The department was introduced in 1985 and therefore has been around for approximately 37 years. It is one the 13 departments in the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering (FSAE).
In keeping with the department’s motto, “We make Science real,” we actively support cutting-edge teaching and learning strategies that foster learning that stimulates and develops critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. In addition, to give our students the option of not only becoming industry-ready but also starting their own firms, we actively support entrepreneurship and Work-Integrated Learning (WIL). We also look into the hospitality and leisure sectors, focusing on those that directly affect customer satisfaction and high-quality services.
The following three undergraduate qualifications in consumer sciences are offered by the department:
- Diploma in Hospitality Management
- Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality and Tourism
- Bachelor’s degree in Extension and Rural Development
Additionally, two post graduate qualifications:
- BSc Honours (Consumer Science)
- Masters in Consumer Sciences (M ConSci)
At the Honours level, our emphasis is on exposing our post-graduate students to research methodology and ethics while also exposing them to the practices of fusing indigenous food and knowledge systems with contemporary food and knowledge systems. We also put a lot of effort into providing our students with real-world experience in the field of food service management as well as the chance to share their knowledge with others through podcasts, radio, and television.
Our Master’s degree qualification offers several thematic areas related to optimizing the enhancement of people’s quality of life and wellbeing, with a special focus on understanding the interactions and relationships between human and ecological, political, technical, economic, social, and cultural components. This include the cornerstone of the discipline which is studying consumer knowledge, attitude, motivations, and perceptions that effect consumer behaviour dynamics that influence the decisions, processes and actual actions that need to be well understood for products, services, innovations, and interventions to be optimally useful to the end user.