The Board of Trustees of the University of Belize (UB)has announced the addition of four undergraduate programmes effective academic year 2018-2019.

They are bachelor’s degrees in applied agriculture, biology, and statistics, as well as a one-year professional certificate in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), all of which fall under the Faculty of Science and Technology.

The approval was made on March 27, 2018.

The university said the programmes are aligned with its Transformational Plan: Vision 2022.

The agriculture programme is expected to facilitate Belize’s food and agriculture thrust, while the biology course is expected to meet the expectations of various stakeholders and prepare students to meet the job market requirements in the field.

With respect to the statistics programme, the University of Belize reported that it is in response to the growing demand for statisticians, which is expected to continue with the implementation of the Central American country’s National Statistical Systems of Belize.

The GIS programme, meanwhile, is intended to be the first of its kind in the country, exposing students to the major concepts of spatial data and its role in addressing environmental, land and natural resource issues. It is designed to produce skilled GIS professionals.

“UB’s programmes must be significantly updated, enhanced and expanded to meet the growing and changing knowledge and skills requirements for a modern, food-secure, environmentally conscious and data-driven Belize and the world,” university president Professor Emeritus Clement Sankat said of the development.

The University of Belize has begun accepting applications for these programmes in time for the new school year, beginning in August 2018. For more information, contact the Office of Admissions at 822-2680/81 ext. 471 or admissions@ub.du.bz.