BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT

OUR STAFF

Dr WAHAB Abideen A. Lecturer II (Profile)

The Department of BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES is one of the pioneer Departments in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology of Osun State University, established at the inception of the University in September, 2007. The Department offers B.Sc. Degree programme in Microbiology with plans to offer two additional programmes: Plant Biology and Zoology at the second phase of development.

There are three functional laboratories in the Department that serve the academic programme of the Department. The laboratories are well equipped to cope with the teaching of students and for the use of academic staff for research purposes.

The students registered in the Department offer same courses at the 100 level but start to offer courses in their chosen disciplines from the 200 level. At the 300 level Rain Semester, all students in the Department are required to proceed on six-months Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) as part of their graduation requirements.
The academic programme of the Department operates academic curricular that are tailored along the stipulations contained in the National Universities Commission (NUC) Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards.

PHILOSOPHY AND OBJECTIVES
Philosophy
Microbiology programme is designed to provide a sound understanding of the concepts of microorganisms, which are unicellular or cell-cluster microscopic organisms, in relation to mankind and the environment. The programme is designed to elaborate the importance of microorganisms in industry, health and environmental sectors of the society and planned to equip the students with sound theoretical and practical knowledge in biology. Efforts are geared towards making the training relevant to society, health sectors, research institutes and industry and to inculcate in students the entrepreneurial and problem solving ability. It also offers sufficient knowledge of theoretical principles to enable promising graduates undertake postgraduate work in Microbiology and related disciplines.

Objectives
The main objectives of the programme are
(i) to broadly educated students for positions in the industry, health sector, research institutes and,
(ii) to prepare the students for graduate and professional studies in the applied areas of microbiology.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
GENERAL
For admission into any of the first degree programmes of the University, a candidate shall be required to possess the following minimum qualifications:
1. Senior Secondary School Certificate (SSCE) or its equivalents with credit level passes in five (5) subjects at not more than two sittings. The candidate must also earn an acceptable score in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
2. Candidates seeking admission by direct entry into the 200 level, must have at least five (5) O/L credits, two of which must be at Advanced Level or approved equivalents.

DEPARTMENTAL ADMISSION REQUIREMENT
U.M.E. Candidates
For admission into the first degree programme in Microbiology, a candidate must have the Senior Secondary School Certificate (SSCE) or its equivalents with credit level passes in five (5) subjects: English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry to form the core subjects, with credit in any of the following: Physics, Agricultural Science at not more than two sittings. The candidate must also earn an acceptable score in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Direct Entry Candidates
Candidates seeking admission by direct entry into the 200 level Microbiology programme, must have Advanced Level passes in at least two (2) of the following: Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics, in addition to credit level passes in five of the subjects listed above at the SSCE or its equivalents. Candidates with ND and approved equivalents in relevant fields with at least a lower credit may be considered for direct entry into the programme. Candidates with acceptable pass in the UNIOSUN Foundation Programme are also eligible for admission into the 200 level, provided they possess the requisite qualification for entry into the 100 level of the programme.

Post UTME Screening
All Candidates seeking admission into the University irrespective of their UTME scores shall be required to pass the University post UTME Screening test before being admitted.

Registration Procedure
(a) Students shall normally complete registration at the beginning of the semester.
(b) Any addition or deletion from the courses for which a student is formally registered must be made with the consent of the course coordinator.
(c) A student may be allowed to withdraw from a course by the course administrator before a third of lectures have been given. Such a student who withdraws after this time or who fails to sit for examination without reasons acceptable to the appropriate Faculty/College Board shall be deemed to have failed the course. A Grade point of 0F shall be recorded for the student in the course.
(d) Late registration in the course may be allowed with penalty of up to 4 weeks after the commencement of registration.

Duration of Degree Programmes
The minimum number of years to be spent to be awarded a first degree in a programme of study in non-professional area in the university shall be four years (or three years minimum for direct entry candidates). Registration shall not exceed an additional 50% of the duration of the programme if the student fails to graduate within the minimum number of years.

Graduation Requirements
To qualify for the award of a degree of the Osun State University, a student is required to have:
(i) completed and passed the prescribed number of units including all compulsory courses specified by the University.
(ii) completed and met the standards for all required and optional courses.
(iii) obtained the prescribed minimum CGPA.