Objective of the Program

1.1 General Objective : The general objective of the Master’s program at the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies of Jimma University is to train and produce competent professionals in the field of GIS and RS and physical and human geography.

1.2 Specific Objectives

The M.Sc/M.A program of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies is specifically aimed at to;

• Produce all rounded professionals capable of understanding the pattern of spatio-temporal processes and possibilities of human and physical phenomena and their interaction
• Train effective gis and rs professionals who are responsible to respond to the acute shortage of expertise in the geospatial analysis at the local, regional and national levels
• Equip trainees with the skills of conducting research on various issues such as environmental problems, socio-economic and development aspects
• Develop trainees’ ability to teach at secondary schools’ colleges and higher educational institutions
• Produce professionals who are capable of raising the awareness of the general public regarding environmental problems, causes, consequences and mobilize the public for positive actions.

Admission Requirement

Applicants for admission into Masters Programs at the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies of Jimma University shall be on condition that applicants have successfully completed the bachelor degree in Geography and Environmental Studies or other relevant disciplines at the time of admission.

Admission into the three Programs in the department shall be made on the basis of some selection elements such as entrance examination, undergraduate Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), knowledge of basics of computer and background of the student in his/her undergraduate degree. Thus, any student applying for admission into M.Sc./M.A program should score at least a minimum point required, should have undergraduate CGPA of 2.00 or more. Each specialization in the department may have its admission criteria in addition to the general university wide admission requirements. Thus, applicants for admission into the M.Sc program in GeES (GIS and Science), Agriculture, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, Urban planning, Biology (Ecology), Civil Engineering, and Computer science.

Admission into the remaining two programs should be those applicants having undergraduate bachelor degree (B.A/B.Sc/B.Ed) in any of the following disciplines; Geography, Natural Resource Management, Geology, Soil Science, Environmental Science, Forestry, and Urban Planning, Urban Management, History (with minor in geography).

M.Sc. in Geography and Environmental Studies (Specialization in GIS and Remote Sensing