Unisa College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Department of Life and Consumer Sciences Master of Life Science

Unisa College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences

Department of Life and Consumer Sciences - Master of Life Science

2018 master’s and doctoral research focus areas

Department		Department of Life and Consumer Sciences
Qualification		Master of Life Science
Contact details for the Department of Life and Consumer Sciences		Ms Emelda Pimentel for all applications to the Masters of Life Science programme E-mail: [e-mail] Prof S Gildenhuys, Postgraduate Coordinator for the Masters of Life Science programme, Tel: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail]
Curriculum:		A research proposal module (MPLCS90) and a dissertation (DFLSC91). Students are required to first register and comply with the requirements for completion of the research proposal module and ethics application before registration for the dissertation will be allowed.
Purpose of Research Proposal Module: MPLCS90 for Master in Life Sciences		The purpose of this module is for students to gain the knowledge and skills required to execute a research project that falls within the scope of the research groups particular to Life science. The learner accredited with this module will be able to: Identify a research problem Formulate the problem, research questions and/or set appropriate hypothesis Set well defined research objectives Compile a literature review Present a suitable methodology and data analysis for the research project Identify the contribution the research will make Draft a research proposal that addresses all of the above
Purpose of Dissertation Module: DFLSC91 for Master in Life Sciences		The purpose of this module is for students to gain the knowledge and skills required in their identified field of research within the various disciplines within the Life Sciences in order to complete a research dissertation for the purposes of the MSc in Life Sciences. Students credited with this module demonstrate a wide range of specialised skills in implementing practical research towards identified research projects that address complex and challenging problems within the field of Life Sciences. Students will be able to conduct scientific research, provide scientific arguments, challenge existing theories, processes and procedures and propose new knowledge and academic arguments through the research conducted. Develop a draft article of the research conducted.
Application dates		Students interested in the Master in Life Science program need to apply during the bulk application dates of Unisa as posted on the Unisa website.
Admission requirements for the Master of Life Science		Admission to Master's studies is dependent on the candidate being in possession of a Bachelor of Honours degree (or equivalent) in any of the Life Sciences fields. A student who is admitted on the strength of an equivalent qualification and who has not completed a module in research methodology may be required to complete such a module at NQF level 8 for non-degree purposes (NDP) before he/she will be allowed to register for the research proposal module.
Selection procedure		An approved selection procedure which is in line with Unisa’s policies and equality and diversity in the discipline or department will be implemented. The following selection procedure will be applied: All students are required to first choose a qualification within the College of their choice All applicants are required to initially apply for a student number Students are then required to apply for admission and provide the required supporting documents Administrative verification will take place whereby students will be informed if any documentation is outstanding Application should reach the student admission office no later than the closing date indicated on the Unisa website The application will be forwarded to the Postgraduate Coordinator in the Department of Life and Consumer Sciences for consideration A selection committee consisting of the Research Committee within the department , supervisors in the Life Sciences discipline and Postgraduate Coordinator for the MSc in Life Sciences will complete the review process of the application by a date determined early in 2018 In cases where clarity is required on the application, the Postgraduate coordinator may consider requesting an interview (telephonic or in person) with the candidate Applications of selected candidates will be forwarded to the College Office for Research and Graduate Studies where after the selected applications will be forwarded to the College Research Innovation and Higher Degrees committee for final approval Successful candidates will be notified by the M&D section who will then assist with further registration for the Research Proposal Module.
Procedures for unsuccessful applications		Candidates who were unsuccessful may apply to the Postgraduate Coordinator for the Master of Life Science programme for the reasons for rejection of the application. All appeals will be considered by an appeal committee consisting of the Head of the College office for Research and Postgraduate Studies, Director for the School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chair of the Department of Life and Consumer Sciences and members of the Research Committee of the Department of Life and Consumer Sciences. The outcome of the appeal will be submitted to College management for approval A further appeal may be submitted through the appropriate Unisa procedures. To appeal the following document should be completed and submitted to the Postgraduate Administrator in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at [e-mail]
Documents to support application		In addition to the admission requirements, ALL APPLICANTS WHO HAVE NOT STUDIED WITH THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES BEFORE must submit the following documentation: A transcript or an academic record, A 4-page PDF concept document describing their intended research according to the project details and descriptions provided on the departmental website and after consulting with a potential supervisor: which will have to include an appropriate topic, research problem, objectives, brief literature background, suggested methodology and references. The Departmental Selection Document Form 1 An updated CV APPLICANTS WHO HAVE PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED A HONOURS IN LIFE SCIENCES OR STUDIED WITH UNISA ARE ONLY REQUIRED TO SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING: Academic record Copy of ID document A page on which the title of the study and potential supervisor is indicated All documentation has to be submitted in pdf format.
Selection criteria		Students who have not completed a qualification with Unisa before will be accepted on the following criteria as will be evaluated in the template provided: Applicant information provided Suggested research focus Research concept document evaluation If there is no supervisor capacity for the detailed project the application will not be considered for admission.
Alignment to Enrolment plan 2018 The admission of Master in Life Science students are aligned to the 2012 - 2019 Enrolment plan developed by the Department of Life and Consumer Sciences
New intake for 2018		The Enrolment plan for 2018 was designed to accommodate 48 students in the Master of Life Science programme. The selection committee will select 50 students from the applications received. Depending on the number of applicants, an additional 5 students will be placed on a secondary list in case any of the selected students on the primary list is unable to register. The selection committee may decide not to accommodate any applicants due to the quality of the concept documents submitted. The selection committee may also not make use of the secondary list of students depending on the number of applications received and the quality of the submission. Should 48 students apply and are found not to be successful in their application they will not be admitted. Students interested in multidisciplinary research or research with a teaching and learning focus may apply for the Masters in Life Sciences and will be evaluated according to the relevant focus of the research within the Teaching and Learning and ODL supervisors in CAES.
Motivation for intake		The MSc in Life Sciences programme to annually increase their intake by 9% in each year. Currently there are 8 permanent senior life scientists with PhDs and 4 permanent lecturers with an MSc who can supervise MSc research. There are also academic staff members appointed on contract who can add greatly to co-supervision and supervision where applicable. In addition, laboratory staff can assist with technical aspects of projects. Additional posts will be filled in the current year. There is enough capacity within the department to supervise selected students.
Alignment of intake to Research Fields Applicants will be required to align the proposed research they will be presenting to any one of the research themes stipulated below. The research outline if required should be presented as a four-page PDF document and should be in line with the research interest of a potential supervisor. The proposed research should be developed within the broad context of the research project in consultation with the potential supervisor.
Potential Life Science supervisors and their specialisation areas	Potential supervisors Specialization area of supervisors Prof SL Lebelo Male reproductive function Prof S Gildenhuys Protein biochemistry Prof MM Ntwasa Drug Discovery & Development Prof JB Dewar Microbiology and Molecular biology Dr M Dingaan Grassland Ecology Dr TJ Makhafola Biochemistry Dr N O Mapholi Molecular genetics Dr N Parbhoo Computational protein chemistry Dr FT Tabit Food Microbiology Dr Swanepoel Sodium and blood pressure Ms. LT Mankga Plant evolution Mr MC Monyama Medical Microbiology Mrs. C Myburgh Cardiovascular Physiology Mrs EA Symington Nutrition Ms A Lithole Vector-Borne Diseases : Systematics & molecular epidemiology
Motivation for the number of students accommodated	Depending on changing circumstances, the number of students admitted will also be determined by the availability and capacity of a supervisor. This may mean that a supervisor may be able to take more students than the enrolment numbers or as allocated in the projects listed above. The enrolment number may also be determined by the number of applications received which may be fewer than required. The selection committee will determine the circumstances for selecting more or fewer students depending on unplanned changes to the profile of the available supervisors.

Research project options
Potential supervisor with contact details			Research Theme		Number of MSc projects within this theme
Prof S Gildenhuys email: [e-mail] Tel: [phone]			Characterizing structure function relationships of proteins		2
Prof SL Lebelo Email: [e-mail] Tel: [phone]			Medicinal plants effects on the processes of spermatogenesis and spermiogenesis		1
Prof SL Lebelo Email: [e-mail] Tel: [phone]			Effects of medicinal plants on the function of Leydig cells and sertoli cells		1
Prof MM Ntwasa Email: [e-mail] Tel: [phone]			Anticancer and antimicrobial Drug Discovery		2
Prof JB Dewar Email: [e-mail] Tel: [phone]			Molecular epidemiology and characterization of gastroenteritis viruses and bacteria		1
Prof JB Dewar Email: [e-mail] Tel: [phone]			Water analysis		1
Dr M Dingaan email: [e-mail] Tel: [phone]			Plant diversity and productivity in the Grassland Biome, South Africa		1
Dr T J Makhafola Email: [e-mail]			Ethnopharmacology (Antimicrobial, anticancer, antimutagenic activity, Chemoprevention)		3
Dr T J Makhafola Email: [e-mail]			Toxicology (Hepatoprotective and nephroprotective effects of South African plants)		3
Dr N O Mapholi Email: [e-mail]			Population genetic variation, identification of genomic region associated with disease resistance using DNA markers, and DNA/RNA sequencing for genes associated to economic important traits.		1
Dr FT Tabit email: [e-mail]   Tel: [phone]			Prevalence and characterisation of foodborne pathogens isolated from food products		2
Ms LT Mankga email: [e-mail] Tel: [phone]			Plant systematics, Biogeography and climate change		1
Mr MC Monyama email: [e-mail] Tel: [phone]			Exploration of bacterial communities by next generation sequencing		1
Dr N Parbhoo Email: [e-mail] Tel:[phone]			Protein-protein/drug interaction analysis		1
Dr B Swanepoel email: [e-mail] Tel: [phone]			Sodium consumption and blood pressure in children aged 6 – 12 years		1
EA Symington Email: [e-mail] Tel: [phone]			Nutrition during pregnancy and early development		2

Research Proposal module details All research projects listed above feed directly into the development of the research proposal MPLCS90 for which students will register if they have been successfully admitted to the Master of Life Sciences.
Assessment mode for MPLCS90	The research proposal will be assessed through the use of an assessment template consisting of key assessment categories that pertain to a research proposal
Assessment criteria for Research proposal	The assessment of the research proposal will be conducted as follows: The proposal will also be vetted by two appropriate internal departmental experts of which one should at least be familiar with the field of research. If these experts’ results are consistent and in agreement, the result will be communicated to the students’ supervisor from the office of the COD. If the experts’ results differ substantially (acceptance and rejection), a third examiner will be asked to review the proposal and provide an outcome. A vetting committee consisting of the Research Committee in the Department of Life and Consumer Sciences consisting of the following profiles - senior staff members and/or may have NRF rating and/or are supervisors or co-supervisors of students and/or have examined research proposals before and/or have been requested to act as an external examiner for other universities - will meet and determine the outcome for students where examiners reports were substantially different and if there are any particularly extraordinary circumstances with a proposal or student. The supervisor is required to be present at the vetting committee meeting convened for a student under their supervision. Verbal feedback will be given to the supervisor and the template on which the comments were documented will be returned to the supervisor in order to amend the proposal where necessary If the proposal is approved, the student and supervisor will receive a letter of approval from the COD
Assessment criteria for Research Proposal for Master in Life Sciences
Mode of delivery of MPLCS90	Online delivery will be followed through means of various tools on myUnisa, Video conferencing sessions may be organised by the post graduate programme coordinator for all MSc students in the department of Life and Consumer Sciences A seminar may also be organised for the presentation of completed research proposals which may be delivered through video conferencing or on the Florida campus
Mode of supervision for MPLCS90	Supervision may be delivered in different modes depending on the requirement of the supervisor and study design: One-on-one contact sessions may be required which can be delivered through video conferencing for students in remote areas or through personal visits to the supervisor if the student is able to visit the Unisa Science Campus Email contact on a personal basis to assist in addressing student queries will be the main mode of delivery Track-changed documents or scanned pdf documents in which the supervisor has made corrections or provided suggestions will be used.
External supervision	Should the need arise to include an external supervisor, the decision will be made based on the expertise or assistance required from an external supervisor on a particular part of the project. This will only be implemented if the internal capacity of supervision cannot support the requirement of the research project. Students undertaking research outside the borders of South Africa must be allocated an external supervisor/co-supervisor who is knowledgeable, or resides in the area in which the research is undertaken. Students are welcome to identify possible external supervisors, however, the selection and contract appointment of these external supervisors remains the responsibility of the Department of Life and Consumer Sciences.
Collaboration	The Department of Life and Consumer Sciences has collaborative agreements with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Agricultural research council (ARC) Where relevant, a student may be placed in collaborative research with the above institution or with any other institution as and when collaborative agreements are made.