Philosophy of BSc. Zoology Programme

The main philosophy of the BSc. Zoology Programme is to contribute to meeting the general educational objectives of Ahmadu Bello University and the Nigerian Nation, which include the acquisition and spread of knowledge, and the promotion of research and education, (with emphasis on Zoology as an important component of the Biological Sciences). The Programme is designed not only to satisfy the intellectual demands of the students but also to facilitate their acquisition of basic and specialist science skills that instill qualities of self-confidence and self-reliance, so that the products of the degree Programme s can play active and informed roles in personal, community, national and international development strategies.

Since a broad and interdisciplinary orientation can hardly go with extreme specialization, the Programme is designed to discourage over-specialization by allowing for sufficient choice of electives within and outside each Programme. The recommended electives for the Programme have therefore been deliberately chosen to ensure relevance not only to academic content of each Programme, but also to endow the products of the Programme with the knowledge that will enable them make valuable contributions to contemporary biological issues of national and international interest.

This strategy has broadened the employment opportunities of our graduates as they are better prepared after training to establish as private entrepreneurs, or take up employment in Parks and nature reserves as conservationists; in Research Institutes as trainee scientists; in tertiary institutions as research scientists and teachers, and in Government Ministries as technocrats. These are in addition to their general availability as Science Teachers in secondary schools.

Objectives

In pursuit of the general objective of producing these self-reliant young biological scientists and contributing to scientific knowledge, the following are the specific academic objectives of the B.Sc. Zoology degree Programme:

1. To train academically sound future researchers and intellectuals in the area of general biology, with emphasis in areas on the cutting edge of modern biology, e.g., Molecular biology, Biotechnology, Genetics, Cytology, Cell and Tissue Culture, and Environmental Conservation.
2. To contribute to discoveries and innovations in these aspects of the biological science discipline through research.
3. To provide expert counsel and consultancy services to national and international organizations on issues relating to Zoology.
4. To instill qualities of self-confidence and self-reliance in animals in prospective young Nigerian biologists.

Some graduates of the Biology Programme have been known to enroll in the MBBS and other medical and applied biology Programme s in furtherance of their carrier in the biological sciences.

Admission Requirements:

For admission to any of the three degree Programme in the Department of Biological Sciences, a student must satisfy the minimum University/Faculty of Science requirements of a credit in Biology and credits in at least four other subjects including Chemistry, Physics, English and Mathematics at the GCE ‘O’ level or SSCE. Students that have successfully completed remedial Programme s that are approved by the University Senate and meet the GCE “O”-Level/SSCE requirements are also offered admission.

For direct entry admission into the 200 Level of study, a prospective candidate must satisfy the requirements stated above and in addition possess two or more G.C.E. A-Level papers (or its equivalent), which must include Biology and Chemistry.