Ph.D. Program „Agricultural Economics and Related Sciences“ – a Program especially for Students from the Tropics and Subtropics
Marion Moserand Werner Doppler
University of Hohenheim, Department of Agricultural Economics and Social Sciences in the Tropics and Subtropics, (490 c), 70593 Stuttgart, Germany
Abstract
In many developing countries, well-educated professionals, lecturers, researchers and managers are searching for avenues of further qualification in their fields. In their home countries they may have limited or no access to professional development, or the standard of further qualification opportunities may be low due to poorly trained lecturers or marginal research facilities. In the more developed countries, the topics of further education are often not oriented towards the needs of developing countries. Within the framework of traditional Ph.D. programs, there is a dearth of post-graduate training related specifically to the realities of life in the tropics and subtropics. In order to contribute to the enhancement of human resources world-wide by increasing the number of highly-trained local professionals and by improving their skills and capabilities, the Universities of Hohenheim has established a Ph.D. program especially for students from the tropics and subtropics where special emphasis is placed on the problems of developing countries. Students are strongly encouraged to develop application-orientated methods which can subsequently be implemented in their home countries. The University of Hohenheim has a long history of work experience in the tropics and subtropics and has established intensive collaborations with universities from these regions. Therefore the University is familiar with the present education situation there and with problems facing countries in the tropics and subtropics. Twelve professors focus their research solely on the tropics and subtropics and 15 further professors have research topics in these regions. The Tropical Centre of the University, with over twenty years experience in the tropics and subtropics, is unique in Germany and co-ordinates Hohenheim’s joint research and teaching activities and its international scientific and academic co-operations.
The Program is divided into four phases:
- German Language Course
New incoming Ph.D. students first take part in a German language course lasting four months. A good working knowledge of German will help the newcomers to improve their intercultural competence and to cope well with their daily life in a foreign country.
- Post-Graduate Course work
The language course is followed by the post-graduate course which also lasts four months. Students must choose at least three modules. The objective of the post-graduate course is to provide candidates with specific training in those areas and subjects which were not intensively taught at their home universities. These modules are selected by the faculty board from a list of more that 25 modules related to tropical and subtropical regions, according to the qualifications of the students and the topic of the Ph.D. thesis. Special emphasis is placed on research methodologies and scientific conceptual thinking. For example,students take part in the module entitled “Farming and Rural Systems Development” to become familiar with the complexity of systems in reality and the philosophy of systems research as well as with the methodologies, approaches and concepts of systems research. In the module entitled “Farm and Project Management and Evaluation” focussing mainly on methodologies of planning and evaluation at farm, household, family and project level, students should apply statistics, econometrics and system-modelling methods in order to simulate decision-making processes at different levels. The module entitled “Food Security and Development Strategies” will provide the students with a comprehensive understanding of the factors, issues and interlinkages affecting food security, increase in productivity and the use of natural resources. In addition, candidates can attend courses in related sciences such as “Livestock Production Systems and Development”, “Integrated Agricultural Production Systems” or “Ecology and Agro-Ecosystems” and “Rural Sociology and Extension”. The combination of courses in Agricultural Economics and related sciences is ideal to train students to develop, assess and use interdisciplinary concepts.
After the post-graduate course, students must prepare their research proposal. This will be accompanied by a comprehensive literature review on the topic of the thesis. In this period the students will also plan and prepare for the field work in their home country. The research proposal must be presented not only to the supervisor but also in seminars to fellow students and interested professors.
- Field research in the home country
After passing the course exams and preparing of the research proposal, students return to their country of origin for the field work. In this phase, lasting 3 - 12 months, Ph.D. students collect data and contact decision-makers in institutions and organisations. The home leave should also be used to promote and establish new contacts for collaboration between universities and to improve the possibilities for future employment and careers once the Ph.D. is finished.
During the field work, the supervisor from Hohenheim will visit the student to discuss the Ph.D. and field work together with the staff of the collaborating institution. Close contacts between the German supervisor and the partner institution in the home country of the student are essential for successful field work.
- Data analysis, evaluation, writing of the thesis and final Ph.D. exam in Germany
After coming back to Germany, students start with the analysis and evaluation of their data. Special emphasis is placed on the development of application-oriented methods for farming systems which can also be implemented in the home country to improve the situation of rural households. This is the most research-oriented part of the Ph.D. program requiring intensive work, discussion and supervision. The spectrum of research carried out by the candidates ranges from action research through concepts with specific focus on local knowledge up to approaches which are more dominated by quantitative economics. After data analysis and evaluation, the students write their Ph.D. thesis (in English) and take their final Ph.D. exam.
While writing their thesis, candidates are encouraged to publish articles and submit posters and papers to international workshops to make the results easily accessible to the international research community.
Students selected for this program are offered an all-round package: the University of Hohenheim will provide a supervisor, a German language course, a scholarship and intensive student counselling. Applications for this program must arrive at the University by 15th October for the program beginning 1st April of the following year.
Prof. Dr. Werner Doppler, University of Hohenheim, Department of Agricultural Economics and Social Sciences in the Tropics and Subtropics (490c), 70593 Stuttgart, Germany, phone no +49 (0)711 459 2514, fax no. +49 (0) 711 459 3812,
Marion Moser, University of Hohenheim, Department of Agricultural Economics and Social Sciences in the Tropics and Subtropics (490c), 70593 Stuttgart, Germany, phone no +49 (0)711 459 3658, fax no. +49 (0) 711 459 3812,
The abstract is submitted for a poster
Theme category 4: Farming Systems Education and Training