences. The programme comprises taught courses, covering data models and data structures, acquisition and management of data, spatial analysis and modelling, remote sensing, GIS design and implementation issues, GIS programming and customization as wwell as database technology. Concepts and techniques are illustrated using case study materials drawn from a variety of application areas. Practical work is undertaken using a variety of open source and free software such as BILKO, ILWIS, BEAM (and others) and commercial software such as ArcGIS and ERDAS Imagine. For the award of this Master of Science, the student must undertake an independent research project and submitd as a written dissertation. The dissertation carries a weight of 60 credits.

Objectives of the Programme

The programme is aimed at producing marine scientists with general understanding of marine sciences with specialization in either Marine and Coastal Resources Management or Marine and Coastal Geo-informatics.

Entry Requirements

To be eligible for admission to the programme, the applicant should possess a Bachelors degree from any university recognized by TCU, with a background in science subjects relevant to marine sciences such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geology, with an overall GPA of 2.7 (B grade) or higher. Admission may also be based on equivalent qualifications.

Programme Structure

All students undertaking a Master of Science in Marine Sciences by coursework and dissertation will be obliged to take four compulsory (core) courses, after which they may specialize in either Marine and Coastal Resources Management or Marine and Coastal Geo-informatics. Each MSc study programme shall start at the beginning of the academic year and ends 24 months later for full-time students and 30 months later for part-time students. Beyond these limits, the Senate approval is necessary.

 

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT (MSC-SUFIM) BY COURSEWORK AND DISSERTATION

Fish and fisheries are an essential part of most communities worldwide as they make significant contributions to their protein budget, health, social and economic well-being. For example, fish provided over 4.3 billion people with about 15% of their animal protein intake in 2010. Fisheries products are used in a wide variety of ways, ranging from subsistence use to international trade where highly sought-after and highly-valued items are traded. The value of fish traded internationally is over US $130 billion annually, employing over 58.3 million people in 2010. Employment in the fisheries sector during the past 30 years has grown faster than both the world’s population and employment in agricultural sector. However, capture fisheries in Tanzania and worldwide has stagnated for over a decade, threatening livelihood and jobs for millions of people particularly from poor families. The stagnation is due to a number of factors including overharvesting, declining fisheries resources and biodiversity, climate change and non-climate induced environmental degradation. Continued contribution of the fisheries sector to global and national food security calls for a wider ecosystem stewardship and improved governance. Issues on food insecurity include post-harvest losses. About one-third of the total world food produced (1.3 billion tonnes) for human consumption is lost annually. With regard to fisheries, post-harvest losses are contributed by unutilized captured/harvested fish (bycatch), damages and spoils that affect their nutritional value, and the price that deteriorates due to fluctuating market forces.During 2001-2010, the average annual growth rate of fisheries subsectors in Tanzania was insignificant (around 4.7%) and the Tanzania Development Vision (TDV) 2025 intends to improve to over 10%. Factors behind the limited contribution of fisheries to the overall GDP and food security include minimal fisherfolk participation in the fisheries value addition chain, unsustainable resource management and poor genetic potential of the local stocks for aquaculture development. In addressing the situation, the proposed programme intends to promote and encourage, among others:

(i) livelihood/income/food production diversification into non-fishing activities e.g. mariculture and ecotourism;

(ii) reducing post-harvest losses and promoting proper processing and value-addition to marine and aquatic products for improved food security and income generation;

(iii) participatory multi-sectoral approach to fisheries co-management; and

(iv) ecosystem approach to managing fisheries in a sustainable manner.

Development of the proposed MSc in Sustainable Fisheries Management programme took into consideration the dire need of a new generation of fisheries resource managers and experts with comprehensive interdisciplinary approaches to address the increasingly complex challenges affecting fisheries sector sustainability. The programme intends to facilitate development of entrepreneurs, resource managers and academicians with a multidisciplinary outlook on sustainable fisheries management bottlenecks and measures to address them. The experts will have a multidisciplinary (ecology, biology, oceanography, economics, sociology and law) vision of fisheries resources and environment (people - fisheries stocks - habitat/ecosystem - weather/climate interactions), capable of valuating and assessing them using multiple tools (e.g. mathematical simulations, statistics, surveys) so as to propose relevant management measures for sustained habitat and ecosystem outputs of goods and services. The resource managers will be capable of understanding and accounting for the earlier shown interactions, adopting a comprehensive approach called ecosystem-based fisheries management, crucial in conserving ecosystem healthy essential to the sustainability of our fisheries, and dealing with the increasingly complex challenges facing our oceans. 2. Objectives of the Programme The programme is aimed at: producing competent and skilled entrepreneurs, resources managers and academicians in the field of fisheries resources assessment and management with the view to fast-tracking TDV 2025; and contributing to the UDSM commitment to resolve constraints to result-delivery in growth driver sectors including fisheries. This is in view of the fact that Tanzania workforce is dominated by low skilled workers (84%), followed by medium skilled (13%) and high skilled workers are insufficient (3%). The TDV 2025 vision of Tanzania with middle-income requires improvements such that low skilled workers are reduced to at least 55%, medium skilled are improved to 33% and high skilled ones are increased to at least 12%.

Entry Requirements

To be eligible for admission to the programme, the applicant should possess undergraduate degree from any TCU-recognized University with background in science subjects relevant to marine sciences such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geology, with an overall GPA of 2.7 (B grade) or higher. Admission may also be based on equivalent qualifications.

Programme Structure

The programme will be undertaken in 24 months and will comprise two parts namely, coursework and dissertation. All candidates will be required to complete a minimum of 120 credits of coursework part during the first and second semesters; 80 credits from core/compulsory courses and minimum of 40 credits from elective courses. This will be followed by a research and writing a dissertation.

 

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MARINE SCIENCES BY THESIS

The programme lasts for 24 months and is pursued through research followed by writing a thesis. Some coursework may be taken when directed by the Institute’s Postgraduate Studies Committee (IPSC). The student should initially submit a two-page statement of the intended research topic, which will guide the Institute in assigning the supervisor. Within four months of registration, the student must develop a comprehensive and substantive research proposal to be presented to the IPSC for assessment and evaluation. Once the IPSC are satisfied with the quality of the proposed research study, a full registration of the student is granted. The programme lasts for 24 months and is pursued through research followed by writing a thesis. Some coursework may be taken when directed by the Institute’s Postgraduate Studies Committee (IPSC). The student should initially submit a two-page statement of the intended research topic, which will guide the Institute in assigning the supervisor. Within four months of registration, the student must develop a comprehensive and substantive research proposal to be presented to the IPSC for assessment and evaluation. Once the IPSC are satisfied with the quality of the proposed research study, a full registration of the student is granted.

 

PhD PROGRAMMES OFFERED BY IMS

PhD IN APPLIED MARINE SCIENCES (PhD-AMS) BY COURSEWORK AND DISSERTATION

Fish and fisheries are an essential part of most communities worldwide and they make significant contributions to their protein budget, health, social and economic well-being. Fisheries products are used in a wide variety of ways, ranging from subsistence use to international trade where highly sought-after and highly-valued items are traded. The value of fish traded internationally is over US $130 billion annually, employing over 58.3 million people in 2010. Employment in the fisheries sector during the past 30 years has grown faster than both the world’s population and employment in agricultural sector. However, capture fisheries in Tanzania and worldwide has stagnated for over a decade due to a number of factors including over-harvesting, declining fisheries resources and biodiversity, climate change and non-climate induced environmental degradation. The continued contribution of the fisheries sector to global and national food security calls for a wider ecosystem stewardship and improved governance. Growing at an average annual rate of 8.8% worldwide and 11.7% in Africa, aquaculture has greatest potential in supplementing future demands for fresh fish, eliminating hunger, promoting health and reducing poverty. Issues on food insecurity include post-harvest losses. About one-third of the total world food produced (1.3 billion tonnes) for human consumption is lost annually. With regard to fisheries, post-harvest losses are contributed by unutilized captured/harvested fish(bycatch), damages and spoils that affect their nutritional value, and the price that deteriorates due to fluctuating market forces. During 2001-2010, the average annual growth rate of fisheries subsectors in Tanzania was insignificant (around 4.7%) and the Tanzania Development Vision (TDV) 2025 intends to improve to over 10%. Factors behind the limited contribution of fisheries and aquaculture activities to the overall GDP and food security include insufficient and erratic use of science and technology, minimal fisherfolk participation in the fisheries value addition chain, unsustainable resource management and poor genetic potential of the local stocks for aquaculture development. In addressing the situation, the proposed PhD AMS intends to promote and encourage, among others: (i) livelihood/income/food production diversification into non-fishing activities e.g. mariculture and ecotourism; (ii) establishment of the scientific basis for production of good quality mariculture seeds, feed and improved management; (iii) strengthening ecosystem-based adaptation and mitigation of climate induced episodes; (iv) reducing postharvest losses and promoting value-addition to marine and aquatic product; (v) participatory multi-sectoral approach to fisheries co-management; and (vi) ecosystem approach to sustainable fisheries and mariculture management. Thus, the programme intends to facilitate development of a new generation of entrepreneurs, resource managers and academicians with a multidisciplinary outlook on fisheries and mariculture development bottlenecks and measures to address them.

Objectives of the Programme

The programme is aimed at producing competent and skilled fisheries and mariculture experts and professionals; and contributing to the UDSM role as a reliable national source of high calibre entrepreneurs, resources managers and academicians in fisheries and aquaculture subsectors with the view to improve their growth momentum to reach targets of the much cherished TDV 2025. This is in view of the fact that Tanzania workforce is dominated by low skilled workers (84%), followed by medium skilled (13%) and high skilled workers are insufficient (3%). The TDV 2025 vision of Tanzania with middle-income requires improvements such that low skilled workers are reduced to at least 55%, medium and high skilled ones are improved to at least 33% and 12% respectively. It also aims to generate and transmit the research-based knowledge and innovation relevant to, among others, improvement of outputs from fisheries and mariculture subsectors.

Entry Requirements

An applicant must hold the MSc degree from any university recognized by TCU, with a background in subjects relevant to marine sciences such as fisheries, aquaculture, biology, zoology, environmental sciences, natural resource management and chemistry. Applicants with equivalent qualifications may also be considered.

Programme Structure

The PhD degree programme is designed to run for 48 months (4 years). It offers two specializations, namely mariculture development and marine fisheries management. Both specializations consist of the coursework part and dissertation part. The coursework part, which is conducted during the first year, consists of five (5) and six (6) core courses respectively. For both specializations, three courses will be offered during the first semester and the remaining two (2) and three (3) respectively will be offered during the second semester. In addition to the core courses, the programme consists of four (4) elective courses, and these are offered during the second semester.

 

PhD MARINE SCIENCES BY THESIS ONLY

The duration of the programme is three years for full-time candidates and five years for part-time candidates. The student should initially submit a two-page statement of the intended research topic, which will guide the department in assigning a supervisor. After this initial process, the student is required to develop (within 6 months) a comprehensive and substantive research proposal to be presented to the Institute Postgraduate Studies Committee (IPSC) for assessment and evaluation. Once the IPSC are satisfied with the quality of the proposed research study, full registration of the student is granted.