Master in Geospatial Information & Land Administration

Department of Cartography

Programme Philosophy

Geo-information is used in all sphere of life by citizens and civil society for community-based planning, by politicians in decision making and policy formulation, and by bureaucrats within and across multiple organizations. Geo-information has emerged to be a useful resource in building a prosperous society and improving societal well-being and has attracted widespread use in the public sector for core government activities such as Land Administration. Nowadays, the integration of Geo-information and Information and Communication Technology has brought a paradigm shift in the research and practice of land administration. Many public sectors organizations in African countries have invested in digital cadastral and land registration systems, and even more further to provide electronic land administration services to citizens using internet technology. However, the scientific knowledge for performing these functions is grossly inadequate in Africa. The African Regional Institute for Geospatial Information Science and Technology (AFRIGIST) plans to address the critical dearth of scientific knowledge and skilled personnel in Geo-information Science and Land Administration in Africa by offering a Professional Master (PM) programme.

  • International Focus
  • Residential Courses
  • Focus On People
  • Student Dedication
  • Career Placement

Programme Objectives

The aim of the PM programme is to develop a critical understanding of, and competence in, geo-information science, and to develop capabilities for designing land administration systems for good governance and societal well-being.
Upon successful completion of the programme, participants will be able to:

      1. Use geo-information science to generate, integrate, analyse and display spatial data;
      2. Evaluate and apply relevant and appropriate methods and models for data analysis and problem-solving in land administration;
      3. Understand the concept of good governance in land tenure and administration;
      4. Analyse land administration components and land administration systems to serve society
      5. Understand the concept of land policy and policy instruments, tenure security, land markets, land reform, land use planning and land taxation;
      6. Identify and operate geo-information and Information and Communication Technology appropriate for the functioning of land administration systems;
      7. Carry out multi-disciplinary and integrated projects in geo-information and land administration under different specializations paramount to societal well-being and human development;
      8. Develop and implement sustainable electronic land administration and electronic government interventions and
      9. Design, present and defend proposals for development projects.

    Justification for the Programme
    Recent problems in sub-Saharan Africa such as land grabbing, land conflicts and rapid urbanization require increasingly rapid, up-to-date, reliable and integrated land information. Therefore, an update in the recent understanding and application of land administration methods and approaches is necessary help to achieve the interests and aims of the governments, individual citizens and groups. Land professionals in Africa and various governments need to improve their current land administration systems in order to cope with the demands from local communities, different tiers of government, conflicts between public and private interests and environmental challenges. Geo-information technology has progressed in such a way that more integrated ways are possible for citizens to extract and construct their own land information than ever before. In consideration of the new developments on land issues, the interest of the international and regional economic communities, it has become urgent and necessary to update the land professionals on new technologies and policies regarding land administration and enhance the capacity of governments for land security towards poverty alleviation.

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Course Outline

Course Code Course Title Contact Hours Credit Units Total Contact Hours
Lecture Tutorial Practical
PRS 611(C) Principles of Remote Sensing 2 – 3 3 5
GIS 611(C) Principles of Geographic Information Science 2 – 3 3 5
GIS 612(C) Principles of Spatial Databases 2 – 3 3 5
CAR 611(C) Principles  of Cartography 2 – 3 3 5
GIS 613(C) Geo-Statistics 2 – 3 3 5
GLA 611(C) Principles of Land Administration 2 – 3 3 5
PRS 613(C) Introduction to Programming 2 – 3 3 5
Total 21

Course Code Course Title Contact Hours Credit Units Total Contact Hours
Lecture Tutorial Practical
GLA 621(C) Land Information Management 2 – 3 3 5
GLA 622(C) Geo-ICT and Land Administration 2 – 3 3 5
GLA 623(C) Evaluation of land administration systems 2 – 3 3 5
GLA 624(C) Geo-information and Governance 2 – 3 3 5
GLA 625(C) Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and organisational development 2 – 3 3 5
GIS 623(C) Research methodology 2 – 3 3 5
GLA 616(C) Final Project 6 5
Elective Courses 6
Total 21
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Admission Requirements

Qualifications

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Applicants should have a minimum of Bachelor degree (with a minimum of second class Honours) from a recognized university in a discipline related to land Administration, surveying and Ge-oinformatics, Cartography and Geography, preferably combined with relevant working experience. In addition, applicants must have credits in Mathematics, English Language and two science or social science subjects (or arts subjects for Law graduates) at Ordinary Level.

The following qualifications are also acceptable for the PM GLA degree programme:

  • RECTAS Technologist Diploma in Geoinformation Production and management (GPM4) or equivalent with a minimum score of 60%,
  • A Higher National Diploma (HND) in GIS, Cartography or Surveying and Geoinformatics or Equivalent.

Since land Administration is a very broad and multidisciplinary, graduates of the following disciplines are particularly encouraged to apply: Surveying and Geoinformatics, Estate Management, Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Science, Town Planning, Geography, Economics, Public administration, Political Science and law.

Programme Duration

 The programme is Full Time, and the duration is minimum of 12 months (2 semesters)

Graduation Requirements

To be eligible for the award of Professional Master in Geo-information and Land Administration (PM GLA) the students must have:

  • a minimum of 50% pass in all registered courses;
  • registered and passed a minimum of 42 course credit units;
  • successfully completed and defended the final project in an oral examination; and
  • fulfilled all other conditions as prescribed by the Academic Board.
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METHOD OF APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION

Candidates must submit duly completed application forms to the Centre not later than the 30th of May of the intended year of study for courses beginning in October of Every year

Successful applicants should report at the centre with the following documents:

  • Certificate of medical fitness from a recognised Public health Institution;
  • Statement of support by candidate’s financial sponsor/Employer (where applicable)
  • 2 passport-size photographs of the candidate; and
  • Photocopies of degrees, diplomas, certificates and other credentials including transcript of academic records, original copy of which shall be presented on arrival at the Centre.

Private Candidates or Candidates Sponsored by Non-Member States

All private application forms (including non-residential courses), duly completed and signed by applicants, should be returned directly to the Executive Director of the Centre.

Candidates Sponsored by Member States

In order to be eligible for AFRIGIST fellowship a prospective candidate is encouraged to obtain nomination from his/her country’s Respective member in AFRIGIST Governing Council (Benin, Burkina, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal). Fellowship covers tuition accommodation, feeding stipend and other allowances.

Candidates can also seek support, scholarships and fellowships from national and international organisations such as State Governments and Departments, Ministries and agencies, Educational Trust Fund (ETF), Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF), Shell or other oil companies, UNDP, DFID, IFRA, UNESCO, Ford Foundation, etc.

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