Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY IN BRIEF

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, which is located in the Faculty of Chemical and Life Sciences, was known as the Department of Biochemistry untill November 2021 when the new name was approved by the University Governing Council. The Department was established in May 1981 to cater for the rising need for Biochemists in the core catchment areas of the University in particular and the country in general, with Prof G.S. Asante serving as the pioneer Head of Department. The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is responsible for running B.Sc. Honours Degree Programme in Biochemistry, teaching basic Biochemistry and Molecular Biology courses to students in the College of Health Sciences, School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Pharmacy, and other faculties that may require basic knowledge of biochemistry in their training.

The Department graduated its first set of B.Sc. students in 1984 and started Postgraduate programmes in 1993. Currently, the Department runs B.Sc.(Biochemistry), Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) M.Sc., M.Phil. and Ph.D. degree programmes in diverse fields of biosciences namely: Molecular Biology, Pharmacological and Toxicological Biochemistry, Nutritional Biochemistry, Medical Biochemistry and Environmental Biochemistry. In 2011, the Department had its first review of the curriculum for teaching and research in line with current trend in molecular biology and biotechnology based on the guidelines of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and subsequent reviews took place in 2014 and 2018 to further align it with the global best practices.

The Department is endowed with thirteen (13) professors, three (3) readers, seven (4) senior lecturers, several senior adjunt lecturers and twelve (12) other academic staff, supported by more than twelve (12) laboratory and secretarial staff. The Department is coordinating researcher in various fields of Biosciences.

Over the years, the various research teams in the Department have published well over six hundred (600) research papers in local and international peer reviewed journals. In the last ten years, the Department has attracted research grants worth hundreds of millions of naira. Staff have also won scholarships from the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship, Tertiary Institutions Fund (TETfund), Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Saudi Arabian and Indian Governments scholarships and Islamic Development Bank (IDF) to pursue studies in leading to award of M.Sc and Ph.D degrees, and postdoctoral fellowships. Over the years the Department in terms of staffing, infrastructure, research, teaching and community service, has continued to grow from strength to strength.

The new insights on biological and physiological processes at molecular level gained in the past two decades are due to the multiplicity of new innovative techniques and research approaches in the areas of biochemistry, molecular biology, pharmacology, cell biology and biotechnology. These developments necessitate incorporation of the current theories and concept in to our undergraduate degree programme. This is with the view to produce high caliber students with the basic knowledge of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in order to become globally competitive, relevant and have the competency (both theoretical and practical) to work in public and private enterprises, hospitals, food and beverage industries, universities, research institutes, pharmaceutical industries, Biotechnological industries, regulatory agencies (NAFDAC and SON), petroleum industries, Agro Allied industries and in Medicine. It is the guiding philosophy of the Department to improve the human condition through our research, teaching and knowledge dissemination. The Department aim to produce biochemistry graduates at all levels, imbued with discipline, morality, hard work, innovativeness and scholarship, who will contribute in providing manpower for the scientific and social development of Nigeria, Africa in particular and the world in general.

Our Mission

The Department’s mission is to pursue and disseminate knowledge of biochemistry and molecular biology through research, teaching and community service for the benefit of humanity irrespective of race, creed, religion, gender, nationality or ethnicity.

Our Vision

The vision of the Department is to be amongst the foremost biochemistry departments in Africa and the world through knowledge creation, teaching, community service and collaborative research.

Programmes Run by the Department

BSc Biochemistry

PGD Biochemistry

MSc Biochemistry

MPhil Biochemistry

PhD Biochemistry

LIST OF UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

First Semester Courses:

S/N	Course Code	Course Title	Unit(s)	Lecturers	Cood.
1	BCH 101	Introductory Biochemistry I	2	SME, AL	AL
2	BCH 201	General Biochemistry I	3	SAI, ALA, SAM	SAI
3	BCH 204	General Biochemistry Laboratory I	1	AL, SIG	SIG
4	BCH 301	Enzymology	3	YS, AYA, AO	AO
5	BCH 302	Carbohydrate Metabolism	2	MLJ, SDM	SDM
6	BCH 303	Lipid Metabolism	2	JMR, SAM, MHY	SAM
7	BCH 304	Amino Acids & Protein Metabolism	2	ML, RSUW	ML
8	BCH 306	Methods in Biochemistry	1	SME, AL	SME
9	BCH 308	Food Biochemistry	1	SDM, RSUW	SDM
10	BCH 311	General Biochemistry Methods	2	AO, TSS	AO
11	BCH 312	Immunology and Immunochemistry	2	SS, AL	AL
12	BCH 401	Advance Enzymology	2	MKA, LSB, AYA,SAM	SAM
13	BCH 403	Tissue Biochemistry	1	RUA, YS	RUA
14	BCH 404	Bioinorganic Chemistry	1	MKA,RSUW, SS	SS
15	BCH 405	Genetic Engineering	1	JMR, RUA, ALA	ALA
16	BCH 407	Plant Biochemistry	2	SHW, SR	SR
17	BCH 410	Advance Biochemical Methods	2	MUI, AO, AYA, ALA, SME, SIG	SIG
18	BCH 413	Pharmacological Biochemistry	2	SHW, AL	AL
19	BCH 414	Clinical Biochemistry	2	SME, AI	SME
20	BCH 417	Biochemistry of Parasites & Viruses	3	JMR, MLJ	MLJ
21	BCH 418	Principles of Bioinformatics	2	RUA, AL	RUA

Second Semester Courses:

S/N	Course Code	Course Title	Unit(s)	Lecturers	Cood.
1	BCH 102	Introductory Biochemistry II	2	SAM, AL	SAM
2	BCH 202	General Biochemistry II	3	SIG, SME	SEM
3	BCH 203	Introductory Molecular Biology	2	RUA, AL SR	SR
4	BCH 205	General Biochemistry Lab II	1	AO, SME	AO
5	BCH 305	Nucleic Acid & Porphyrins Metabolism	2	ML, SHW, RSUW	RSUW
6	BCH 307	Membrane Biochemistry	1	SME, RUA	SME
7	BCH 309	Nutritional Biochemistry	1	RSUW, SAM	SAM
8	BCH 310	Bioenergetics	1	MLJ, AO	AO
9	BCH 313	Biochemical Endocrinology	2	MHY, SME	SME
10	BCH 314	Molecular Biology	2	MLJ, AYA, ALA	ALA
11	BCH 315	Biostatistics	2	SHW,SAM, ND	SAM
12	BCH 402	Biosynthesis of Macromolecules	1	SR, SS	SR
13	BCH 406	Metabolic Regulation	2	ML, AYA	AYA
14	BCH 408	Biochemical Reasoning	1	YS, AD, SAM	AD
15	BCH 412	Industrial Biochemistry	3	LSB, RUA, ALA	ALA
16	BCH 415	Comparative Biochemistry	3	MUI, RAS, MKA, MAG	MUI
17	BCH 416	Environmental Biochemistry	2	MAG, SR, RAS	SR

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

The Department shall require its undergraduate students to complete and pass all courses specified and offered, including industrial attachment where applicable, for the chosen programme of study by the Department and approved by the Senate before graduation. The minimum pass mark shall be 45% (D) for all courses offered.

Other undergraduate graduation requirements shall be:

For a student of Department of Biochemistry to graduate, he/she shall successfully complete and pass all prescribed examinations for courses required for a degree programme.
To graduate, a student admitted into 100-Leve or transferred into 200-Level must earn a minimum or 120 credits. For a student admitted into 200-Level (Direct Entry) or transferred into 300-Level, he/she must earn a minimum of 90 credits.

These must be spread strictly at a minimum of 30 passed credit units at each level of study. Students in the Department shall be required to complete their studies in not more than about 7 years (considering SIWES is for 6 months), to qualify for an Honour’s degree, except in cases of ill-health or as determined by Senate;

The University shall award its degrees on the authority of Senate only to students who have been found worthy in character and in learning;
Students shall not be involved in gross misconduct, such as, but not to: examination malpractice; convicted felony; other convicted criminal offences; and association with or membership of secret cult or of any organisation proscribed by the University or Government.

CLASSIFICATION OF DEGREE

Degree classes will be designated with reference to Grade Point Average as follows:

4.50 – 5.00 First Class Honours

3.50 – 4.49 Second Class Honours (Upper)

2.40 –3.49 Second Class Honours (Lower)

1.50 – 2.39 Third Class Honours

0.00 – 1.49 Fail

LIST OF PGD COURSES

First Semester Courses:

S/N	Course Code	Course Title	Unit(s)	Lecturers	Course Coordinator
1	BCH 701	Enzymology	3	AYA, AO	AO
2	BCH 703	The Living Cell & Biological Membranes	1	AL, SAM	AL
3	BCH 705	Molecular Biology	2	JMR, ALA	ALA
4	BCH 707	Regulation of Metabolism	2	AYA, SAI	AYA
5	BCH 709	General BiochemicalMethods	2	AL, SAI, MSE	SAI
6	BCH 711	Clinical Biochemistry	2	AI,MHY, MUI	AI
7	BCH 713	Food & Nutritional Biochemistry	2	SDM, RSUW, SIG	SIG

Second Semester Courses:

S/N	Course Code	Course Title	Unit(s)	Lecturers	Course Coordinator
1	BCH 702	Review of metabolism	2	MJL, SHW, RSUW, SDM	SDM
2	BCH 704	Biological Oxidation & Bioenergetics	1	AO, SIG	AO
3	BCH 706	Genetic Engineering	1	JMR, RUA, ALA	RUA
4	BCH 708	Biochemical Calculations & Reasoning	1	SDM, YS	SDM
5	BCH 710	Biostatistics	2	AL, SAM	SAM
6	BCH 717	Industrial Biochemistry	2	RUA, SAM	RUA
7	BCH 718	Pharmacological Biochemistry	2	SHW, MSE	SHW

LIST OF MPhil COURSES

First Semester Courses:

S/N	Course Code	Course Title	Unit(s)	Lecturers	Coord.
1	BCH 851	Biochemical Research Methodology & Ethics	2	MAG, RUA, SHW, MUI	SHW
2	BCH 856	Recent Advances in Nutritional Biochemistry	2	LSB, YS, AL, SAM, SIG	YS
3	BCH 858	Pharmacokinetics & Drug Metabolism	2	MAG, SHW, TSS, AO	AO
4	BCH 860	Biochemistry of Diseases	2	ML, MJL, RUA, MHY, SUD	SUD
5	BCH 862	Heavy Metal Biochemistry	2	MAG, SDM, TSS	SDM
6	BCH 864	Genomics & Proteomics	2	ALA, SS, AI, SUD	SUD

First Semester Courses:

S/N	Course Code	Course Title	Unit(s)	Lecturers	Coord.
1	BCH 857	Special Topics in Nutritional Biochemistry	2	RUA, RSUW, MUI	RSUW
2	BCH 859	Principles of Toxicology & Risk Assessment	2	MAG, SHW, MSE, TSS	MSE
3	BCH 861	Molecular & Cellular Pathogenesis	2	AYA, SAI, SS	AYA
4	BCH 863	Bioremediation & Environmental Pollutants/Toxicants	2	SDM, SS, SR	SR
5	BCH 865	Advanced Molecular Biology & Biotechnology	2	RUA, ALA, MUI	MUI

LIST OF MPhil COURSES

First Semester

S/N	Course Code	Course Title	Unit(s)	Lecturers	Course Coordinator
1	BCH 901	Biochemical Research Methodology & Ethics	2	MAG, RUA, SHW, MUI	SHW

Dr. Almustapha Lawal
**Head of Department**
**(Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)**

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