Introduction
Today’s most severe problem is the gap between three pillars of sustainability; nature, society and the economy, are continuously widening, and the contradictions within these three sub-systems are also becoming more and more evident, thus none of these three pillars can be considered stable at its own. The intelligent response to this present situation would be the harmonization of nature, society and the economy. BS (Four Years) Rural Development is a multidisciplinary program that focuses on certain research problems and subjects require approaches, social and environmental dynamics affecting populations, activities and resources of rural areas. In this sense, BS Rural Development is conceived as a process resulting from joined-up actions which aim at producing socio-economic and environmental change within rural areas towards an improvement of the well-being of rural populations. Due to the complex and dynamic nature of rural areas, which is determined by social, economic, soil and climate, and technological factors, BS Rural Development conceives rural development as a process that is permanently evolving, interacting, and hierarchical regarding its results.
OBJECTIVES
BS Rural Development aims at training professionals at master level to be capable of performing their activities in the fields of teaching, academic research and actions of intervention through the acquisition of methods and concepts which allow them to implement projects and carry out planning activities in favour of rural development. In this sense, the objectives of this program are:
- To analyze and evaluate the design, implementation and management of rural development projects and programs, as well as the consequences of these actions for society.
- To investigate the implementation of public policies through the analysis and evaluation of rural development actions implemented at regional and local level.
- To analyze the impacts and implications of contemporary public policies based on the participation and decentralization of rural populations.
- To connect the insights on rural development with general socio-economic, political and cultural development. These objectives are intended to integrate rural development in a wider view on the concept of social development.
Eligibility Criteria
The candidates having both pre-medical & pre-engineering or equivalent with at least second division (45.0% marks) from national and international recognized institutions will be eligible to apply. Foreign certificate/degree holders will need to provide an equivalence certificate from IBCC to seeking admission in BS Rural Development
Selection Process
Open Merit
Duration
Medium of Instruction
Teaching Methodology
Open Distance Learning
Total Credits Hours Required
|
Course Code |
Course title |
Credit Hours |
Cluster |
|
9382 |
Functional English |
3(3+0) |
Functional English |
|
9378 |
Ideology and Constitution of Pakistan |
3(3+0) |
Ideology and Constitution of Pakistan |
|
9401/ 5437 |
Islamic Studies / Ethics |
3(3+0) |
Islamic Studies / Ethics |
|
9424 |
Quantitative Reasoning-I |
3(3+0) |
Quantitative Reasoning |
|
9403 |
Pakistani Adab-1 |
3(3+0) |
Arts & Humanities |
|
|
Sub-total |
15 |
|
|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Cluster |
|---|---|---|---|
|
9410 |
Introduction to Sociology, Culture and Society |
3 (0+0) |
GC (Social Sciences) |
|
9385 |
Civics and Community Engagement |
3 (3+0) |
GC |
|
9381 |
Expository Writing |
3 (3+0) |
GC |
|
9383 |
Quantitative Reasoning-II |
3 (3+0) |
GC |
|
9384 |
Application of Information and Communication Technologies |
3 (2+1) |
GC (ICT) |
|
9374 |
Pakistan Studies |
3 (3+0) |
GC (Pakistan Studies) |
|
Sub-total |
18 |
|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Cluster |
|---|---|---|---|
|
5026 |
Entrepreneurship |
3 (3+0) |
Inter-discip. |
|
9389 |
Basics of Environmental Sciences |
3 (2+1) |
GC (Natural Sci.) |
|
7902 |
Introductory Soil Science |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7903 |
Basic Agriculture |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7905 |
Introductory Horticulture |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7909 |
Communication and Leadership Skills in Agricultural Extension |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
Sub-total |
18 |
|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Cluster |
|---|---|---|---|
|
7900 |
Introduction to Agricultural Extension |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7901 |
Introduction to Rural Development |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7904 |
Introduction to Communication in Agricultural Extension |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7906 |
Introduction to Program Evaluation |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7908 |
Introduction to Agricultural Economics |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7907 |
Animal Science |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
Sub-total |
18 |
|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Cluster |
|---|---|---|---|
|
9252 |
Concepts of Mass Communication |
3 (3+0) |
Inter-discip. |
|
7910 |
Adult Learning |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
9315 |
Development Economics |
3 (3+0) |
Inter-discip. |
|
7911 |
Introduction to Extension Education Methods |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7915 |
Rural Development Programmes in Pakistan |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7917 |
Agriculture Technology Transfer |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
9487 |
Fahm-e-Quran (Tajwid, Translation and Tafsir) |
Non-credit |
Compulsory |
|
Sub-total (credit-bearing courses only) |
18 |
|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Cluster |
|---|---|---|---|
|
9458 |
Rural Sociology |
3 (3+0) |
Inter-discip. |
|
7912 |
Rural Youth in Agricultural Development |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7914 |
Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7928 |
Devolution and Development |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7929 |
Environment and Development |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7920 |
Internship |
3 (0+3) |
Discip. |
|
9488 |
Seerat-e-Tayyaba |
Non-credit |
Compulsory |
|
Sub-total (credit-bearing courses only) |
18 |
|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Cluster |
|---|---|---|---|
|
7919 |
Participatory Approaches in Agricultural Extension |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7921 |
Research Methodology |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7923 |
Food Security and Agricultural Extension |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
9406 |
Human Resource Management |
3 (3+0) |
Inter-discip. |
|
7927 |
Capstone Project |
3 (0+3) |
Discip. |
|
Sub-total |
15 |
|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Cluster |
|---|---|---|---|
|
7931 |
Gender and Rural Development |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7930 |
Agricultural Development Problems of Pakistan |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7924 |
Introduction to Cyber Extension |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7926 |
Agricultural Advertising |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
7925 |
Agricultural Journalism |
3 (3+0) |
Discip. |
|
Sub-total |
15 |
1
2
3
4
5
Semesters
Workshop
The online workshop for each course will comprise of 12 hours, with 2 hours daily for 6 days except for the teaching practice and project as per AIOU policy. Each semester will have a workshop for the courses offered in that particular semester. There will be an online quiz for every course at the end of the workshop.
Assessment Weightage
| Assignments (Weightage) | Workshop (Attendance & Quizzes) (Weightage) | Final Exam (Weightage) | Passing Marks |
| 20% | 30% Quiz | 50% | 50% (in aggregate). However, 40% marks in final exams is mandatory. |
Note: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) reserves the right to amend the fee structure policy, course offering and assessment of courses when required. The existing course(s) will be adopted/adapted as per requirement. The department may change the sequence of the course(s) offering as per availability of course(s).