Agriculture

Master of Science in Range Management

The Master of Science in Range Management is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in rangeland resource management, pastoral development, and dryland ecosystems. The programme provides specialised training in rangeland ecology, pasture management, livestock-wildlife interactions, rangeland rehabilitation, and sustainable land use.

Core areas include rangeland ecology, pasture science, rangeland resource management, livestock production systems, wildlife management, rangeland rehabilitation, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, fieldwork, and research.

The programme is offered by the University of Nairobi as a public institution through the Faculty of Agriculture and the Department of Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology. The programme is available in full-time and part-time modes over two years, combining coursework with research.

Students develop competencies in rangeland ecology, pasture management, resource assessment, rehabilitation techniques, livestock systems, and research. The programme includes coursework, examinations, fieldwork, and a supervised research project, preparing graduates for rangeland management and advisory roles.

UoN charges approximately KES 152,500 per year based on the LARMAT department fee structure. No private university confirmed offering this programme. Entry requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in a relevant field from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as rangeland managers, pasture agronomists, livestock production officers, environmental consultants, conservation officers, and lecturers across government ministries, county governments, NGOs, research institutions, and pastoral development organisations.

Skills Required

Rangeland Ecology and Assessment
Pasture Science and Management
Rangeland Resource Management
Livestock Production Systems in Rangelands
Rangeland Rehabilitation and Restoration
Wildlife-Livestock Interactions
Sustainable Land Use Planning
Research Methods in Range Management
Geographic Information Systems for Rangelands
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Rangeland Ecology and Assessment
Pasture Science and Management
Rangeland Resource Management
Livestock Production Systems in Rangelands
Wildlife-Livestock Interactions
Rangeland Rehabilitation and Restoration
Sustainable Land Use Planning
Research Methods in Range Management
Geographic Information Systems for Rangelands
Thesis Research

Certifications

KALRO Professional Membership
Society for Range Management (SRM) Membership

Specializations

Rangeland Ecology

Focuses on rangeland ecology, covering ecology, rangelands, plants, ecosystems, and managing rangeland ecology and ecosystems.

Pasture Management

Examines pasture management, covering pastures, forage, management, production, and managing pasture science and production.

Rangeland Rehabilitation

Covers rangeland rehabilitation, covering rehabilitation, restoration, rangelands, degradation, and managing rangeland rehabilitation and restoration.

Livestock Production Systems

Focuses on livestock production systems, covering livestock, production, rangelands, systems, and managing livestock production in rangelands.

Wildlife Management

Examines wildlife management, covering wildlife, management, conservation, rangelands, and managing wildlife and rangeland interactions.

Sustainable Land Use

Covers sustainable land use, covering land, use, sustainability, rangelands, and managing sustainable land use in rangelands.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 433,500
Private, up to: Ksh 195,000
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

Rangeland Ecology and Assessment
Pasture Science and Management
Rangeland Resource Management
Livestock Production Systems in Rangelands
Wildlife-Livestock Interactions
Rangeland Rehabilitation and Restoration
Sustainable Land Use Planning
Research Methods in Range Management
Geographic Information Systems for Rangelands
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Rangeland Ecology and Assessment
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines rangeland ecology, covering ecology, rangelands, plants, ecosystems, and managing rangeland ecology and ecosystem assessment.
Pasture Science and Management
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers pasture science, covering pastures, forage, management, production, and managing pasture science and forage production.
Rangeland Resource Management
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines rangeland resources, covering resources, rangelands, management, assessment, and managing rangeland resources.
Livestock Production Systems in Rangelands
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers livestock production, covering livestock, production, rangelands, systems, and managing livestock production in rangeland systems.
Wildlife-Livestock Interactions
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines wildlife-livestock interactions, covering wildlife, livestock, interactions, management, and managing wildlife and livestock in rangelands.
Rangeland Rehabilitation and Restoration
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers rangeland rehabilitation, covering rehabilitation, restoration, rangelands, degradation, and managing rangeland rehabilitation and restoration.
Sustainable Land Use Planning
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines sustainable land use, covering land, use, sustainability, rangelands, and managing sustainable land use in rangelands.
Research Methods in Range Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers research, methods, range, design, and conducting research in range management, preparing students for their project.
GIS for Rangeland Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines GIS, covering GIS, mapping, rangelands, analysis, and managing geographic information systems for rangeland management.
Climate Change and Rangelands
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers climate change, covering climate, rangelands, adaptation, resilience, and managing climate change impacts on rangelands.
Pastoral Development and Policy
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines pastoral development, covering pastoral, development, policy, communities, and managing pastoral development and policy.
Research Project
Year 2Semester 212 creditsCore
Original supervised research project on a range management topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and range management knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Rangeland Ecology
Focuses on rangeland ecology, covering ecology, rangelands, plants, ecosystems, and managing rangeland ecology and ecosystems.
Pasture Management
Examines pasture management, covering pastures, forage, management, production, and managing pasture science and production.
Rangeland Rehabilitation
Covers rangeland rehabilitation, covering rehabilitation, restoration, rangelands, degradation, and managing rangeland rehabilitation and restoration.
Livestock Production Systems
Focuses on livestock production systems, covering livestock, production, rangelands, systems, and managing livestock production in rangelands.
Wildlife Management
Examines wildlife management, covering wildlife, management, conservation, rangelands, and managing wildlife and rangeland interactions.
Sustainable Land Use
Covers sustainable land use, covering land, use, sustainability, rangelands, and managing sustainable land use in rangelands.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Range Management programme combines lectures, fieldwork, laboratory sessions, seminars, and independent study. Sessions cover rangeland ecology, pasture management, livestock systems, and rehabilitation. Rangeland ecology sessions examine ecology, rangelands, plants, ecosystems, and managing rangeland ecology. Pasture sessions cover pastures, forage, management, production, and managing pasture science and production. Resource management sessions cover resources, rangelands, management, assessment, and managing rangeland resources. Livestock sessions cover livestock, production, rangelands, systems, and managing livestock production in rangelands. Wildlife sessions cover wildlife, livestock, interactions, management, and managing wildlife-livestock interactions. Rehabilitation sessions cover rehabilitation, restoration, rangelands, degradation, and managing rangeland rehabilitation. Land use sessions cover land, use, sustainability, rangelands, and managing sustainable land use. GIS sessions cover GIS, mapping, rangelands, analysis, and managing geographic information systems for rangelands. Research methods sessions cover research, methods, range, design, and conducting research in range management. Fieldwork provides practical experience in rangeland assessment, pasture evaluation, and rehabilitation techniques. Laboratory sessions provide practical experience in plant identification, soil analysis, and forage quality assessment. The programme culminates in a supervised research project on a range management topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme addresses critical rangeland management challenges in Kenya's arid and semi-arid lands.
Programme combines theoretical knowledge with practical fieldwork and laboratory sessions.
Graduates are eligible for KALRO and SRM professional membership.
Programme is increasingly relevant due to climate change and land degradation challenges.

Against it

Only one university confirmed offering this programme with verified fees.
No private university confirmed offering this programme.
Programme may have limited career paths compared to more general agricultural programmes.
Discrepancy in fee data between department and faculty level sources at UoN.

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

Public84k to 434k

84k at Rongo University434k at University of Nairobi

Private119k to 195k

119k at Mount Kenya University195k at Kabarak 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

UoN ~434K/yr (FoA verified). Rongo, MKU, Kabarak unverified

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Universities may offer scholarships for eligible students. ICARDA and international agricultural research organisations may offer scholarships and fellowships for rangeland management research.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
University Scholarship
ICARDA Scholarship

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
University Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 152,500Kenyan
Universities may offer scholarships for eligible postgraduate range management students.
ICARDA Fellowship
ScholarshipKsh 200,000
ICARDA and international agricultural research organisations may offer fellowships for rangeland research.

Getting in

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

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: Most universities require at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in a relevant field. Lower Second Class may be considered with a postgraduate diploma or relevant work 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, field reports, laboratory reports, seminar presentations, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering rangeland ecology, pasture science, resource management, and rehabilitation.
Field and Laboratory Assessment
Project40% of the mark
Practical assessment through fieldwork and laboratory work, demonstrating rangeland assessment, plant identification, and forage analysis skills.
Research Project
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research project on a range management topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and range management knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). University of Nairobi (public) offers MSc in Range Management through the Faculty of Agriculture and LARMAT department. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in range management. Graduates may interact with KALRO for agricultural research and AU-IBAR for animal resources standards. The programme aligns with ICARDA and IRC global rangeland management standards.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. University of Nairobi (public) offers MSc in Range Management through the Faculty of Agriculture and LARMAT department. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in range management. Graduates may interact with KALRO for agricultural research and AU-IBAR for animal resources standards. The programme aligns with ICARDA and IRC global rangeland management standards.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Rangeland Manager
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Manages rangelands, overseeing rangelands, management, resources, and managing rangeland management and resource assessment.
Pasture Agronomist
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Manages pasture production, covering pastures, forage, production, and managing pasture science and forage production.
Livestock Production Officer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Manages livestock production, covering livestock, production, rangelands, and managing livestock production in rangeland systems.
Environmental Consultant
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Provides environmental consulting, covering environment, rangelands, advisory, and managing environmental consulting for rangelands.
Conservation Officer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Manages conservation, covering conservation, rangelands, biodiversity, and managing rangeland conservation and biodiversity.
Range Management Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches range management at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

ArcGIS
SoftwarePrimary
ArcGIS for rangeland mapping and analysis, covering GIS, mapping, rangelands, and managing geographic information systems for rangelands.
QGIS
Software
QGIS for rangeland mapping and spatial analysis, covering GIS, mapping, analysis, and managing spatial data for rangelands.
R Statistical Software
Software
R for statistical analysis of rangeland data, covering statistics, analysis, data, and managing rangeland data analysis.
Microsoft Excel
Software
Excel for rangeland data management and reporting, covering data, analysis, reporting, and managing rangeland data.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Range management is just about grazing livestock.
Range management covers ecology, biodiversity, rehabilitation, wildlife interactions, sustainable land use, and climate resilience beyond just livestock grazing.
This programme is only for those in arid areas.
Range management skills are valuable in all rangeland ecosystems, including semi-arid, savannah, and highland pasture areas.
Range management has no career prospects in Kenya.
Range management graduates are in demand in county governments, KALRO, NGOs, conservation organisations, and pastoral development programmes.
Range management is outdated in the modern economy.
Range management is increasingly relevant due to climate change, land degradation, food security, and sustainable development challenges.
You need to be from a pastoral community to study range management.
Range management is a scientific discipline accessible to anyone with a relevant bachelor's degree, regardless of background.
Range management is the same as general agriculture.
Range management focuses specifically on rangeland ecosystems, pasture science, and dryland resource management, distinct from general crop agriculture.