Agriculture

Masters of Science (Agronomy)

The Masters of Science in Agronomy is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in crop science, soil management, and agricultural research. The programme provides specialised training in crop production, plant breeding, soil fertility, pest management, and sustainable agriculture.

Core areas include crop physiology, plant breeding and genetics, soil science, pest management, farming systems, agricultural biotechnology, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, laboratory sessions, field experiments, and research.

The programme is offered by the University of Nairobi as a public institution through the Faculty of Agriculture. Egerton University offers MSc in Agronomy through the Faculty of Agriculture. Both programmes are available over two years.

Students develop competencies in crop production, soil management, plant breeding, pest management, and research. The programme includes coursework, examinations, field experiments, and a supervised research thesis, preparing graduates for agronomy and agricultural research roles.

Egerton charges approximately KES 182,000 per year while UoN charges approximately KES 280,000 per year. No private university confirmed offering this exact programme. Entry requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Crop Science, or a related field from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as agronomists, crop scientists, agricultural researchers, extension officers, farm managers, and lecturers across agricultural research institutes, farms, government agencies, NGOs, and universities.

Skills Required

Crop Production and Management
Plant Breeding and Genetics
Soil Science and Fertility Management
Pest and Disease Management
Farming Systems Analysis
Agricultural Biotechnology Applications
Sustainable Agriculture Practices
Agricultural Research Methods
Data Analysis in Agricultural Research
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Crop Production and Management
Plant Breeding and Genetics
Soil Science and Fertility Management
Pest and Disease Management
Farming Systems Analysis
Agricultural Biotechnology Applications
Sustainable Agriculture Practices
Agricultural Research Methods
Data Analysis in Agricultural Research
Thesis Research

Certifications

KALRO Professional Membership
ACSS Professional Membership

Specializations

Crop Physiology

Focuses on crop physiology, covering crop, physiology, growth, development, and managing crop physiology and growth analysis.

Plant Breeding and Genetics

Examines plant breeding, covering plant, breeding, genetics, improvement, and managing plant breeding and genetics.

Soil Science and Fertility

Covers soil science, covering soil, science, fertility, management, and managing soil science and fertility management.

Pest Management

Focuses on pest management, covering pest, management, control, integrated, and managing pest and disease management.

Sustainable Agriculture

Examines sustainable agriculture, covering sustainable, agriculture, practices, conservation, and managing sustainable agriculture practices.

Farming Systems

Covers farming systems, covering farming, systems, analysis, agriculture, and managing farming systems analysis.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 435,000
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 20 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Crop Production and Management
Plant Breeding and Genetics
Soil Science and Fertility Management
Pest and Disease Management
Farming Systems Analysis
Agricultural Biotechnology Applications
Sustainable Agriculture Practices
Agricultural Research Methods
Data Analysis in Agricultural Research
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Crop Physiology and Production
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines crop physiology, covering crop, physiology, growth, development, and managing crop physiology and growth analysis.
Plant Breeding and Genetics
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers plant breeding, covering plant, breeding, genetics, improvement, and managing plant breeding and genetics.
Soil Science and Fertility Management
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines soil science, covering soil, science, fertility, management, and managing soil science and fertility management.
Pest and Disease Management
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers pest management, covering pest, management, control, integrated, and managing pest and disease management.
Farming Systems Analysis
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines farming systems, covering farming, systems, analysis, agriculture, and managing farming systems analysis.
Agricultural Biotechnology
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers agricultural biotechnology, covering agricultural, biotechnology, applications, genetics, and managing agricultural biotechnology applications.
Sustainable Agriculture Practices
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines sustainable agriculture, covering sustainable, agriculture, practices, conservation, and managing sustainable agriculture practices.
Research Methods in Agriculture
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers research, methods, agriculture, statistics, and conducting research in agriculture, preparing students for their thesis.
Crop Ecology and Environment
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines crop ecology, covering crop, ecology, environment, climate, and managing crop ecology and environment.
Seed Science and Technology
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers seed science, covering seed, science, technology, production, and managing seed science and technology.
Precision Agriculture and GIS
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines precision agriculture, covering precision, agriculture, GIS, technology, and managing precision agriculture and GIS.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 212 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on an agronomy topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and agronomy knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Crop Physiology
Focuses on crop physiology, covering crop, physiology, growth, development, and managing crop physiology and growth analysis.
Plant Breeding and Genetics
Examines plant breeding, covering plant, breeding, genetics, improvement, and managing plant breeding and genetics.
Soil Science and Fertility
Covers soil science, covering soil, science, fertility, management, and managing soil science and fertility management.
Pest Management
Focuses on pest management, covering pest, management, control, integrated, and managing pest and disease management.
Sustainable Agriculture
Examines sustainable agriculture, covering sustainable, agriculture, practices, conservation, and managing sustainable agriculture practices.
Farming Systems
Covers farming systems, covering farming, systems, analysis, agriculture, and managing farming systems analysis.

A day as a student

A typical day combines lectures, laboratory sessions, field experiments, and independent study. Sessions cover crop physiology, plant breeding, soil science, pest management, and farming systems. Crop physiology sessions examine crop, physiology, growth, development, and managing crop physiology and growth. Plant breeding sessions cover plant, breeding, genetics, improvement, and managing plant breeding and genetics. Soil science sessions cover soil, science, fertility, management, and managing soil science and fertility. Pest management sessions cover pest, management, control, integrated, and managing pest and disease management. Field experiments provide hands-on experience in crop production, soil sampling, and pest assessment. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on an agronomy topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme addresses high demand for agronomy professionals as Kenya invests in food security.
Two public universities confirmed offering the programme, providing options for students.
Programme integrates biotechnology, precision agriculture, and sustainability with traditional crop science.
Graduates are eligible for KALRO professional membership and ACSS international standards.

Against it

Fee difference between Egerton (KES 182,000/year) and UoN (KES 280,000/year).
No private university confirmed offering this programme.
Field experiments may require travel to research stations which may be costly.
Programme may require access to laboratory facilities which may be limited.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 303 agriculture courses

Public189k to 435k

189k at Egerton University435k at University of Nairobi

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

UoN 435K/yr avg (plantscience.uonbi.ac.ke). Egerton 188.7K/yr (egerton.ac.ke). Private unverified.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Universities may offer scholarships for eligible students. FAO and KALRO may offer fellowships for agricultural research and education.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
University Scholarship
FAO Fellowship

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
University Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 280,000Kenyan
UoN and Egerton University may offer scholarships for eligible postgraduate agronomy students.
FAO Fellowship
ScholarshipKsh 300,000
FAO and KALRO may offer fellowships for agricultural research and education.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: UoN and Egerton University require at least Upper Second Class Honours in a relevant field. Lower Second Class may be considered with relevant experience. Contact respective universities for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, laboratory reports, field reports, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering crop physiology, plant breeding, soil science, and pest management.
Field Experiment Project
Project40% of the mark
Practical assessment through field experiment projects, demonstrating crop production, soil sampling, and pest assessment skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on an agronomy topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and agronomy knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). UoN (public) offers MSc in Agronomy (A509) through the Faculty of Agriculture. Egerton University (public) offers MSc in Agronomy through the Faculty of Agriculture. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in agronomy. Graduates may interact with KALRO for professional membership and ACSS for international standards. The programme aligns with CUE, KALRO, FAO, and ACSS agronomy frameworks.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. UoN (public) offers MSc in Agronomy (A509) through the Faculty of Agriculture. Egerton University (public) offers MSc in Agronomy through the Faculty of Agriculture. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in agronomy. Graduates may interact with KALRO for professional membership and ACSS for international standards. The programme aligns with CUE, KALRO, FAO, and ACSS agronomy frameworks.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Agronomist
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Manages crop production, covering agronomist, crop, production, agriculture, and managing crop production and agronomy.
Crop Scientist
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Conducts crop research, covering crop, scientist, research, agriculture, and managing crop science research.
Agricultural Researcher
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Conducts agricultural research, covering agricultural, researcher, research, agronomy, and managing agricultural research.
Extension Officer
High demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 300,000
Provides agricultural extension, covering extension, officer, agriculture, advisory, and managing agricultural extension services.
Farm Manager
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Manages farm operations, covering farm, manager, operations, agriculture, and managing farm operations and production.
Agriculture Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches agronomy at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

R Statistical Software
SoftwarePrimary
R for agricultural research data analysis, covering R, statistics, data, analysis, agriculture, and managing agricultural research data analysis.
ArcGIS
Software
ArcGIS for precision agriculture and spatial analysis, covering GIS, spatial, agriculture, precision, and managing precision agriculture and GIS.
SPSS
Software
SPSS for agricultural research data analysis, covering statistics, data, analysis, agriculture, and managing agricultural statistics.
GenStat
Software
GenStat for agricultural experimental design and analysis, covering GenStat, experimental, design, agriculture, and managing agricultural experimental analysis.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Agronomy is just about farming.
Agronomy covers crop science, plant breeding, soil management, biotechnology, and sustainable agriculture beyond just farming.
This programme is only for agriculture graduates.
The programme is for professionals from biology, environmental science, and related fields, not just agriculture graduates.
Agronomy has limited career prospects in Kenya.
Agronomy professionals are in high demand as Kenya invests in food security and agricultural modernisation.
This programme is the same as horticulture.
Agronomy focuses on field crops and broad-scale production, while horticulture focuses on fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants.
Agronomy is outdated in the age of technology.
Modern agronomy integrates biotechnology, precision agriculture, and data analytics with traditional crop science.
You need farming experience to study this programme.
The programme is accessible to graduates from various science fields seeking agronomy specialisation, not just experienced farmers.