| Code | Faculty |
|---|---|
| 02133410 | Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences |
| Credits | Duration |
|---|---|
| Minimum duration of study: 4 years | Total credits: 544 |
| Prof SL Hendriks [email protected] | +27 (0)124203811 |
| Dr M van der Merwe [email protected] | +27 (0)124204084 |
Minimum requirements | ||||||
Achievement level | ||||||
English Home Language or English First Additional Language | Mathematics | Physical Science | APS | |||
NSC/IEB | AS Level | NSC/IEB | AS Level | NSC/IEB | AS Level | |
5 | C | 5 | C | 5 | C | 30 |
* Cambridge A level candidates who obtained at least a D in the required subjects, will be considered for admission. International Baccalaureate (IB) HL candidates who obtained at least a 4 in the required subjects, will be considered for admission.
Candidates who do not comply with the minimum admission requirements for BScAgric (Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Management), may be considered for admission to the BSc – Extended programme for the Biological and Agricultural Sciences. The BSc – Extended programme takes one year longer to complete.
BSc Extended Programme for the Biological and Agricultural Sciences Minimum requirements | ||||||
Achievement level | ||||||
English Home Language or English First Additional Language | Mathematics | Physical Science | APS | |||
NSC/IEB | AS Level | NSC/IEB | AS Level | NSC/IEB | AS Level | |
4 | D | 4 | D | 4 | D | 24 |
Compilation of curriculum
Students must register for elective modules in consultation with the head of department who must ensure that the modules do not clash on the set timetable.
The Dean may, in exceptional cases and on recommendation of the relevant head of department, approve deviations from the prescribed curriculum.
A student will be promoted to the following year of study if he or she passed 100 credits of the prescribed credits for a year of study, unless the Dean on the recommendation of the relevant head of department decides otherwise. A student who does not comply with the requirements for promotion to the following year of study, retains the credit for the modules already passed and may be admitted by the Dean, on recommendation of the relevant head of department, to modules of the following year of study to a maximum of 48 credits, provided that it will fit in with both the lecture and examination timetable.
Minimum credits: 130
Minimum credits:
Fundamental = 12
Core = 110
Additional information:
Students who do not qualify for AIM 102 must register for AIM 111 and AIM 121.
Students who do not qualify for STK 110 must register for STK 113 and STK 123
Module content:
Find, evaluate, process, manage and present information resources for academic purposes using appropriate technology. Apply effective search strategies in different technological environments. Demonstrate the ethical and fair use of information resources. Integrate 21st-century communications into the management of academic information.
Module content:
Find, evaluate, process, manage and present information resources for academic purposes using appropriate technology.
Module content:
Apply effective search strategies in different technological environments. Demonstrate the ethical and fair use of information resources. Integrate 21st-century communications into the management of academic information.
Module content:
The module aims to equip students with the ability to cope with the reading and writing demands of scientific disciplines.
Module content:
Basic plant structure and function; introductory plant taxonomy and plant systematics; principles of plant molecular biology and biotechnology; adaptation of plants to stress; medicinal compounds from plants; basic principles of plant ecology and their application in natural resource management.
Module content:
General introduction to inorganic, analytical and physical chemistry. Atomic structure and periodicity. Molecular structure and chemical bonding using the VSEOR model. Nomenclature of inorganic ions and compounds. Classification of reactions: precipitation, acid-base, redox reactions and gas-forming reactions. Mole concept and stoichiometric calculations concerning chemical formulas and chemical reactions. Principles of reactivity: energy and chemical reactions. Physical behaviour gases, liquids, solids and solutions and the role of intermolecular forces. Rate of reactions: Introduction to chemical kinetics.
Module content:
Theory: General physical-analytical chemistry: Chemical equilibrium, acids and bases, buffers, solubility equilibrium, entropy and free energy, electrochemistry. Organic chemistry: Structure (bonding), nomenclature, isomerism, introductory stereochemistry, introduction to chemical reactions and chemical properties of organic compounds and biological compounds, i.e. carbohydrates and aminoacids. Practical: Molecular structure (model building), synthesis and properties of simple organic compounds.
Module content:
The nature and function of accounting; the development of accounting; financial position; financial result; the recording process; processing of accounting data; treatment of VAT; elementary income statement and balance sheet; flow of documents; accounting systems; introduction to internal control and internal control measures; bank reconciliations; control accounts; adjustments; financial statements of a sole proprietorship; the accounting framework.
Module content:
Property, plant and equipment; intangible assets; inventories; liabilities; presentation of financial statements; enterprises without profit motive; partnerships; companies; close corporations; cash flow statements; analysis and interpretation of financial statements.
Module content:
Chromosomes and cell division. Principles of Mendelian inheritance: locus and alleles, dominance interactions, extensions and modifications of basic principles.. Probability studies. Sex determination and sex linked traits. Pedigree analysis. Genetic linkage and chromosome mapping. Chromosome variation.
Module content:
Introduction to the molecular structure and function of the cell. Basic chemistry of the cell. Structure and composition of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Ultrastructure and function of cellular organelles, membranes and the cytoskeleton. General principles of energy, enzymes and cell metabolism. Selected processes, e.g. glycolysis, respiration and/or photosynthesis. Introduction to molecular genetics: DNA structure and replication, transcription, translation. Cell growth and cell division.
Module content:
*Students will not be credited for more than one of the following modules for their degree: WTW 134, WTW 165, WTW 114, WTW 158. WTW 134 does not lead to admission to Mathematics at 200 level and is intended for students who require Mathematics at 100 level only. WTW 134 is offered as WTW 165 in the second semester only to students who have applied in the first semester of the current year for the approximately 65 MBChB, or the 5-6 BChD places becoming available in the second semester and who were therefore enrolled for MGW 112 in the first semester of the current year.
Functions, derivatives, interpretation of the derivative, rules of differentiation, applications of differentiation, integration, interpretation of the definite integral, applications of integration. Matrices, solutions of systems of equations. All topics are studied in the context of applications.
Module content:
Animal classification, phylogeny, organization and terminology. Evolution of the various animal phyla, morphological characteristics and life cycles of parasitic and non-parasitic animals. Structure and function of reproductive, respiratory, excretory, circulatory and digestive systems.
Minimum credits: 125
Minimum credits:
Core = 125
Module content:
This module deals with the core principles of economics. A distinction between macroeconomics and microeconomics is made. A discussion of the market system and circular flow of goods, services and money is followed by a section dealing with microeconomic principles, including demand and supply analysis, consumer behaviour and utility maximisation, production and the costs thereof, and the different market models and firm behaviour. Labour market institutions and issues, wage determination, as well as income inequality and poverty are also addressed. A section of money, banking, interest rates and monetary policy concludes the course.
Module content:
This module deals with the core principles of economics, especially macroeconomic measurement the private and public sectors of the South African economy receive attention, while basic macroeconomic relationships and the measurement of domestic output and national income are discussed. Aggregate demand and supply analysis stands core to this course which is also used to introduce students to the analysis of economic growth, unemployment and inflation. The microeconomics of government is addressed in a separate section, followed by a section on international economics, focusing on international trade, exchange rates and the balance of payments. The economics of developing countries and South Africa in the global economy conclude the course.
Module content:
Lectures: Food Science as a discipline. Activities of Food Scientists and Nutritionists. How food is produced, processed and distributed (food pipeline). World food problem. Human nutrition and human food requirements. Constituents of foods: Functional properties. Food quality. Food deterioration and control (food preservation). Unit operations in food processing. Food safety, risks and hazards. Principles of food packaging. Food legislation and labelling. Food processing and the environment. Practicals: Group assignments applying the theory in practice; practical demonstrations in pilot plants; guest lecturers on the world of food scientists and nutritionists; factory visit/videos of food processing.
Module content:
Origin and development of soil, weathering and soil formation processes. Profile differentiation and morphology. Physical characteristics: texture, structure, soil water, atmosphere and temperature. Chemical characteristics: clay minerals, ion exchange, pH, buffer action, soil acidification and salinisation of soil. Soil fertility and fertilisation. Soil classification. Practical work: Laboratory evaluation of simple soil characteristics. Field practicals on soil formation in the Pretoria area.
Module content:
Introduction to financial management in agriculture: Farm management and agricultural finance, farm management information; analysis and interpretation of farm financial statements; risk and farm planning. Budgets: partial, break-even, enterprise, total, cash flow and capital budgets. Time value of money. Introduction to production and resource use: the agricultural production function, total physical product curve, marginal physical product curve, average physical product curve, stages of production. Assessing short-term business costs; Economics of short-term decisions. Economics of input substitution: Least-cost use of inputs for a given output, short-term least-cost input use, effects of input price changes. Least-cost input use for a given budget. Economics of product substitution. Product combinations for maximum profit. Economics of crop and animal production.
Module content:
The agribusiness system; the unique characteristics of agricultural products; marketing functions and costs; market structure; historical evolution of agricultural marketing in South Africa. Marketing environment and price analysis in agriculture: Introduction to supply and demand analysis.
Marketing plan and strategies for agricultural commodities; market analysis; product management; distribution channels for agricultural commodities, the agricultural supply chain, the agricultural futures market.
Module content:
Influence of climate on cropping systems in South Africa. The surface energy balance. Hydrological cycles and the soil water balance. Sustainable crop production. Simple radiation and water limited models. Potential yield, target yield and maximum economic yield. Crop nutrition and fertiliser management. Principles of soil cultivation and conservation. Climate change and crop production – mitigation and adaptation.
Module content:
Descriptive statistics:
Sampling and the collection of data; frequency distributions and graphical representations. Descriptive measures of location and dispersion.
Probability and inference:
Introductory probability theory and theoretical distributions. Sampling distributions. Estimation theory and hypothesis testing of sampling averages and proportions (one and two-sample cases). Identification, use, evaluation and interpretation of statistical computer packages and statistical techniques.
Module content:
Multivariate statistics:
Analysis of variance, categorical data analysis, distribution-free methods, curve fitting, regression and correlation, the analysis of time series and indices.
Statistical and economic applications of quantitative techniques:
Systems of linear equations: drafting, matrices, solving and application. Optimisation; linear functions (two and more independent variables), non-linear functions (one and two independent variables). Marginal and total functions. Stochastic and deterministic variables in statistical and economic context: producers' and consumers' surplus, distribution functions, probability distributions, probability density functions. Identification, use, evaluation, interpretation of statistical computer packages and statistical techniques.
This module is also presented as an anti-semester bilingual module.
Module content:
A brief perspective on the South African livestock industry. South African biomes in which animal production is practised. Animal ecological factors that influence regional classification. Introduction to adaptation physiology with reference to origin and domestication of farm and companion animals. Livestock species, breed development and breed characterisation. Basic principles of animal breeding and genetics, animal nutrition. Practical work includes identification and classification of different breeds of livestock.
Module content:
Introduction to the concepts of animal production systems in South African production environments. Principles and requirements for extensive, semi-intensive and intensive livestock production with reference to large- and small stock, poultry and pigs. Principles of communal farming systems in Southern Africa. Game management systems with reference to conservation and game farming. The role of the human in livestock production systems and sustainable production.
Minimum credits: 132
Minimum credits: 132
Core = 132
Module content:
Communication: Definition and clarification of concepts. Theory and elements of communication. Verbal and non-verbal communication. Determinants of interpersonal communication. Abating factors impeding communication. Nature, classification and efficiency of communication channels.
Module content:
Basic principles of law of contract. Law of sales, credit agreements, lease.
Module content:
Microeconomics
Microeconomic insight is provided into: consumer and producer theory, general microeconomic equilibrium, Pareto-optimality and optimality of the price mechanism, welfare economics, market forms and the production structure of South Africa. Statistic and econometric analysis of microeconomic issues.
Module content:
Microeconomics
From general equilibrium and economic welfare to uncertainty and asymmetric information. In this module we apply the principles learned in EKN 224 on the world around us by looking at the microeconomic principles of labour and capital markets, as well as reasons why the free market system could fail. We touch on the government’s role in market failures. The course includes topics of the mathematical and econometric analysis of microeconomic issues.
Module content:
The organised nursery industry in South Africa. Principles: seed production; seed germination; rooting of cuttings; budding and grafting; propagation using specialised organs; micro propagation (tissue culturing). Practices: Greenhouse construction, lighting in the nursery; cooling and heating; soil-based and soil-less growing media; container types; irrigation and fertilisation; growth manipulation; pest and disease management. Management, economic and marketing aspects of a typical nursery operation. Students will get hands-on experience and will visit nurseries.
Module content:
Historical evolution of South African agricultural policy. Agriculture and the state: reasons for government intervention. Theoretical aspects of agricultural policy. Introduction to agricultural policy analysis. Welfare principles, pareto optimality. Macroeconomic policy and the agricultural sector. International agricultural trade.
Module content:
The modern food and agribusiness system. Key drivers in the global context. Whole farm planning and budget development The financial analysis of farm financial, financial modelling, the financing decision: capital acquisition, creditworthiness, different capital sources, capital structures. The investment decision and working capital management. Value chains in agribusiness. Risk management. Strategic management and marketing principles in agribusiness. Operational management and human resources management. Business planning for agribusiness.
Module content:
Counting techniques. Probability theory: Sample spaces, events, rules of probability, conditional probabilities, independent events and Bayes’ theorem. Probability distributions and probability densities: cumulative distribution functions, marginal distributions, joint distributions, conditional distributions and independence. Expected values: Moments, Chebyshev’s theorem, moment-generating functions, product moments, moments of linear combinations of random variables and conditional expectations. Transformation techniques of random variables. Identification, use, evaluation and interpretation of statistical computer packages and statistical techniques.
Module content:
Special probability distributions: the discrete uniform distribution, Bernoulli distribution, binomial distribution, negative binomial and geometric distribution, the hypergeometric distribution, Poisson distribution and multinomial distribution. Special probability densities: Uniform distribution, gamma, exponential and chi-square distributions, the beta distribution, the normal distribution and the bivariate normal distribution. Functions of random variables. Sampling distributions, point estimation, interval estimation and hypothesis testing. Regression Analysis. Identification, use, evaluation and interpretation of statistical computer packages and statistical techniques.
Minimum credits: 143
Minimum credits: 143
Core = 123
Electives = 20
Module content:
Overview of the concepts and theories of rural development; the role of agriculture in rural development. Rural livelihood systems: household farming systems; decisions and the operation of farming systems; non-farm enterprises and SMMEs in the rural economy; household food security. Rural institutions: definitions and role of institutions; land tenure; rural financial markets; local institutional development; human capital, knowledge systems. Methodologies for rural development: the farming systems approach; participatory techniques; assessment of land use patterns (zoning techniques); typology techniques; technology transfer and decision-making support; communication for rural development; planning rural development at local level.
Module content:
International trade/finance
International economic insight is provided into international economic relations and history, theory of international trade, international capital movements, international trade politics, economic and customs unions and other forms or regional cooperation and integration, international monetary relations, foreign exchange markets, exchange rate issues and the balance of payments, as well as open economy macroeconomic issues.
Module content:
This module will focus on the fundamentals of demand, supply and agricultural price analysis. After providing an appropriate background in the theoretical concepts of demand and supply these basics will be applied in the generation of econometric simulation models. This will include the identification of supply and demand shifters as well as the elasticities, flexibilities, and impact multipliers. Practical experience in the formulation of these models will be attained from practical sessions. The student will submit a project in which he/she must analyse the demand or supply patterns of a commodity of his/her choice by generating an econometric model. Agricultural price analysis: price determination under different market structures followed by practical sessions on measuring market structures in various ways. This will include the calculation of market concentration. Price trend analysis and measurement of price changes by using indexes, and especially seasonal indexing. All of this will be supported by the relevant practical sessions.
Module content:
Derivative instruments in agriculture: To prepare students for taking the SAFEX Agricultural Markets Division brokerage exam. Giving an in-depth knowledge on the importance of hedging. Giving an in-depth knowledge on designing and implementation of low/zero risk hedging strategies. Introduction to the mathematics of portfolio management and mathematical modelling of derivatives. Working knowledge of the mathematical relationships in the management of a hedged portfolio. Working knowledge on the applicable software for managing derivative portfolios. Introduction into the management of option portfolios. To expand the thinking on the uses of derivatives, by also dealing with the hedging of diesel cost, interest rates and weather events.
Module content:
Price and production function analysis. Input -output, input -input and product -product relationships; profit maximization; the production process through time, economies of size; decision making in agriculture under risk and uncertain circumstances; linear programming.
Module content:
This module reviews the origins and evolution of natural and environmental resource economics and its present-day main paradigms. Sources of externalities and causes of environmental degradation are examined. An introduction to the concepts and methods backing the design and implementation of environmental policies are provided. Economic valuation of natural and environmental resources is introduced.
Module content:
Integration of agronomic, pedological, botanical, economic and management considerations in crop production systems with a view to sustainable maximum economic yield. Case studies of specific crops.
Module content:
Economic policy and development: Capita select
The course provides an introduction to growth economics and also to some topics on development economics. Firstly, historical evidence is covered and then the canonical Solow growth model and some of its empirical applications (human capital and convergence). Secondly, the new growth theory (the AK and the Romer models of endogenous growth) are covered. Some of the development topics to be covered include technology transfer, social infrastructure and natural resources.
Module content:
Regression analysis: simple and multiple regression; nonlinear regression; correlation and the use of dummy variables. Multivariate distributions: normal, multinomial and poisson distribution. Linear combinations of normal variables. Analysis of variance and covariance. Regression analysis extensions: heteroscedasticity, serial correlation and lag structures. Applications of matrices, differentiation and integration in the economic and management sciences. Evaluation of simple economic models. Identification, use, evaluation and interpretation of statistical computer packages and statistical techniques.
Module content:
Only one of the modules WST 321 or STK 320 may be included in any study programme. Stationary and non-stationary univariate time series. Properties of autoregressive moving average (ARMA) and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) processes. Identification, estimation and diagnostic testing of a time series model. Forecasting. Multivariate time series. Practical statistical modelling and analysis using statistical computer packages. Categorical data analysis. Identification, use, evaluation and interpretation of statistical computer packages and statistical techniques. Student seminars.
Module content:
Sampling: basic techniques in probability, non-probability, and resampling methods. Designing experiments: experimental and control groups, different data types and relationships. Big and small data: exploring popular trends used in practice. Consultation practice: ethical considerations, study design, data collection and presentation, report writing and presentation. Hands-on application of statistical software and packages to real-life datasets.
Module content:
The influence of biotic and abiotic factors on the productivity of different strata and components of natural pastures. This will enable the student to advise users, with the necessary motivation, on the appropriate use of these strata and components and will form a basis for further research on this system. The principles of veld management s and the influence of management practices on sustainable animal production from natural pastures. This will enable the student to advise users on veld management and veld management principles. It will also form a basis for further research on veld management.
Module content:
The establishment and use of planted pastures species and fodder crops and the
conservation of fodder. This will enable students to advise users on establishment and utilization of planted pastures species as well as farmers on the production,
conservation and optimum use of fodder. This will also form a basis for further research on planted pastures.
Module content:
Introductory aspects of wildlife conservation, habitat management, wildlife nutrition and keeping wildlife in zoological gardens.
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