4. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

4.1 To be enrolled into the programme, prospective students should possess a good honours degree in Geography and Environmental Studies. Possession of an additional Post Graduate Diploma in Safety, Health and Environmental Management is an added advantage.

4.2 Other degree holders shall be eligible for admission at the discretion of the Departmental Board.

5. GENERAL PROVISIONS

5.1 Each module contains content equivalent to 48 credits.

5.2 Students shall earn at least 48 credits to be allowed to graduate.

6. PROGRESSION

6.1 To progress to the next semester, a student is required to have passed at least all the core modules.

6.2 To successfully complete the programme a student must at least pass all the core modules.

7. ASSESSMENT

7.1 Examinations, which shall normally be written at the end of each semester, comprise three hour papers for theoretical modules.1040

7.2 Continuous assessment includes seminar presentations and write-ups, assignments and tests.

7.3 A student is normally required to attain 100% attendance of lectures and tutorials.

8. WEIGHTING

8.1 Examinations for theoretical modules contribute 70% while practical modules it will be 50% towards the final mark of a module.

8.2 Continuous assessment for theoretical modules contributes 30% while for practical modules it will be 50% towards the final mark of a module.

9. MARKING SCHEME AND DEGREE CLASSIFICATION

Refer to Section 21.2 of the General Academic Regulations.

10. PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

Level 1 Semester 1

Core Modules

Code	Description	Credits
MSHE 701	Risk Assessment and Management	4
MSHE702	Safety, Health and Environmental Law and Regulations	4
MSHE 703	Population, Health and Environmental Management	4
MSHE 704	Environmental Planning and Implementation	4
MSHE 705	Techniques for Safety, Health and Environmental Management 1041	4

Optional Modules

Code	Description	Credits
MSHE 706	Food Safety Management	4
MSHE 707	Urban Environmental Management	4

Level 1 Semester 2

Code	Description	Credits
MSHE 708	Research Methods and Statistics	4
MSHE 709	Climate Change and Development	4
MSHE 710	Indigenous Knowledge Systems and the Environment	4
MSHE 711	Agro-Ecological Resources Management	4
MSHE 712	Sustainable Waste Management	4

Optional Modules

Code	Description	Credits
MSHE 713	Integrated Water Resources Management	4
MSHE 714	Gender and Environmental Management	4
MSHE 715	Common Property Resources Management	4

Level 2 Semester 1

Code	Description	Credits
MSHE 801	Dissertation	8

11. MODULE SYNOPSES

MSHE 701 Risk Assessment and Management

This module provides an overview of the basic concepts of risk assessment. Topics include the four core parts of a risk assessment, namely, hazard assessment, close-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterisation. Methods of measurement and modeling are discussed, along with key questions concerning uncertainty. Differences in the characteristics of substances under different use conditions and legal requirements are studied. 1042

MSHE 702 Safety, Health and Environmental Law and Regulations

This course covers the principles and rules of international law and regulations which have as their primary objective the protection of the environment. It addresses how the international community has recognized and sought to deal with the interdependence of the global environment through regional and international agreements. The course thus covers biodiversity and international law, the general themes and principles of international environmental law, international investment law, international law of transboundary pollution, the international law of treaties, law development and the international community and marine law among other laws and regulations.

MSHE 703 Population, Health and Environmental Management

Human activities play an important part in virtually all natural systems and are forces of change in the environment at local, regional, and even global scales. Environmental factors play a significant role in the health of communities. The module explores causal and non-casual relationships between environmental health issues through an examination of the nature of the relationships between population, health and environmental management and how human beings drive changes in the global environment and how these relationships affect human well-being and the environment.

MSHE 704 Environmental Planning and Implementation

This module examines the tools and instruments used in national and especially sub-national environmental planning and assesses their information requirements. Environmental planning approaches are outlined with reference to policies, programmes and projects. It also involves the use of geo-information in environmental planning and implementation, the participatory aspects of conflict and stakeholder analysis as well as the information needs for environmental planning and implementation.

MSHE 705 Techniques for Safety, Health and Environmental Management

This module highlights and discusses tools, techniques and approaches that are now seen as central to delivering environmental management and sustainability. These tools include geographical information systems, environmental impact assessment, remote sensing, risk assessment, substance flow analysis, material flow 1043 analysis, carbon foot printing, health impact assessment, social impact assessment, strategic environmental assessment, ecological foot printing, life cycle assessment and corporate social responsibility.

MSHE706 Food Safety Management

The module aims to equip students with knowledge on food safety management at various levels. This involves the characteristics of the food industry, food safety hazards, good manufacturing practices, standards in food management (e.g. ISO 22 000: 2005, Food Safety Management Systems), conducting audits within food systems, food handling, labeling and packaging specifications as well as conducting a hazard analysis critical control points study. The module also examines legislation governing food safety management at international, national and local scales.

MSHE 707 Urban Environmental Management

This module aims to enable students understand how resources management influences environmental quality, public health and liveability in towns and cities. It examines how resources management, environmental quality and health and the liveability of cities relate to urban governance and planning. The course thus introduces basic knowledge of environmental indicators, urban environmental performance, urban resources management and city-level governance.

MSHE 708 Research Methods and Statistics

This module examines the research methods appropriate for both qualitative and quantitative methods including the philosophical underpinnings of research methodology, proposal design, searching and literature review, ethical issues in research and research governance, survey and longitudinal studies, questionnaire design, experimental and quasi-experimental designs, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, observations, documentary sources, qualitative analysis and statistical analysis of data.

MSHE 709 Climate Change and Development

The module provides a multi-disciplinary understanding of climate change processes and their direct and indirect interactions with development. It describes the main climate change processes, scenarios and vulnerabilities and international and national 1044. policy responses. Different sectors’ contributions and sensitivities to climate change and mitigation and adaptation responses are identified and their implications for policies and outcomes for different economies and for peoples’ livelihoods are examined.

MSHE 710 Indigenous Knowledge Systems and the Environment

The module aims to promote, develop and protect through research and by making indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) a value development model in resource utilisation and management, in decision making and project implementation and a challenge to existing relations of power and domination in terms of transformative epistemology. Manifestations of IKS through different dimensions like agriculture, medicine, security, botany, zoology, craft-skills and linguistics will also be central in the course.

MSHE 711 Agro- Ecological Resources Management

The module takes a holistic study of agro-ecosystems, including all environmental and human elements. It focuses on the form, dynamics and functions of their inter-relationships and the processes in which they are involved. Any area used for agricultural production is viewed as a complex system in which ecological processes found under natural conditions also occur such as nutrient cycling, predator-prey inter-relationships, competition among species and symbolic relationships within the system of flora, fauna and other biotic factors. This module also examines principles of agro-ecological systems.

MSHE 712 Sustainable Waste Management

The module looks at how all forms of waste are managed. It presents the concept of Integrated Sustainable Waste Management (ISWM) in the context of assessing the sustainability of waste management alliances. It considers stakeholder participation in waste management issues and seeks to encourage the analysis of interactions between and among urban systems as well as promoting an integration of different habitant scales e.g. city/town, neighbourhood or household. This module also discusses how ISWM can be used both as a policy tool and as an assessment tool. 1045

MSHE 713 Integrated Water Resources Management

The module aims to build future leaders in water resource management. The concept of “whole water cycle” approach is used to help students with practical skills and tools for adopting innovative solutions to local, regional and international water resource issues. Aspects of integrated water resource management examined relate to poverty reduction, provision of technical and managerial knowledge into planning, designing and operating water projects, principles of managing water supply, waste water treatment and urban infrastructure projects. Socio-economic factors impacting on effective water supply, governance and institutional frame works in water resources are also considered.

MSHE 714 Gender and Environmental Management

The module seeks to develop an understanding of the importance of gender in environmental management through a critical review of different perspectives and approaches. In addition the module seeks to provide a critical appraisal of conceptual and methodological approaches in gender and environmental management research.

MSHE 715 Common Property Resources Management

The module looks at the classifications of common property resources, the relationships between common property resources and the environment and the assessment of common property resources at the national and global levels. The module introduces various management regimes and sustainability. Some conceptual issues are examined and these include the tragedy of the commons, the prisoner’s dilemma and common property resources and the environment. Analysis of the management of common property resources is made at the local level by making reference to management institutions in common tenurial regimes as well as community based natural resource management programmes such as CAMPFIRE.

MSHE 801 Dissertation

This course helps students to plan, design and carry out their dissertation, provides guidelines on how to choose a suitable topic, undertake literature review, apply appropriate research methods, collect and analyse data and manage the write up process. It also provides individual feedback to students on their proposals which they can incorporate in their final dissertation