Faculty of Science and Agriculture


The Faculty is committed to producing creative and knowledgeable graduates – thus contributing to the alleviation of skills shortages and thereby assisting in the economic and social development of the country. All programmes in the Faculty have been re-curriculated for relevance and they are all quality assured by the relevant committees of the University Senate. In addition they are accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) of the Department of Education and registered within the South African Qualifications Framework (SAQA). In order to increase access to these programmes, the Faculty has introduced a Foundation Programme to assist under-prepared students from the surrounding region.

The Faculty is sensitive to the need for community engagement. Some of the areas of its involvement are: basic health services, rural development, water related service initiatives, service to schools and IT support services. Worthy of mention is the Unizul Science Centre which presents annual matriculation examination workshops and hosts 25 000 visitors, mostly high school students, each year.

On the research front, several members of staff are actively involved in research projects which have local, national and global impact. Eight of our researchers are rated by the National Research Foundation (NRF). Funding for the various research projects is from the University, the NRF and governmental and non-governmental bodies. Linkages and collaboration are with industry, national and international universities and other organizations. This makes our research relevant and at the cutting edge. Research units, e.g. CRUZ (Coastal Research Unit of Zululand) and HRU (Hydrological Research Unit) have been created to assist in the promotion of relevant research.

Vision

To be a leading Faculty of Science and Agriculture, nationally and globally, in a rural-based, comprehensive university, providing quality career focussed programmes through teaching, research, scholarship and community outreach.

Mission

1. To provide access to students from diverse backgrounds to an enabling and caring learning and teaching environment
2. To respond to the global demand for human resource development by training graduates in relevant programmes
3. To generate knowledge through research in the pure and applied sciences and to disseminate it through publications, teaching and development, in partnership with the community and other constituencies.