Dryland forest resources have immense socioeconomic and ecological importance in southern Africa. These forests support the livelihood of growing populations and constitute an important buffer against climate change. However, there is currently a lack of capacity with respect to forestry professionals with sufficient expertise to implement adaptive resource management strategies in the face of climate change. To address this need, Stellenbosch University, in collaboration with other southern African forest scientists, developed a master's programme for dryland forestry (SASSCAL Task 079). It was decided to aim for a research-based MSc in Forestry (i.e., a programme based on the production of an MSc thesis) that would be supported by a number of elective short courses or modules. The elective coursework is designed to equip the student with additional research tools and the requisite knowledge to do independent research in the chosen field of study. Dryland forestry touches on a wide variety of disciplines, and therefore, the elective short courses depend on the chosen specialisation of the candidate.