Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Natural Resources Management (BSc ENRM)

Content Covered: About the Programme, Graduate Destinations, Course Progression

About the Programme

The BSc ENRM programme is a transdisciplinary Bachelor of Science degree in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies within the School of Natural Sciences. Within this programme, an environmental and natural resource management context is achieved through a curriculum that integrates inter-disciplinarity. This inter-disciplinarity is achieved through the provision of courses offered primarily by the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and the Department of Biological Sciences. The programme also seeks to draw on other courses, across the university, that are relevant to the environmental and natural resource management sector. 

The ENRM programme is grounded in the fields of environmental science, geography, and natural resources, including the study of the built environment. This emphasizes the environmental field in the curriculum and provides an applied geographic and environmental experience so that students have a holistic understanding of natural resource management in the developing world context. The programme enhances the students' knowledge, understanding and analysis of the conflict in the relationship between society and the environment, in short what is termed environmental problems. In this way, it meets the emergent professional demands of the environment and natural resources management sector. Students will be exposed to various conceptual and theoretical frameworks on the development of strategies to mitigate problems associated with the environment and natural resources. In this way, it nurtures a cadre of students who can effectively participate in the environmental debate to steer societal change in the direction of sustainable development. 

The ENRM programme is administered by the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and it's aims are two-fold: (1) to produce human resources that can provide technical and managerial capacities in environment and natural resources management sectors; and (2) to improve both the number and quality of graduates for entry into the departments's master of science programmes. Ultimately, the ENRM programme takes into consideration the need for graduates who can work in various Environmental and Natural Resources Management organisations.

Graduate Destinations

Past graduates of this programme have been employed in organisations that deal with Climate Change, Land Use Planning, Soil Survey and Research, Water and Energy Affairs, Fisheries Research and Management, Wildlife Management, Forestry, Environment and Natural Resources Management, Lecturing and Research in Academia, and Environmental Consultancy, among others.

Course Selection and Programme Progression

YEAR 1
1. BIO 1401 Cells and Bio-molecules
2. BIO 1412 Molecular Biology and Genetics
3. CHE 1000 Introductory Chemistry
4. MAT 1100 Mathematical Methods
5. PHY 1010 Introductory Physics

YEAR 2
Student post-First year course load and combination is dependent on whether you will be biased towards
Geography and the Environment (a) or Biology (b). Note that your second year
course combination will determine your subsequent progression. These options are presented below starting with the
Geography and Environmental Studies Bias.

a) Geography and Environmental Studies Bias

Mandatory Full-Year Courses
1. GES 2210 Fundamentals of Physical Geography
2. GES 2420 Research and Statistical Methods in Geography

Mandatory Half-Year Courses
3. GES 2411 Mapping and Field Techniques in Geography
4. GES 2122 Elements of Cultural Geography
5. GES 2322 Fundamentals of Natural Resource Economics
6. BIO 2101 Ecosystems and Biodiversity

b) Biological Science Bias

Mandatory Full-Year Courses
1. GES 2210 Fundamentals of Physical Geography
2. GES 2420 Research and Statistical Methods in Geography

Mandatory Half-Year Courses
3. GES 2411 Mapping and Field Techniques in Geography
4. BIO 2801 Diversity of Plants
5. BIO 2812 Diversity of Animals
6. BIO 2002 Statistical Analysis of Biological Data

YEAR 3
Mandatory Full-Year Course
1. GES 3330 Environment and Development

Mandatory Half-Year Course
2. GES 3271 Soils and Soil Resources
3. GES 3321 Environmental Planning and Management
4. GES 3342 Environmental Planning and Management
5. GES 3433 Geography Field Course*
6. GES 3441 Remote Sensing

Elective Third-Year Courses
Note: All electives in this programme are half year courses. These have to be chosen based on your programme bias (Biological Science or Geography and Environmental Studies that was already determined by your Year 2-course selection). These elective courses are presented below on a programme bias basis.


a) Geography and Environmental Studies, Third-Year Electives

1. GES 3151 Regional Planning and Development
2. GES 3142 Economic Geography
3. GES 3241 Climatology
4. GES 3251 Geomorphology
5. GES 3262 Biogeography
6. GES 3361 Population, Culture and Environment
7. GES 3321 Environment and Natural Resource Economics
8. GES 3352 Spatial Dimensions of Disease and Health Service Provision

b) Biological Sciences, Third-Year Electives

1. BIO 3132 Community Ecology
2. BIO 3151 Evolution and Behavioural Ecology of Animals (a prerequisite for BIO 4182)
3. BIO 3011 Biological Data Analysis and Experimental Design

YEAR 4
Mandatory Full-Year Courses
1. GES 4394 Geography Project

Mandatory Half-Year Courses
1. GES 4461 Land Resources Survey
2. GES 4472 Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems
3. GES 4342 Environment and Natural Resource Management

Elective Fourth-Year Courses

a) Geography and Environmental Studies, Fourth-Year Electives

1. GES 4165 Migration, Refugees and the Environment
2. GES 4372 Tourism, Environment and Development
3. GES 4172 Rural Land Use and Landscapes
4. GES 4181 Urban Geography and Planning
5. GES 4192 Geographical Dimensions of Settlements
6. GES 4285 Geographical Hydrology
7. GES 4292 Hydro-Geomorphology of Drainage Basins
8. GES 4385 Environmental Hazards and Disasters
9. GES 4451 Cartography

b) Biological Science Bias, Fourth-Year Electives

1. BIO 4152 Ecology and Management of Fisheries
2. BIO 4171 Population Ecology
3. BIO 4182 Wildlife and Rangeland Management

For further details, visit the Departmental Site HERE

Grade 6 or better in English Language; Grade 4 or better in O’ level Mathematics PLUS Grade 6 or better in Biology, Chemistry and Physics OR Grade 6 or better in Science, Biology(or Agricultural Science) and any other acceptable subject.

Tuition Fees

Year of Study       Amount                              Period
1st Year      K28,980.00           Per Year
2nd Year      K26,345.00           Per Year
3rd Year      K23,950.00           Per Year
4th Year      K21,774.00           Per Year
5th Year      K19,795.00           Per Year

Foreign Students

Year of Study     Amount                  Period
All Years     K57,173.00     Per Year   

Non Tuition Fees*

Type of Fees Amount Period
Registration K40.00         Per Year
Examination K50.00         Per Course
Recreation K150.00         Per Year
Medical K200.00         Per Year
Caution Fee K182.50         Paid by 1st Years only once at entry (non-refundable)
Internet Connectivity K194.00         Per Year
Graduation Fee K100.00         Per Year
Record Card Fee K50.00         Paid by 1st Years only once at entry
Maintenance and Rehabilitation K165.00         Per Year
Student Union Fee K45.00         Per Year
Academic Fee K10.00         Per Year
Library K100.00         Per Year

*All Students (Except Distance Education Students)

Here is how to apply for the course.