The College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CoNAS) was established in April, 2009, formally known as Faculty of Science established in 1965 and was among the oldest Faculties at the University of Dar es Salaam. Currently the College comprises seven Departments namely: Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Zoology and Wildlife Conservation and Physics. In addition the College has two centralized facilities, namely the Central Science Workshop.
The College offers Undergraduate programmes leading to the award of fifteen degrees
At the Postgraduate level, the College offers thirteen M.Sc. programmes by coursework and dissertation and a postgraduate diploma in Scientific Computing. The College can also award the degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) through excellence in research findings.
According to priorities in manpower requirements of Tanzania, the greatest need for science graduates has been in the field of Education since the College was established as Faculty of Science in 1965. The nation also realises that it is from science graduates that Tanzania will achieve her scientific and technological advancement. To this course, the College trains future scientists (Physicists, Chemists, Mathematicians, Biologists, Geologists, Lecturers and University professors) to meet national needs. The B.Sc. programme as a whole was designed to train the required scientific-skilled human resources in order to meet the demands for secondary schools and colleges. In order to update the course contents, the College continuously reviews all undergraduate and postgraduate curricula every five years.
Parallel to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, staff members also carry out research geared towards the creation of scientific knowledge with impact to the society. This contributes to the understanding, managing and sustainable utilization of Tanzania’s natural resources in the context of the national and global development. In this aspect, the contribution of CoNAS in addressing the socio-economic problems of the Tanzanian society cannot be over emphasized. In order to facilitate and achieve this, the college has in place a clear, well-articulated and focused research agenda. The research agenda has prioritize areas of research in themes, namely: Environment and Climate Change, Geology and Earth Resources, Food Security and Public Health, Biodiversity and Natural Resources, Renewable Energy, Material Sciences, Oil and Gas, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Fundamental Science and Pure Mathematics.
In summary, the College is guided by its vision, which is to be a reputable world-class Science College that is responsive to national, regional and global sustainable and inclusive development. This will be achieved through consolidation and strengthening undergraduate and postgraduate training, expanding and strengthening Research and Innovation as well as intensifying Knowledge Exchange activities at CoNAS.