Department Environmental Studies, Geography & Planning

Welcome to the Department Environmental Studies, Geography & Planning at Maasai Mara University. Our mission is to offer world-class knowledge transfer experience and research in environmental studies and natural resource management and directly impact the community we are in through community outreach and partnerships.

We take great pride in contributing to Kenya’s attainment of the Vision 2030 and SDGs through building human capital required for the transition to a knowledge-driven economy and wealth creation through reinvigorated graduate and post-graduate programmes. We endeavor to contribute to enhancing the Science-Policy interface through demand-driven applied research for sustainable community development, and rigorously training post-graduate students who can stand on their own feet. We also look to extend our networks through mutually beneficial teaching and research collaborations.

The department offers the following 5 undergraduate programmes: BSc. In Environmental Studies, Bachelor of Earth Sciences, Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning, Bachelor of Environmental Management and Policy and BA Geography and Geospatial Techniques. The courses are offered through contemporary field-oriented and student-centered learning methods using the surrounding biodiversity-rich Mara River Basin and surrounding Mau Water Tower as natural field laboratories. The department offers the following postgraduate course: MSc. Environmental Studies in which students can specialize in any one of the following areas: Environmental Biology, Environmental Economics, Environmental Health, Environmental Information Systems, Environmental Law, Environmental Earth Sciences, Environmental Planning and Management, and Human Ecology. Other master programmes are MA in Geography, Master of Environmental Planning and Management and Master of Science in Land Resource Management. The department offers the following Ph.D. programmes: Ph.D. Environmental Studies (Environmental Biology), Ph.D. Environmental Studies (Environmental Health), Ph.D. in Environmental Planning and Management and Ph.D. in Land Resource Management.

We are committed to world-class teaching and providing solutions to environmental problems in Narok County and the region. The exploitation of natural resources in the University environs is a great challenge, and the execution of our mandate has never been more strategic. Our research seeks to develop models that can be used to guide natural resource exploitation and livelihood diversification in environments highly impacted by changing climatic conditions like Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).

Prospective students and looking for careers in natural resource management will find our degree and diploma programmes a splendid Launchpad for their careers.