Duration:                                                 18 months

Actual Credit Load:                                 270

Minimum Credit Load:                            270

Maximum Credit Load:                           330

Minimum MBKs Credits:                        234

ZNQF Level;                                           9

 PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAMME

The programme aims to enhance knowledge, skills and competencies in the broad areas of safety, health and environmental management relevant to various employment capabilities and careers in the world of work. These will be achieved through:

Provision of comprehensive and systematic knowledge in safety, health and environmental management.

Instilling awareness in students of the need for management of change to anticipate and adopt a policy in light of new technology.

Enhancing the students’ ability to identify, analyse and propose responses to complex issues and problems drawing systematically and creatively on the principles, theories and methodologies of safety, health and environmental management.

Developing an understanding of advanced safety, health and environmental management practice and to reflect their professional practice.   

Developing powers of critical appraisal and analytical thinking to develop appropriate strategies to meet developmental efforts, especially to Zimbabwe, the SADC and the world at large.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Normal Entry:   Bachelor of Science Honours in Safety, Health and Environmental Science or Geography and Environmental Studies/Science with 2.2 pass or better.

PROGRAMME CHARACTERISTICS

Areas of Study:            Hazard Management; Occupational Safety and Health Management; Occupational Hygiene; Environmental Management; Safety, Health and Environmental Policy and Legislation.

Specialist Focus:          Safety, health and environmental management studies in different sectors of the economy.                   

Orientation:                  Research and innovation oriented. Teaching and learning are professionally oriented and focused on practical aspects.

Distinctive Features:   The programme builds the research-technology-innovation-management continuum and focuses on knowledge development using a student-centred approach

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AND FURTHER EDUCATION

Employability:             Careers in occupational safety and health; environmental management; research institutions; positions in academia; safety, health and environmental consultancy; disaster management.

Further Studies:           Doctoral studies in Safety, Health and Environmental Management.

PROGRAMME DELIVERY

Teaching and Learning Methods: Lectures, laboratory activities, seminars, group work, field-based activities, research projects, and individual independent study.

Assessment Methods: Written and oral examinations, tests, written and practical assignments, field reports and seminar presentations.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

Level 1 Semester 1                                                                                                  Credits

MSHE 731 Risk Assessment and Management                                                       18

MSHE 732 Safety, Health and Environmental Law and Regulations                      18

MSHE 733 Techniques for Safety, Health and Environmental Management          18

MSHE 734 Food Safety Management                                                                      18

MSHE 735 Research Methods and Statistics                                                           18

Level 1 Semester 2

Core modules

MSHE 736 Occupational Hygiene and Safety                                                         18

MSHE 737Environmental Epidemiology                                                                 18

MSHE 738 Climate Change, Safety and Health Impacts Management                   18

Electives (It is mandatory to choose two modules from those listed below)

MSHE 739 Sustainable Waste Management                                                            18

MSHE 740 Environmental Planning and Implementation                                       18

MSHE 741 Agro-Ecological Resources Management                                             18

MSHE 742 Indigenous Knowledge Systems and the Environment                         18

Level 2 Semester 1

MSHE 831 Research Project                                                                                    90

SYNOPSES

MSHE 731 Risk Assessment and Management

The module provides an overview of the basic concepts of risk assessment. Topics include the four core parts of a risk assessment, namely, hazard assessment, close-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. Methods of measurement and modelling are discussed, along with key questions concerning uncertainty.

MSHE 732 Safety, Health and Environmental Law and Regulations

The module covers the principles and rules of international law and regulations which have as their primary objective the protection of the environment as well as addressing safety and health issues. The general themes and principles of international environmental law, international investment law, the international law of treaties, law development and the international community and marine law among other laws and regulations are covered.

 MSHE 733 Techniques for Safety, Health and Environmental Management

The module highlights and discusses tools, techniques and approaches that are now seen as central to delivering safety, health and environmental management and sustainability. These tools include geographical information systems, remote sensing, substance flow analysis, material flow analysis, carbon footprinting, health impact assessment, social impact assessment, ecological footprinting, life cycle assessment and corporate social responsibility.

MSHE 734 Food Safety Management

The module aims to equip students with knowledge of food safety management at various levels. This involves the characteristics of the food industry, food safety hazards, good manufacturing practices, standards in food safety management, conducting audits within food industry as well as conducting a hazard analysis critical control points study. The module also examines policies and legislation governing food safety management at various scales.

MSHE 735 Research Methods and Statistics

The module examines the research methods appropriate for both qualitative and quantitative methods including the philosophical underpinnings of research methodology, proposal design, searching and literature review, ethical issues in research, research instruments design, experimental and quasi-experimental designs, qualitative analysis and statistical analysis of data.

MSHE 736 Occupational Hygiene and Safety

The module introduces students to principles of occupational hygiene such as the fundamentals of toxicology, industrial diseases, and hygiene standards. Toxicological principles relevant to developing an understanding of workplace health hazards will also be reviewed. The module further encourages critical evaluation of concepts in occupational hygiene and exploration of practical approaches to minimizing ill health in the workplace.

MSHE 737 Environmental Epidemiology

Human activities play an important part in virtually all natural systems and are forces of change in the environment at local, regional, and even global scales. Environmental factors play a significant role in the health of communities. The module explores causal and non-casual relationships between environmental health issues through an examination of the nature of the relationships between population, health and environmental management.

MSHE 738 Climate Change, Safety and Health Impacts Management

The module provides a multi-disciplinary understanding of climate change processes and their direct and indirect interactions with human safety and health. It further enables students to develop strategies to manage climate change-related safety and health issues in different contexts, including organizations.

MSHE 739 Sustainable Waste Management

The module looks at how all forms of waste are managed. It presents the concept of Integrated Sustainable Waste Management in the context of assessing the sustainability of waste management alliances. It considers stakeholder participation in waste management issues and seeks to encourage the analysis of interactions between and among urban systems as well as promoting integration of different habitat scales e.g. city/town or household.

MSHE 740 Environmental Planning and Implementation

The module examines the tools and instruments used in environmental planning and assesses their information requirements. Environmental planning approaches are outlined with reference to policies, programmes and projects. It also involves the use of geo-information in environmental planning and implementation, the participatory aspects of stakeholder analysis as well as the information needs for environmental planning and implementation.

MSHE 741 Agro-Ecological Resources Management

The module takes a holistic study of agro-ecosystems, including all environmental and human elements. It focuses on the form, dynamics and functions of their inter-relationships and the processes in which they are involved. Any area used for agricultural production is viewed as a complex system in which ecological processes found under natural conditions also occur. This module also examines the principles of agro-ecological systems.

MSHE 742 Indigenous Knowledge Systems and the Environment

The module aims to promote, develop and protect through research and by making indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) a value development model in natural resource utilisation and management, safety and health.

MSHE 831 Research Project

The module helps students to plan, design and carry out their dissertation, provides guidelines on how to choose a suitable topic, undertake literature review, apply appropriate research methods, collect and analyse data and manage the write up process. It also provides individual feedback to students on their proposals which they can incorporate in their final dissertation.