Programmes

Entrance Requirements

The normal requirement for entrance into the Bachelor’s Degree in Population Studies Programme shall be:

a) A minimum of 5 credits (one of which is Mathematics) in the Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) or its equivalent;
Or:
b) A GPA of at least 2.0 in the Diploma in Population Studies of this University or its equivalent;

Other qualifications for entrance to the Bachelor’s Degree in Population Studies may be accepted on their own merit as alternatives as shown by the General Regulation 00.052.

Duration of the Programme

The normal duration for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Population Studies Programme shall be 8 to 10 semesters of full-time study.

Level 100

Semester 1

Core courses (9 credits)

POP120 Introduction to Substantive Demography (3)
STA101 Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences (3)
STA116 Introduction to Statistics (4)

General Education courses (8)

Semester 2

Core courses (6 credits)

POP121 Introduction to Epidemiology and Technical Demography (3)
STA102 Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences (3) (Prereq STA101)

General Education courses (8)

Level 200

Semester 3

Core courses (6 credits)

POP220 History of Fertility, Mortality and Migration (3)
POP221 Theories of Fertility, Mortality and Migration (3)

Students entering the degree programme after the completing of their diploma should take STA101 as well if the course was not taken during the diploma studies.

Semester 4

Core courses (6 credits)

POP222 Demography of Botswana (3)
POP223 Demographic Techniques (3)

Optional courses (3)

Select one from the following:

POP224 Demographic Aspects of the Labour Force (3)
POP225 Demographic Aspects of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic (3)

Elective courses (3)
General Education courses (3)

Students entering the degree programme after the completing of their diploma should take STA102 as well if the course was not taken during the diploma studies.

Level 300

Semester 5

Core course (9 credits)

POP300 Sources, Evaluation, Adjustment and Analysis of Demographic Data (3)
POP302 Research Methods (3)
POP304 Inter-relationships of Fertility, Mortality and Migration (3)

Semester 6

Core courses (3 credits)
POP301 Computer Applications in Population Analysis (3)

Optional courses (3)

Select from the following:

POP303 Migration, Urbanisation and Development(3)
POP305 Population Policies and Programmes (3)
General Education courses (4)

Level 400

Semester 7

Core courses (9 credits)

POP400 Integrating Population Variables into Development Planning (3)
POP402 Indirect Estimation Techniques (3)

Elective courses (3)

General Education courses (2)

Semester 8

Core course

POP401 Research paper (3)

Optional courses (6 credits)

Select from the following:

POP403 Population, Development and Environment (3)
POP404 Gender, Reproductive Health and Development (3)
POP405 Demographic Dimensions of Poverty (3)
POP406 Demographic Aspects of Ageing (3)
POP407 Demographics (3)

Assessment

Each course shall be evaluated by a combination of continuous assessment and final examination or semester paper in the ratio of 2:3.

Progression

In order to proceed from one semester to the next, a student must obtain a Cumulative GPA that is in accordance with General Regulation 00.9.

General Education Courses offered by the Department.

Semester 1 & 2

GEC372 Migration and Globalisation (2)
GEC278 Population and Society (2)
GEC330 Research Methods (3) (Co-taught on rotational basis with Sociology Department).