Sintayehu and Solomon_2024 Graduate Research in Animal Sciences: Scoping Review of Published Theses under Hawassa University- 2009 to 2022

Abstract

Until 2004, Haromaya University was the only Ethiopian institution having animal science study programs at MSc levels. In 2004 Hawassa University launched its first MSc programs in various agricultural fields, including animal science specializations, and the first batches were admitted in 2005. In the past 20 years, the study programs are expanding and diversifying by fields of specializations. Recently, quite many Ethiopian public Universities are launching research based MSc programs throughout the county. It is paramount to review the progress of such study programs at the country level. This scoping review focused on theses produced by animal science graduates from Hawassa University, and theses produced from 2009-2022 were assessed. The study was initiated to shed light on the trends of graduate study programs in the field, but also to demonstrates how to show the quality of research by graduate students. This study described the theses (in animal science fields) in terms of research focus by livestock species studied, geographic coverage, data collection approaches, statistical methods employed. The study further assessed whether graduate researches are orientated towards problem solving research or if it were rather focuses on information seeking/gathering/assessments. Out of the 197 theses assessed, 77% of the theses fall under information seeking/gathering/assessments researches. Only 22% theses were orientated toward investigative and problem solving research. Empirical evidences generated from such a study will contribute, as inputs, to entail to revisit the graduate study programs in animal science fields and to increase the contribution of graduate students’ research output throughout the country. Revisiting the programs would contribute to increasing the contributions such graduate study programs for livestock sector development. Should Ethiopian Universities produce impactful research outputs and contribute to increased quality research and research outputs and also bring societal change and economic development, this case study might shed lights to a further country wide scoping reviews for all agricultural fields at BSc, MSc and PhD levels.