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Five-Year Plan
The Curriculum is modelled after the current ACCI programme. Each student will follow a 5 year programme leading to the award of a PhD (Plant Breeding) on successful completion.
First Year
Students will take a series of selected courses in their first year of study. Each student will take 3 core courses and at least one elective course per semester. The first year will be a foundation year and students will take basic courses in genetics, crop improvement, biometry, quantitative inheritance, molecular genetics and biotechnology, plant diseases , stress physiology, tissue culture, and integrated past management. The purpose of the foundation year is to standardize the background of all students to a level that will allow them to follow advanced courses in plant breeding.Students will also take other courses, such as one on Grantsmanship (i.e., how to write funding proposals and to manage donor funds), as well as various computer literacy courses (e.g. PowerPoint). During their first year, all students will write a detailed literature review on their chosen crop.
Second Year
The second year has two main components:
Advanced Studies
During this year, the students will take various advanced PhD studies to support their research and future careers with a range of both local and international lecturers. These will be given on a block basis in a workshop format.
Development of Project Proposal:
Students will develop a detailed project proposal for their Ph.D research and a research budget (for funding the research at their home research station). These will be associated with a mini-project to ensure that all the proposed techniques are feasible and familiar to the students.
Third,Fourth and Fifth Years
In the third, fourth and fifth year of studies, the students will undertake field research in plant breeding in institutions in their home countries.They will therefore need to ensure that they are able to return to the field station to undertake the research that will be needed to complete their PhD. There will be limited funding of the operational research requirements when they return home. Supervision will be provided by a local in-country supervisor and, at a distance, by WACCI supervisors who will visit each student yearly.
At the end of the 5th year, students will return to the University of Ghana for a maximum of three months to complete their thesis write up and present for examination.Note that students will need to have completed the bulk of their thesis writing before they return to the University of Ghana.