Master of Science in Land Management

Programme Objectives

The overall aim of the MSc in Land Management Programme is to train students from a wide range of land-based academic and professional disciplines; to develop their core competences in key knowledge areas of modern land management, so that they may become effective high-level managers with capacity to lead multidisciplinary teams in all land management sectors.

The specific objectives of the Programme are to produce students that can:

1. Acquire the knowledge and skills for understanding the highly complex interrelationships among the different components of land management
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the interdisciplinary approach to land management

1. Examine the role of land rights, tenure security and land management in the broader context of good responsible land governance and sustainable development.
2. Demonstrate sufficient level of knowledge and understanding of the many aspects of land issues in the rural as well as in the urban context.
3. Apply the theoretical and practical methods and tools of Land Management to deal with emerging land-based challenges
4. Design and plan the implementation of land management strategies, policies and reforms.

Nature of Programme

The MSc. (LM) will be run as a day/evening programme and blended with ODeL focusing on privately sponsored students.  The duration of the day/evening/ODeL programme will be two years spanning through four semesters. The programme shall offer two options for students to select according to their preference. These choices are termed – Plan A and Plan B in conformity with University regulations.

Plan A

Students under Plan A will be required to take two semesters of course work and two semesters of research leading to a dissertation in any area of land management. To qualify for Plan A, a student will have developed an acceptable research proposal, within the first three weeks of semester three.

Plan B

Students under Plan B will be required to undertake three semesters of coursework and one semester of a mini- project. The project may not necessarily be research oriented but should be investigative and will hence involve data collection, data analysis and report writing. To qualify for Plan B a student shall have developed a project proposal, within the first three weeks of the last semester (semester four).

Target Group

As mentioned in Section 1.2 above, the demand for land management professionals is increasing in Uganda. Land management professionals are required in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, district land offices, international and local CSOs and NGOs, and the private sector. This programme targets people who need to do research at graduate level in order to advance land management as a distinct profession. In addition, it targets professionals who need to acquire skills so as to implement responsible land governance in their organizations. Therefore, the programme targets graduates with Honours degree in a discipline related to the built environment such as Land Surveying/Geomatics, Land Economics/Valuation Surveying, Law, Civil Engineering, Architecture, Agriculture, Environmental Sciences, Natural Resources, Geography, Physical Planning, Land Administration/Management, and Real Estate.

Duration of Programme

The minimum duration of the Master of Science in Land Management shall be two (2) years while the maximum shall be four (4) academic years.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the MSc (Land Management) should have at a minimum, a lower second-class bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a recognized university. Those with a pass degree will be required to provide evidence of academic growth in order to be admitted. The relevant disciplines are: Land Surveying/Geomatics, Land Economics/Valuation Surveying, Law, Civil Engineering, Architecture, Natural Resources Management, Geography, Physical Planning, Land Administration/Management, and Real Estate Management.

 

Plan A

Semester I	Code	Course Name	CU	LH	PH	CH
Core Courses	MLM7101	Fundamentals of Land Administration	4	45	30	60
	MLM7102	Land Governance, Tenure and Gender Studies	4	45	30	60
	MLM7105	Geographical Information Systems Fundamentals	3	30	30	45
	MLM7103	Land Valuation and Real Estate Management	3	30	30	45
	MLM7104	Land and Cadastral Information Systems	4	45	30	60
Total Credit Units			18
Semester II
Core Courses	MLM7201	Participatory Land-Use Planning and Management	3	30	30	45
	MLM7202	Land Policy & Regulatory Frameworks	3	30	30	45
	MLM7203	Land Disputes & Conflicts Management	3	30	30	45
	MLM7204	Land Administration Project Management	3	30	30	45
	GLM7211	Research Methods and Scientific Writing	3	30	30	45
Electives
	MLM7206	Land-based financing	3	30	30	45
	MLM7207	Advanced Land Policy and Reform	3	30	30	45
Total Credit Units			18
Semester III
Core Courses	MLM8101	Masters Research Seminar 1	5	15	120	75
	MLM8102	Masters Research Seminar 2	5	15	120	75
Total Credit Units			10
Semester IV
Core Course	MLM8201	Masters Dissertation	14	30	360	210
Total Credit Units			14
		Total Graduation Load	60

 

Plan B

Semester I	Code	Course Name	CU	LH	PH	CH
Core Courses	MLM7101	Fundamentals of Land Administration	4	45	30	60
	MLM7102	Land Governance, Tenure and Gender Studies	4	45	30	60
	MLM7105	Geographical Information Systems Fundamentals	3	30	30	45
	MLM7103	Land Valuation and Real Estate Management	3	30	30	45
	MLM7104	Land and Cadastral Information Systems	4	45	30	60
Total Credit Units			18
Semester II
Core Courses	MLM7201	Participatory Land-Use Planning and Management	3	30	30	45
	MLM7202	Land Policy & Regulatory Frameworks	3	30	30	45
	MLM7203	Land Disputes & Conflicts Management	3	30	30	45
	MLM7204	Land Administration Project Management	3	30	30	45
	GLM7211	Research Methods and Scientific Writing	3	30	30	45
Electives
	MLM7206	Land-based financing	3	30	30	45
	MLM7207	Advanced Land Policy and Reform	3	30	30	45
Total Credit Units			18
Semester III
Core Courses	MLM8103	Land Reform Studies	3	30	30	45
	MLM8104	Environmental Risk Management and Climate Change Studies	3	30	30	45
	GLM7213	Geospatial Data Acquisition	3	30	30	45
Electives
	MLM8105	Real Property Investment Analysis	3	30	30	45
	MLM8106	Spatial Data Infrastructure	3	30	30	45
	UPD8108	Concepts and Techniques of Urban and Regional Planning	3	30	30	45
Total Credit Units			12
Semester IV
Core Courses	MLM8202	Masters Project Seminar	5	15	120	75
	MLM8203	Masters Practical Project	7	35	140	105
Total Credit Units			12
		Total Graduation Load	60

 

Masters Dissertation

Students will be required to demonstrate their ability to independently formulate acceptable dissertation proposals, undertake research and be able to communicate and defend their findings. The dissertation shall conform to the standing guidelines and regulations of the University on higher degrees. In addition, the following shall also apply:

1. a) A candidate shall not be allowed to formally start on research work unless he/she has passed all the core courses.
2. b) A candidate under Plan A shall submit a research proposal to the College Graduate Studies and Research Committee at the beginning of Year 2 of study. A candidate under plan B shall submit a project proposal at the beginning of semester four of the programme.
3. c) Candidates under plan A shall conduct research during the second year of study while candidates under Plan B shall conduct their projects during the fourth semester of the programme.
4. d) A candidate shall be assigned a supervisor who is a specialist in the candidate’s field of study to undertake supervision of the dissertation/project.

Passing a Dissertation

To pass a dissertation, the candidate shall satisfy the examiners in both the written report and viva voce. The examiners will include internal examiners, external examiners and the viva voce panel.

Revised Dissertation

A candidate who fails to satisfy examiners shall resubmit a revised dissertation in accordance with the standing University guidelines for the dissertation examinations six months after notification.

Passing of a Masters Project

To pass a masters Project, the candidate shall satisfy the examiners in a written report and viva voce independently. The examiners will include internal examiners, external examiners and the viva voce panel

Revised Masters Project

 A candidate, who fails to satisfy the examiners, shall re-submit a revised masters Project Report in accordance with the standing University guidelines for the project examinations.Graduation Requirements

The degree of MSc (Land Management) shall be awarded to a candidate who fulfils both conditions below: –

1. Accumulated CU above or not less than 60 for both Plan A and Plan B
2. Should have passed all core (compulsory) courses
3. Passed the dissertation/project.

The Programme prepares graduate to; (a)work in the field of land management in both the private and public sectors within local, national and international setting, (b) Manage, administer, organize, moderate, facilitate, develop technical solutions and provide scientific analysis in the context of land management processes, (c) Understand highly complex interrelationships among the different components of land management and acting in accordance with their own core competences of their first degrees and work experience, (d) Work with and in collaboration with other professionals in multidisciplinary environments of land management, (e) Practical application of land management methods and tools in their work.