The Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Pathology is one of the oldest postgraduate degree
programmes in the Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection. The programme has
traditionally been offered purely by research and thesis without documented regulations and
syllabus. However, changes in government policies, academia, industry and society require
that the programme be revised to accommodate the new developments. The revised
curriculum has introduced coursework units that aim at imparting soft skills necessary in

In recent times, agricultural production systems have become increasingly more intensive and susceptible to adverse effects of climatic variability and changes in local, regional and global markets. In addition, the local, regional and global food situation is grim due to increased demand and the increasing use of staple food crops as alternative energy sources.