The Board of Trustees (BOT) of the University of Belize on March 27, 2018, approved four new Undergraduate programs effective for the new academic year 2018-2019. These four programs under the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) are in alignment with UB’s Transformational Plan: Vision 2022.
After many years of teaching Agriculture at the Associate Degree level, this program will now be expanded to the Baccalaureate level through two additional years of training. Students will now be able to read for a full BSc. Degree in Applied Agriculture. This program will facilitate Belize’s food and agriculture thrust, through professional development.
The FST is also introducing a significantly revised Bachelor’s program in Biology. This has been done to meet the expectations of our various stakeholders including our feeder institutions so as to update the program in order to prepare and equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to meet the job market requirements in the field. The BOT heard that many of UB’s graduates in Biology progress to specialized areas in the Health Sciences, Environment and Natural Resources Management fields, etc.
In response to the technical and professional need for statisticians, the FST is also introducing a four-year Bachelor Degree in Statistics. The demand for Statisticians in Belize has been steadily increasing and is expected to continue to grow with the implementation of the National Statistical Systems (NSS) of Belize.
The FST is also very pleased to introduce a one-year professional Certificate program in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). This program is intended to be the first of its kind, exposing students to the major concepts and rationale of spatial data and its role in addressing environmental, land and natural resource issues. It is designed to produce skilled GIS professionals.
In commenting on this development, the President of the University of Belize, Professor Emeritus Clement Sankat stated, “UB’s programs must be significantly updated, enhanced and expanded to meet the growing and changing knowledge and skills requirement for a modern, food secure, environmentally conscious and data driven Belize and the world”. He also congratulated the Dean of FST, Ms. Juliane Pasos, the Central Farm Campus Administrator, Dr. Gordon Holder and all Faculty who contributed to this curriculum renewal at the UB.
The University of Belize will be considering suitably qualified candidates who have applied for these programs in time for the new Academic Year beginning in August 2018. For more information, contact the Office of Admissions at UB at 822-2680/81 ext. 471 or [email protected].
