Environmental Science

Master of Science in Natural Resources and Peace

The Master of Science in Natural Resources and Peace is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in natural resource management, peace building, and conflict resolution. The programme provides interdisciplinary training linking environmental governance, resource conflicts, and peace studies.

Core areas include natural resource management, peace and conflict studies, environmental governance, resource conflicts, conflict resolution, community development, policy analysis, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, field work, and research.

The programme is offered by Egerton University through the Faculty of Environment and Resources Development. Egerton is a public university offering the programme over two years through full-time and part-time study, combining natural resource science with peace and conflict studies.

Students develop competencies in natural resource management, conflict analysis, peace building, environmental governance, policy analysis, and research. The programme includes coursework, examinations, field work, and a supervised research thesis, preparing graduates for conservation, peace building, and governance roles.

Egerton charges approximately KES 337,300 total for the programme (~KES 168,650/year), based on the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences masters fee structure as a proxy. Entry requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in a relevant discipline from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as natural resource managers, peace and conflict specialists, environmental governance officers, conservation managers, policy analysts, and lecturers in natural resources across government agencies, NGOs, international organisations, and universities.

Skills Required

Natural Resource Management and Conservation
Peace and Conflict Studies
Environmental Governance and Policy
Conflict Analysis and Resolution
Community Development and Participation
Resource Conflict Management
Environmental Law and Policy
Research Methods in Natural Resources
Project Management for Peace and Conservation
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Natural Resource Management and Conservation
Peace and Conflict Studies
Environmental Governance and Policy
Conflict Analysis and Resolution
Community Development and Participation
Resource Conflict Management
Environmental Law and Policy
Research Methods in Natural Resources
Project Management for Peace and Conservation
Thesis Research

Certifications

KFS Professional Certification
IUCN Professional Membership

Specializations

Natural Resource Management

Focuses on natural resource management, covering resources, conservation, management, policy, and managing natural resources.

Peace and Conflict Studies

Examines peace and conflict, covering conflicts, resolution, peace building, analysis, and managing peace and conflict.

Environmental Governance

Covers environmental governance, covering policy, law, institutions, management, and managing environmental governance.

Community Resource Management

Focuses on community resource management, covering communities, participation, resources, livelihoods, and managing community resources.

Conflict Resolution and Peace Building

Examines conflict resolution, covering mediation, negotiation, peace building, reconciliation, and managing conflict resolution.

Environmental Policy Analysis

Covers environmental policy, covering analysis, formulation, evaluation, governance, and managing environmental policy.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 168,650
Private, up to: Ksh 0
Job market: Moderate

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

Natural Resource Management and Conservation
Peace and Conflict Studies
Environmental Governance and Policy
Conflict Analysis and Resolution
Community Development and Participation
Resource Conflict Management
Environmental Law and Policy
Research Methods in Natural Resources
Project Management for Peace and Conservation
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Natural Resource Management and Conservation
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines resources, conservation, management, policy, and managing natural resources.
Peace and Conflict Studies
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers conflicts, resolution, peace building, analysis, and managing peace and conflict.
Environmental Governance and Policy
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines policy, law, institutions, management, and managing environmental governance.
Research Methods in Natural Resources
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers research design, data collection, analysis, ethics, and conducting research, preparing students for their thesis.
Conflict Analysis and Resolution
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines mediation, negotiation, peace building, reconciliation, and managing conflict resolution.
Resource Conflict Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers resource conflicts, management, resolution, prevention, and managing resource conflicts.
Community Development and Participation
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines communities, participation, resources, livelihoods, and managing community resources.
Environmental Law and Policy
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers law, policy, compliance, enforcement, and managing environmental law.
Environmental Policy Analysis
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines analysis, formulation, evaluation, governance, and managing environmental policy.
Project Management for Peace and Conservation
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers planning, execution, delivery, quality, and managing peace and conservation projects.
Advanced Topics in Natural Resources and Peace
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines current research, climate conflict, environmental security, and managing advanced topics in natural resources and peace.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 29 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on a natural resources and peace topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and interdisciplinary knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Natural Resource Management
Focuses on natural resource management, covering resources, conservation, management, policy, and managing natural resources.
Peace and Conflict Studies
Examines peace and conflict, covering conflicts, resolution, peace building, analysis, and managing peace and conflict.
Environmental Governance
Covers environmental governance, covering policy, law, institutions, management, and managing environmental governance.
Community Resource Management
Focuses on community resource management, covering communities, participation, resources, livelihoods, and managing community resources.
Conflict Resolution and Peace Building
Examines conflict resolution, covering mediation, negotiation, peace building, reconciliation, and managing conflict resolution.
Environmental Policy Analysis
Covers environmental policy, covering analysis, formulation, evaluation, governance, and managing environmental policy.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Natural Resources and Peace programme combines lectures, field work, seminars, group discussions, and independent study. Sessions cover natural resource management, peace and conflict studies, environmental governance, and conflict resolution. Natural resource management sessions examine resources, conservation, management, policy, and managing natural resources. Peace and conflict studies sessions cover conflicts, resolution, peace building, analysis, and managing peace and conflict. Environmental governance sessions cover policy, law, institutions, management, and managing environmental governance. Conflict resolution sessions cover mediation, negotiation, peace building, reconciliation, and managing conflict resolution. Community development sessions cover communities, participation, resources, livelihoods, and managing community resources. Environmental law sessions cover law, policy, compliance, enforcement, and managing environmental law. Policy analysis sessions cover analysis, formulation, evaluation, governance, and managing environmental policy. Field work provides practical experience in community resource assessment, conflict mapping, and environmental governance exercises. Seminars provide opportunities for presenting research findings and discussing current issues in natural resources and peace. Guest lectures from experienced practitioners, conservationists, and peace builders provide practical insights. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on a natural resources and peace topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme uniquely combines natural resource management with peace and conflict studies.
Programme addresses Kenya's resource conflicts and environmental challenges.
Egerton offers competitive fees at approximately KES 337,300 total (~KES 168,650/year).
Graduates are eligible for KFS professional certification and IUCN professional membership.

Against it

Only one university (Egerton, public) confirmed offering this specific programme.
No private university confirmed offering this programme.
FERD-specific fee structure not available online; fees estimated based on comparable Egerton masters fee structures.
Niche programme with limited awareness among prospective students and employers.

What it costs

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

What it costs, and where

Against 181 environmental science courses

Public169k to 169k

169k at Egerton University169k at Egerton University

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

Egerton FERD/FASS fees: avg 168,650/yr (egerton.ac.ke). No private.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Egerton University may offer scholarships for eligible students. IUCN may offer research grants for conservation and peace research. Some NGOs, international organisations, and government agencies may sponsor staff for postgraduate study.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
Egerton University Scholarship
IUCN Research Grant

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
Egerton University Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 168,650Kenyan
Egerton University may offer scholarships for eligible postgraduate students.
IUCN Research Grant
ScholarshipKsh 150,000
IUCN may offer research grants for conservation and peace research.

Getting in

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

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: Egerton University requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in a relevant discipline. Lower Second Class may be considered with at least two years of relevant experience. In exceptional cases, non-holders of Upper Second Class may be admitted if they demonstrate research ability. Contact Egerton University for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, field reports, seminar presentations, group discussions, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering natural resource management, peace and conflict studies, environmental governance, and conflict resolution.
Field Project
Project40% of the mark
Practical assessment through field work, community resource assessment, conflict mapping, and demonstrating natural resource and peace skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on a natural resources and peace topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and interdisciplinary knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Egerton University (public) offers MSc in Natural Resources and Peace through the Faculty of Environment and Resources Development. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in natural resources and peace studies. Graduates are eligible for KFS professional certification and IUCN professional membership.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. Egerton University (public) offers MSc in Natural Resources and Peace through the Faculty of Environment and Resources Development. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in natural resources and peace studies. Graduates are eligible for KFS professional certification and IUCN professional membership.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Natural Resource Manager
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Manages natural resource programmes, overseeing resources, conservation, management, and managing natural resources.
Peace and Conflict Specialist
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 450,000
Manages peace building programmes, overseeing conflicts, resolution, peace, and managing peace and conflict.
Environmental Governance Officer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Manages environmental governance, overseeing policy, law, compliance, and managing environmental governance.
Conservation Manager
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Manages conservation programmes, overseeing resources, protection, management, and managing conservation.
Policy Analyst
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 450,000
Conducts policy analysis, overseeing analysis, formulation, evaluation, and managing environmental policy.
Natural Resources Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches natural resources and peace at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

GIS and Remote Sensing Tools
SoftwarePrimary
GIS and remote sensing tools for natural resource mapping, covering mapping, analysis, monitoring, and managing natural resource data.
SPSS
Software
SPSS for statistical analysis of research data, covering statistics, analysis, research, and managing research data.
Conflict Analysis Frameworks
Software
Conflict analysis frameworks for assessing resource conflicts, covering analysis, mapping, assessment, and managing conflict data.
Python and R
Software
Python and R for data analysis and modelling, covering data, analysis, modelling, and managing environmental data.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Natural resources and peace is just about environmental conservation.
The programme covers comprehensive natural resource management, peace building, conflict resolution, governance, and policy beyond just environmental conservation.
This programme is only for environmentalists.
Natural resources and peace skills are valuable for conflict resolution practitioners, policy makers, community developers, and diplomats beyond just environmentalists.
Peace studies is not a real academic discipline.
Peace studies is a rigorous interdisciplinary field drawing on political science, sociology, law, and environmental science to address real-world conflicts.
Resource conflicts are only about land.
Resource conflicts cover comprehensive water, minerals, forests, grazing, fisheries, and environmental disputes beyond just land.
Environmental governance is just about making laws.
Environmental governance covers comprehensive policy, institutions, participation, compliance, enforcement, and management beyond just making laws.
Careers in natural resources and peace are limited in Kenya.
Kenya faces numerous resource conflicts and environmental challenges creating demand for trained professionals across government, NGOs, and international organisations.