About the School

The School of Pure and Applied Sciences (SPAS) is among the first schools to be created after the launch of the University in 2007. The School offer programmes at Diploma, Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral levels in five (5) Departments:
  1. Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology
  2. Department of Biological Sciences
  3. Department of Chemistry
  4. Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences
  5. Department of Physics
In addition, the School services Diploma and Degree programmes in the Schools of Environmental Sciences, Education, Health and Human Sciences, Agriculture and Agribusiness among others. In line with the University’s Strategic Plan to be a Centre of excellence for research in the areas of Fisheries, Marine Sciences and Oceanography, the School of Pure and Applied Sciences has designed fit for purpose programmes to address these niche areas as part of the effort to enable the community to engage, and invest in the “Blue Economy”. The School has also reviewed its academic programmes in line with the expected transition to the Competency Based Curricula (CBC). The School is in the process of launching the following niche programmes;
  • Bachelor of Science in Conservation Biology
  • Bachelor of Science in Energy and Environment Technology
  • Bachelor of Science in Oceanography
  • Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security and Forensics?
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The full list of programmes offered at the School and the university can be found here (hyperlink).

The School has several postgraduate programmes including MSc Bioinformatics, MSc Immunology and MSc. Fisheries among others, which are funded under collaborative programmes; MSc Bioinformatics is supported by the National Institutes of Health (USA) through establishment of the Eastern Africa Network for Bioinformatics Training (EANBiT), the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), the Kenya Medical Research Institute – Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP), the Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa (BecA) and Uganda Virology Research Institute (UVRI). The MSc Immunology is supported by the Initiative to Develop African Research Leaders (IDeAL) programme through the Kenya Medical Research Institute – Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP), while the research for MSc. Fisheries Candidates receives support from the Western Indian Ocean Marine Sciences Association (WIOMSA) and various projects including WorldBank Funded Fisheries Projects (including KCDP, KEMFSED) among others.

Other notable research and training partners and collaborators include at the regional and international level include:

Universities

  • University of Glasgow, UK
  • University College Dublin (UCD) Ireland
  • University of Örebro, Sweden
  • Technical University of Denmark
  • Technical University of Munich, Germany
  • University of Nottingham, UK
  • University of Georgia, USA
  • University of Milano – Bicocca, Italy
  • University of Wageningen, The Netherlands

Research Institutes

  • National Research Fund (NRF), Kenya
  • KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP)
  • Kenya Marine & Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI)
  • International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe, Kenya)
  • International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT, Kenya)
  • Centre for Genomic Regulation (Spain)
  • Wildlife Research and Training Institute WRTI

NGOs, CBOs and Others

  • Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO) East Africa, Mombasa, Kenya
  • Galana Wildlife Conservancy, Galana, Kenya
  • Wildlife Conservation Society, Mombasa Kenya
  • Watamu Marine Association, Watamu Kenya
  • Kwetu Training Centre, Mtwapa Kenya
  • Olive Ridley Turtle Project, Diani, Kenya