Agriculture

Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science

The Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science is a doctoral programme offered at Egerton University and other Kenyan universities. It is designed to produce scholars capable of advancing research in livestock production, animal breeding, nutrition, health and product quality. The programme covers the full spectrum of animal science disciplines to support Kenya's livestock sector development.

Students engage with advanced topics in animal production systems, breeding and genetics, nutrition, animal health, meat and dairy science, livestock economics, research methods and biostatistics. The curriculum emphasises original research that addresses practical challenges in Kenya's livestock sector, including productivity improvement, disease control and market access.

Kenya's livestock sector is a major contributor to agricultural GDP, with dairy, beef, sheep, goats, poultry and emerging aquaculture enterprises. The need for improved production systems, breed improvement and climate adaptation creates demand for doctoral-level animal science expertise. The programme supports Kenya's food security and livestock commercialisation agenda.

Teaching is delivered through coursework, laboratory sessions and supervised research at Egerton University's Njoro campus. Students conduct livestock experiments, analyse production data and develop management models. The programme is offered full-time and part-time with a minimum duration of three years.

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, animal science researchers, livestock production consultants, breeding company directors and agricultural policy advisors. They work in universities, KALRO, ILRI, livestock breeding companies and government ministries.

The programme is ideal for individuals with backgrounds in animal science, agriculture or veterinary medicine who wish to contribute original research to livestock development.

Duration: 3 years
Public, up to: Ksh 367,200
Private, up to: Ksh 168,000
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: 5 students
Award: PhD

What you study

10 subjects

Animal Production Systems
Animal Breeding and Genetics
Animal Nutrition
Animal Health and Disease Management
Meat and Dairy Science
Livestock Economics
Research Methods in Animal Science
Biostatistics
Livestock Production Systems
Animal Welfare and Ethics

Modules

8 in the programme

Advanced Animal Production Systems
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Analysis of livestock production systems and their optimisation, exploring cutting-edge developments, theoretical frameworks, and research methodologies at the forefront of the discipline.
Animal Breeding and Genetics
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Genetic principles applied to livestock improvement, covering genetic principles, molecular techniques, and their application in heredity and biotechnology research.
Advanced Animal Nutrition
Year 1Semester 33 creditsCore
Nutritional science and feeding strategies for livestock, exploring cutting-edge developments, theoretical frameworks, and research methodologies at the forefront of the discipline.
Meat and Dairy Science
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Science of animal product quality and processing, covering theoretical foundations, practical methodologies, and contemporary research developments relevant to doctoral study in this area.
Livestock Economics
Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore
Economic analysis of livestock production systems, covering economic theories, analytical frameworks, and their application to policy and decision-making in the field.
Research Methods in Animal Science
Year 2Semester 33 creditsCore
Research design and methodology for animal science research, covering quantitative and qualitative approaches, data collection techniques, and analytical frameworks relevant to doctoral-level.
Departmental Seminars
Year 3Semester 13 creditsCore
Research presentations and peer review of doctoral work, providing a platform for doctoral candidates to present research findings, engage with peer feedback, and explore contemporary debates in.
Thesis Research
Year 3Semester 26 creditsCore
Doctoral thesis research and dissertation writing, involving original research, literature review, data analysis, and the production of a doctoral dissertation contributing new knowledge to the.

Specialisations

Livestock Economics
Economic analysis of livestock production
Dairy Science
Research on dairy cattle production and milk quality
Poultry Science
Research on poultry production and management
Beef Cattle Production
Research on beef cattle production systems

A day as a student

A typical day involves conducting livestock experiments at the university farm, analysing production data, reviewing literature on animal science, attending seminars on livestock production, meeting with supervisors to discuss research progress, and visiting KALRO and ILRI for research collaboration.

The trade offs

In its favour

Kenya's livestock sector is large and growing
ILRI and CESAAM provide research collaboration in Nairobi and Egerton
Research directly improves livestock productivity and food security

Against it

Livestock experiments require farm facilities and long timeframes
Research can be expensive due to animal maintenance costs
Field research requires travel to diverse farming areas

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

Public252k to 367k

252k at Egerton University367k at Kenyatta University

Private150k to 168k

150k at Mount Kenya University168k at Kenya Methodist 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 251,900/yr (egerton.ac.ke). KU 367,200/yr (ku.ac.ke). Private: KeMU 168,000, MKU 150,000/yr

HELB provides postgraduate loans. DAAD offers scholarships for postgraduate study. ILRI provides research grants for livestock research in Africa. CESAAM at Egerton may offer additional support.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
DAAD Kenya Scholarship
ILRI Research Grant

Scholarships

3 recorded

DAAD Kenya Scholarship
ScholarshipKenyan
Postgraduate students in Kenya
HELB Postgraduate Scholarship
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan postgraduate students
ILRI Research Grant
Grant
Livestock researchers in Africa

Getting in

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

What you need

KCSE mean grade: Masters Degree
Alternative entry: Applicants must hold a Master of Science degree in a relevant discipline with at least B grade or equivalent from a recognised institution. Must include a brief outline of the proposed research project. Applicants whose research project accounted for less than a third of their Masters may be required to take remedial courses.

MSc in Animal Science, Agriculture or related field
Relevant Masters with at least B grade from recognised university

How you are assessed

3 components

Thesis
Thesis50% of the mark
Doctoral thesis research, submission and oral defence
Coursework
Continuous assessment30% of the mark
Laboratory reports, farm practicals and seminar presentations
Thesis Proposal Defence
Oral defence20% of the mark
Defence of research proposal before departmental panel

Accreditation

Accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Offered at Egerton University (Faculty of Agriculture) at the Njoro campus. The programme is supported by CESAAM and ILRI collaboration.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education
AcademicRequired
Statutory body responsible for accreditation of university programmes in Kenya

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

4 roles

Breeding Company Director
High demandKsh 200,000 to Ksh 500,000
Leading research and development at breeding companies
Animal Science Researcher
High demandKsh 170,000 to Ksh 420,000
Research at KALRO, ILRI and international research institutes
Livestock Production Consultant
Moderate demandKsh 150,000 to Ksh 380,000
Advising farmers and companies on livestock production
University Professor
High demandKsh 180,000 to Ksh 450,000
Teaching and research in animal science departments

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, animal science researchers, livestock production consultants and breeding company directors. They work at KALRO, ILRI, universities and livestock companies.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Certifications

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Animal science is just about rearing animals.
The field covers genetics, nutrition, health, product science, economics and production systems.
There is no demand for animal science PhDs in Kenya.
Kenya's livestock sector growth and commercialisation create strong demand for expertise.
Animal science research is not rigorous.
The programme uses experimental design, statistical analysis and scientific methodology.
Only veterinarians study animal science.
The programme attracts agriculturalists, biologists and animal scientists.