Certificate in Agriculture

This pre-university certificate is offered online by the UWI St. Augustine Campus with support and delivery made possible through a collaboration with the Open Campus. While all successful applicants will be St. Augustine students, learning will take place in the home country of the student.  -->> APPLY HERE <<--

Programme Summary

Throughout the Caribbean, greater emphasis is being given to sustainable agricultural development to achieve food and nutrition security at the national and the regional levels as well as for effecting transformation of rural communities. The University of the West Indies (UWI), as the institution vested by CARICOM with the responsibility for human resource development to drive the region’s food and nutrition security initiatives, is committed to the training of graduates in food and tropical agriculture with expertise in various sub-disciplines, in sufficient numbers and with qualifications at different levels.

Commencement Date

September 2021

Programme Goal

The main goal of the UWI undergraduate certificate in agriculture is to enhance access to training in agriculture and to increase the availability of human resources with post-secondary certification in agriculture to support the development of the food and agriculture sector. 

Graduate Career Paths

This certificate programme is designed to equip graduates with the necessary competencies, skill sets and knowledge to: 

• become modern-day farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs (e.g. Horticulturists, aquaculturist, etc.)
• become specialists in agricultural technologies
• commence a career in the agriculture sector as entry level technical or support personnel become agricultural extension agents
• pursue degree level training in agricultural science and technology-oriented programmes
• serve as teachers of agriculture at the primary school level

Entry Requirements

In order to be admitted into Undergraduate Certificate in Agriculture programme candidates must: 

• Satisfy the lower level matriculation requirements of The University of the West Indies (The UWI) of five (5) GCE O’ Level or CSEC subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, and have at least one science subject, which may include Agricultural Science (both the single and double awards count as one subject), Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Integrated Science, Environmental Science or Physics.

Award of the Certificate

The Certificate in Agriculture will be awarded on successful completion of 32 credits. In order to qualify for this award, students must have passed all the required courses and attained a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least two (2.0).

Matriculation and Admission Levels to BSc Programmes in the Faculty of Food and Agriculture (FFA)

Graduates of the Certificate in Agriculture will meet the matriculation requirements for admission to specific BSc programmes in the FFA at St. Augustine Campus. 

Programme Content  

The curriculum is designed to facilitate integration of knowledge, competencies and skills development across the curriculum to reflect the multi-disciplinary nature of agriculture. The programme incorporates information technology and communication skills in a curriculum, which integrates the competencies of the agricultural and other support sciences, including the social sciences, with agricultural technology. This approach is adopted on the one hand to strengthen the science and communication content of the curriculum while maintaining a sound practical agricultural base and social science orientation of the programme on the other.

Programme of Study

The programme is designed to be completed in one academic year of full-time study.

The courses are scheduled as follows:

Year	Semester	Course code	Course Title	Credits
1	1	AGRI 0101	Agriculture, Food and the Environment	3
		AGRI 0102	Agricultural Physics	2
		AGRI 0103	Agricultural Chemistry	3
		AGRI 0104	Agricultural Biology I	3
		AGRI 0105	Language and Communication	2
		AGRI 0106	Computer and Information Literacy	2
	TOTAL			15
	2	AGRI 0108	Agricultural Biology II	3
		AGRI 0109	Agricultural Biochemistry	3
		AGRI 0110	Introductory Soils Science	3
		AGRI 0111	Crop Production I	2
		AGRI 0112	Livestock Production I	2
	TOTAL			13
	3	AGRI 0114	Farm Practice I	4
	TOTAL			4
PROGRAMME TOTAL				32