Master of Science in Animal Science

The postgraduate program in Animal Sciences will:

• Involve the application of science & technology to meet the challenges of producing high quality animal and poultry breeds.
• Introduce students to the process of research.
• Combine basic and molecular research in animal and veterinary sciences practical experience
• Improve students’ ability to communicate knowledge to other people in society
• Prepare students for a working career in a variety of disciplines relevant to animal and veterinary sciences

Program Overview

The Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences offers MSc program with specialization in Animal Science (Muscle Biology, Reproductive Physiology, Nutrition and Poultry Science) and Animal Health (Immunology, Pathology, Microbiology, Parasitology, Haematology and Nutritional Deficiency Disorders). Students may carry out work with beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, camels, poultry and laboratory animals. 
In addition to the core courses and pertinent courses in Animal and Veterinary Sciences, students may be required to take some courses from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences and the College of Science.Areas of Research: Muscle biology, meat quality, animal nutrition, poultry production, pathology, clinical pathology, microbiology, immunology and nutritional disorders.

Program Objective

The Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences offers MSc program with specialization in Animal Science (Muscle Biology, Reproductive Physiology, Nutrition and Poultry Science) and Animal Health (Immunology, Pathology, Microbiology, Parasitology, Haematology and Nutritional Deficiency Disorders). Students may carry out work with beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, camels, poultry and laboratory animals. 
In addition to the core courses and pertinent courses in Animal and Veterinary Sciences, students may be required to take some courses from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences and the College of Science.Areas of Research: Muscle biology, meat quality, animal nutrition, poultry production, pathology, clinical pathology, microbiology, immunology and nutritional disorders.

Admission Requirements

Students entering into the masters program in Animal Science must have B.Sc. degree in Animal Science or Animal Health or Veterinary Medicine from a recognized university.

Degree Plan

• Master of Science in Animal Science

Master of Science in Crop Production

The Crop Production major will:

• Provide student with an understanding of fruit & vegetable production, forages & pastures, weeds and their control and protected agriculture.
• Combine basic and molecular research in crop production with field and practical experience.
• Improve students' ability to communicate knowledge to other people in society.
• Introduce students to the process of research.
• Prepare students for a career working in different areas of agriculture.

Program Overview

The Crop Production program involves the application of science and technology to meet the challenges of producing plants for food, feed and aesthetic value while preserving the natural resources and their environment. Students specializing in Crop Production focus on the principles and practices of genetics, plant breeding, physiology biotechnology, handling, storage and marketing of agricultural products.

Program Objective

Crop Science faculty strive to sustain and enhance economical crop production by developing and transferring sound, research-derived, knowledge to agricultural producers that results in fruit and vegetable crops that are safe for consumption. The program is designed to produce graduates with a broad background in the principles and skills involved in applying environmentally sound methods for crop production. It is intended to provide the technical skills for employment within the agriculture industry and is supported by a comprehensive programme of research undertaken by academic staff. Students specializing in Crop Production focus on the principles and practices of vegetable & fruit production, plant breeding and genetics, physiology of crop and fruit trees, stress physiology, weeds & their control and plant tissue culture.
Areas of Research: Vegetable and fruit production, post-harvest physiology, breeding and genetics, tissue culture, genetic conservation, forages and pastures, and weed control.

Admission Requirements

Students entering into the masters program in the Department of Crop Sciences must have B.Sc. degree in Crop Science or Plant Science or Crop Production or equivalent from a recognised university.

Degree Plan

• Master of Science in Crop Production

Master of Science in Crop Protection

The Crop Protection major will:

• Provide students with an understanding of crop health and stresses caused by biotic agent.
• Combine basic and molecular research in crop protection with field and practical experience.
• Improve students' ability to communicate knowledge to other people in society.
• Introduce students to the process of research.
• Prepare students for a career working in different areas of crop protection

Program Overview

The Master of Science, majoring in Crop Protection, focuses on various agricultural crops grown in Oman and their constraints to production caused by fungi, bacteria and insects. The degree program is designed for those who are passionate about crop health. You will study about biotic agents as pests and diseases, as well as their relationships with their environments. In the Crop Protection major, you will choose your research project involving fundamental, basic and/or molecular techniques to help solve a crop health related problem.

Program Objective

The Master of Science, majoring in Crop Protection focuses on various agricultural crops grown in Oman and their biotic stresses. The Crop Protection program is designed to produce graduates with a broad background in the principles and skills involved in applying environmentally sound methods for the management of pests and diseases. 

It is intended to provide the technical skills for employment within the crop protection industry and is supported by a comprehensive program of research undertaken by academic staff. Students specializing in Crop Protection focus on the principles and practices of insect and plant pathogen identification, molecular diagnosis, genetic relatedness, molecular biology and management of pest and diseases.
Areas of Research: Molecular detection of plant diseases, vegetable and fruit diseases and their control, plant viruses, plant pests and their control, pest population dynamics, pest taxonomy, pesticide resistance, plant disease epidemiology.

Admission Requirements

Students entering into the masters program in the Department of Crop Sciences must have BSc. degree in Crop Science or Plant Science or Crop Protection or equivalent, from a recognised university. 

Degree Plan

• Master of Science in Crop Protection

Master of Science in Food Science and Nutrition

The Food Science and Nutrition major will:

• Involve the application of science & technology to meet the challenges of food processing and nutrition.
• Introduce you to the process of research.
• Combine basic and modern research in food processing and nutrition with practical experience.
• Improve your ability to communicate knowledge to other people in society.
• Prepare students for a career working in different areas of food science and human nutrition.

Program Overview

M. Sc. in Food Science and Nutrition allows dedicated and motivated students an opportunity to acquire the advanced skills needed to effectively transfer technological knowledge to ministries, government agencies, food industries, and health care providers. The program trains graduate students to a level enabling them to take an active role in the areas of food safety and processing, food legislation, health/nutrition and agribusiness development.   

Program Objective

The objective of graduate program leading to Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees provides a solid background in food science whilst allowing for specialization in the areas of food chemistry, food microbiology, food processing and human nutrition. The program is designed to provide graduates with basic and advanced knowledge and practical experience in food science and human nutrition. The graduates are intended to join an expanding well-qualified food industry and health care workforce in the Sultanate.
Areas of Research: Current research areas in food science are quality and safety of Omani foods, development of value added food products using advanced technology, such as freeze drying, high pressure, osmotic drying and reverse osmosis. Other areas are the characterization of food products by chemical, rheology, microscopy, porosimetry, thermal and mechanical analysis, and dynamic moisture auto-sorption. Studies in the area of nutrition include in-vitro and in-vivo animal models and human clinical trials on nutrients and functional components (antioxidants) of foods in relation to health and diseases, dietary and lifestyle risk factors in relation to chronic diseases, food components analysis, glycemic index, nutritional quality of traditional Omani meals, and assessment of nutritional status of various life stages of Omani population groups

Admission Requirements

Students entering into the masters program in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition must have B.Sc. degree in Food Science or Human Nutrition or equivalent from a recognised university.

Degree Plan

• Master of Science in Food Science and Nutrition

Master of Science in Marine Science and Fisheries

The Marine Science and Fisheries major provides an opportunity for advanced study and research in a broad range of fields including:

• Aquaculture
• Fish Biology
• Fisheries Biology
• Fisheries Management
• Marine Biology
• Marine Ecology
• Oceanography
• Marine Biotechnology
• Biofouling
• Fisheries Modelling
• Coastal Zone Management

Program Overview

The Department of Natural Resource Economics provides a training to support the competitiveness and economic efficiency of Omani agriculture, fisheries and food industries through integrated educational and research programs. 

 Through teaching and research activities, the Department applies economic theories to problems of social and economic development, natural resource and environmental management issues, including fisheries and water. Issues which the Department would typically consider at a graduate level include how best an economy would use its natural resources over time, or how a fish processing business in Oman might organize its purchases of inputs so as to maximize. its profitability using mathematical modeling techniques, or what is the most efficient way of allocating water to different users or how the negative impacts on natural resources and the environment of industrial development should be evaluated, or the assessment of the benefits of collective action for the improvement of incomes in the small-scale fishing and farming industries, or impacts of trade liberalization on consumer welfare. 

Program Objective

The Master of Science in Natural Resource Economics is uniquely designed to introduce concepts, theory and analytical methods to examine commerce and policy in Oman's farming, food, water, fisheries and other natural resource sectors. It admits students with a background in agricultural and marine sciences as well as from commerce and economics. A major goal of the department is to equip students with the economic theory and problem-solving skills that will be required for productive private sector employment.
Areas of Research: Assessments of the efficiency of water markets, with special reference to aflaj systems, water-energy-food nexus, analysis of the implications of the new GCC customs union on trade & competitiveness, economic and institutional aspects of fishery, farm incomes, omanization and economic efficiency in dairy and date farms, sustainability, agro-tourism in the context of Aflaj

Admission Requirements

Students entering into the masters program in the Department of Natural Resource Economics must have a BSc degree in Agricultural Science or an equivalent degree from a recognised university. 

Degree Plan

• Master of Science in Marine Science and Fisheries

Master of Science in Natural Resource Economics

The Natural Resource Economics major provides an opportunity for advanced study and research in a broad range of fields including:

• Environmental and natural resource economics
• Water economics and policies
• Fisheries economics
• International trade
• Marketing of food products
• Agribusiness and entrepreneurship

Program Overview

The Department of Natural Resource Economics provides a training to support the competitiveness and economic efficiency of Omani agriculture, fisheries and food industries through integrated educational and research programs.  Through teaching and research activities, the Department applies economic theories to problems of social and economic development, natural resource and environmental management issues, including fisheries and water. Issues which the Department would typically consider at a graduate level include how best an economy would use its natural resources over time, or how a fish processing business in Oman might organize its purchases of inputs so as to maximize its profitability using mathematical modeling techniques, or what is the most efficient way of allocating water to different users or how the negative impacts on natural resources and the environment of industrial development should be evaluated, or the assessment of the benefits of collective action for the improvement of incomes in the small-scale fishing and farming industries, or impacts of trade liberalization on consumer welfare. 

Program Objective

The Master of Science in Natural Resource Economics is uniquely designed to introduce concepts, theory and analytical methods to examine commerce and policy in Oman's farming, food, water, fisheries and other natural resource sectors. It admits students with a background in agricultural and marine sciences as well as from commerce and economics. A major goal of the department is to equip students with the economic theory and problem-solving skills that will be required for productive private sector employment.
Areas of Research: Assessments of the efficiency of water markets, with special reference to aflaj systems, water-energy-food nexus, analysis of the implications of the new GCC customs union on trade & competitiveness, economic and institutional aspects of fishery, farm incomes, omanization and economic efficiency in dairy and date farms, sustainability, agro-tourism in the context of Aflaj

Admission Requirements

Students entering into the masters program in the Department of Natural Resource Economics must have a BSc degree in Agricultural Science or an equivalent degree from a recognised university. 

Degree Plan

• Master of Science in Natural Resource Economics

Master of Science in Soil and Water Management

The Soil and Water Management major will:

• Enable students to manage the Sultanate’s land and water resources in an environmentally sustainable manner.
• Introduce students to the process of basic and applied research in the management of soil and water resources of Oman.
• ITrain students in designing and managing irrigation systems, waste water treatment and reuse systems, and soil and groundwater remediation systems.
• Provide students with theoretical & practical knowledge on conservation methods to protect lands from desertification.
• Prepare students for a career working in the management of two vital resources, soil and water.

Program Overview

Agriculture remains the major consumer of Oman’s limited land and water resources. Inappropriate management of agricultural land & water is leading to seawater intrusion and salinization of vast tracts of lands. A better management of these vital resources is key to environmental sustainability along coastal aquifers of Al-Batinah and Salalah. The Soil and Water Management degree program emphasizes both structural and non-structural measures to face challenges in protecting and using land and water resources in a sustainable manner.

Program Objective

The Master of Science program in Soil Water Management is uniquely designed to introduce concepts, theory, analytical and numerical methods to examine management of land and water resources in the Sultanate of Oman. The degree program is designed to produce graduates knowledgeable in land use of arid environments. 
Areas of Research. Research and study topics are stemming from SWAE activities in:  sustainable management of soil and water resources of the Sultanate, in particular modeling of water and solute transport in porous media, theoretical and experimental investigation of impact of sediments on artificial recharge, rationalizing piezometer networks, scheduling of  irrigation  systems,  management of salt-affected soils,  marine pollution and effects of brine disposal, nitrogen mineralization following farm application of commercial and natural fertilizers,  greywater treatment and reuse, domestic water saving technologies,  management of oil-production water.

Admission Requirements

Students entering into the masters program in the Department of Soils, Water and Agricultural Engineering must have B.Sc. degree in Soil Science, Soil & Water Management or equivalent from a recognised university.

Degree Plan

• Master of Science in Soil and Water Management