Agriculture

Preamble

The Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) are designed for the education and training of undergraduate students wishing to obtain first degrees in the different areas of Administration and Management Science in Nigerian University System. Presented in this section are the basic operational elements that serve to define the minimum academic standards required to achieve the cardinal goal of producing graduates in Administration and Management Science with sufficient academic background to face the challenges of a developing economy in an increasingly globalized economy.

It is pertinent to note that this CCMAS document is expected to guide institutions in the design of curricula for their Administration and Management programmes by stipulating the minimum requirements.  Being such, institutions are encouraged to take due cognizance of the BMAS while bringing necessary innovation to the content and delivery of their programmes towards achieving the overall goal of Administration and Management Science education and training in the country.

Programmes and Degrees

Programmes presented in this CCMAS show distinctly the unbundling of the B.Sc. Agriculture programme and their corresponding degrees as presented in Table 2. These programmes will enable specialisation in the different areas of studies and will help produce graduates that are subject matter specialist. This will help prepare solid materials for postgraduate programmes in the different subject areas and middle level manpower that will contribute significantly to the academia and industry.

Table 2: List of Programme(s) and Degree(s) in View

S/N	Programmes	Degree(s) In View
1.	Agribusiness	B.Sc. Agribusiness
2.	Agricultural Science (5-year option)	B. Agriculture
3.	Agricultural Economics	B.Sc. Agricultural Economics
4.	Agricultural Extension	B.Sc. Agricultural Extension
5.	Animal Science	B.Sc.  Animal Science
6.	Crop Science	B.Sc.  Crop Science
7.	Family and Consumer Sciences	B. Sc. Family and Consumer Sciences
8.	Fisheries and Aquaculture	B.Sc.  Fisheries and Aquaculture
9.	Food Science and Technology	B. Sc. / B. Tech
10.	Forest Resources and Wildlife Management	B.Sc.  Forest Resources and Wildlife Management
11.	Horticulture and Landscape Management	B.Sc.  Horticulture and landscape Management
12.	Soil Science	B.Sc.  Soil Science
13.	Water Resources Management and Agro-meteorology	B.Sc.  Water Resources and Ago-meteorology

The degree of Bachelor in the respective programme in Table 2 shall be awarded in all Faculties of Agriculture in Nigerian Universities. Classes of degree are to be awarded depending on the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) obtained by students. The classes of degree that may be awarded are First Class (Honours), Second Class (Honours) Upper Division, Second Class (Honours) Lower Division, Third Class (Honours) and a Pass degree.

Philosophy

The programmes in the agriculture discipline are designed to achieve the goals and objectives of the National Policy on Agriculture in Nigeria, are aimed at restructuring the sector, thus enhancing the sector’s capacity in terms of: the production of food for the rapidly increasing population; the supply of raw materials to a growing industrial sector; increasing in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), thus making it the mainstay of the economy as it were before the advent of oil and gas; the provision of employment to the teaming and jobless Nigerian youths; and providing  a  major/sustainable source of foreign exchange in Nigeria.

To this end, the overarching objective of the National Agriculture Policy is to strengthen the component parts of the sector (especially, Crop production, Aquaculture and Fisheries, Livestock management, and water and forest resources), for a holistic optimum performance.

Consequently, the Philosophy and Mission Statement underlying the programme are aimed at achieving the goals and objectives of the National Policy on Agriculture. This is in furtherance of Nigeria’s renewed commitment for food sufficiency and general self-reliance through the churning out of graduates that are adequately equipped with the comprehensive theoretical knowledge and practical skills required for meaningful engagement in agriculture and agric related fields, thus, making them self- reliance and valuable to the industry and society in general.

Objectives

The objectives of the discipline are to produce graduates:

1. that will contribute significantly to self-sufficiency in food production
2. geared towards self-employment;
3. with sufficient technical and productive skills who will be involved in production, research and entrepreneurship in programmes in the discipline and related disciplines;
4. who are relevant to themselves, the industry and society and who can contribute effectively to national and global development.
5. with the awareness of the need to ameliorate the impact of production and consumption on our environment.

Admission and Graduation Requirements

Admission Requirements

Candidates are admitted into the degree programme in any of the following two ways:

1. Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) (4- or 5-year degree programme)
2. Direct Entry (3- or 4-year degree programme)

Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)

In addition to UTME score, candidates for admission into the B. Agric programme and any other programme in the discipline of Agriculture (except for those seeking for admission into Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Extension) should possess five credit passes in Senior Secondary Certificate (SSC), including English Language and Mathematics, Biology or Agricultural Science and any other two subjects from the following: Chemistry, Physics or Geography in not more than two sittings.

However, candidates for admission into Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Extension are in addition to possessing credits passes in English Language and Mathematics required to possess credits passes in Economics, Geography and Agriculture. with at least passes in Chemistry and Physics,  in not more than two sittings.

Direct Entry

Candidates for Direct Entry admission into the B. Agric programme or any other programme in Agriculture except for Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Extension, must have at least 2 credit passes in Advance level in Chemistry and Biology plus Five SSC (or its equivalent) credit pass prescribed for UTME entry mode. HND and Diploma Holders with a minimum of Upper Credit plus Five SSC (or its equivalent) are also eligible for Direct Entry admission. While candidates with Advance level certificate and Diploma are eligible for consideration into 200 level of either the B. Agric programme or any other programme in the discipline of Agriculture, those with HND are eligible for admission into either 200level for 4 year programme or 3 level for the 5 year programme.

For B.Sc. Agricultural Economics and B.Sc. Agricultural Extension, credit passes in Advance level in Chemistry and Biology plus Five SSC (or its equivalent) and those credit passes in advance level in  Economics and in one of the three (Geography/Biology/Agriculture) are also eligible for Direct Entry admission, in addition to meeting the prescribed UTME admission requirement. The entry point is as stated above.

Minimum / Maximum Duration

The minimum duration for the Bachelor of Agric programme is 5 academic sessions (10 consecutively-run semesters) while for all  the 4 year  programmes  it is 4 academic sessions (8 consecutively-run semesters) for candidates who enter through the UTME mode. Direct Entry candidates admitted to the 200 level of a 4 year programme or 300 level of a 5 year programme will both spend a minimum of three academic sessions.

Graduation Requirements

A student shall qualify for the award of a Bachelor’s Degree when he/she has:

1. completed and passed the prescribed number of courses, including all compulsory courses;
2. obtained a minimum CGPA specified by the University but not less than 1.00, and
3. earned the minimum credit units of not less than 120 for UTME and 90 for DE candidates for 4 year duration programmes and 150 for UTME and 120 for DE candidates for the 5 year duration programme.

General Definition of Common Terms and Principles Governing the Course Unit System and Graduation

Course System

All programmes in the Nigerian University System (NUS) shall be run on a modularised system, commonly referred to as Course Unit System.  All courses should therefore be sub-divided into more or less self-sufficient and logically consistent packages that are taught within a semester and examined at the end of that particular semester.  Credits are weights attached to a course.  One credit is equivalent to one hour per week per semester of 15 weeks of lectures or three hours of laboratory/studio/ workshop work per week per semester of 15 weeks. In addition to the current 15 weeks semester system, universities should be encouraged to inaugurate a blended system which is based partly on physical contacts and partly using virtual or online platforms.

Definition of Course System

This should be understood to mean a quantitative system of organization of the curriculum in which subject areas are broken down into unit courses which are examinable and for which students earn credit(s) if passed.  The courses are arranged in progressive order of complexity or in levels of academic progress, such as, Level or year I courses are 100, 101 and Level II or year II courses are 200, 202.

The second aspect of the system is that courses are assigned weights allied to Units.

Units

Consist of specified number of student-teacher contact hours per week per semester.  Units are used in two complementary ways: one, as a measure of course weighting, and the other, as an indicator of student workload.

1. As a measure of course weighting for each Unit course (such as) AGR 204 or GST 111), the credit unit to be earned for satisfactorily completing the course is specified; such as a 2-credit unit course in the case of AGR 204 may mean 2-hour lecture per week per semester or for GST 111 implies one 1-hour lecture plus 3-hour practical per week per semester.
2. As a measure of workload, “One Credit Unit” means one hour of lecture or one hour of tutorial per week per semester. For other forms of teaching requiring student teacher contact, the following equivalents may apply: two hours of seminar: three hours of laboratory or field work, Clinical practice/practicum, studio practice or stadium sporting activity, six hours of teaching practice; four weeks of industrial attachment where applicable.

A glossary of all the course codes is presented under Glossary of Codes

Note: Normally, in the Course Credit System, courses are mounted all year round, thus enabling students to participate in examinations in which they are unsuccessful or unable to participate on account of ill health or for other genuine reasons.  In such a system, no special provisions are made for re-sit examinations.

The maximum length of time allowed for, in obtaining an honours degree, in the Faculty shall be twelve (12) semesters for the 4-year degree programme and ten (10) semesters for students admitted through the direct entry mode, while for the 5-year degree programme a duration of fifteen (15) semesters and  twelve (12) semesters for students admitted through direct entry.

Grading of Courses

Grading of courses shall be done by a combination of percentage marks and letter grades translated into a graduated system of Grade Point as shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Grade Point System

Mark %	Letter Grade	Grade Point
70 – 100	A	5.0
60 – 69	B	4.0
50 – 59	C	3.0
45 – 49	D	2.0
40 – 44	E	1.0
0 – 39	F	0.0

Grade Point Average and Cumulative Grade Point Average

For the purpose of determining a student’s standing at the end of every semester, the Grade Point Average (GPA) system shall be used.  The GPA is computed by dividing the total number of Units x Grade Point (TUGP) by the total number of units (TNU) for all the courses taken in the semester as illustrated in Table 4.

The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) over a period of semesters is calculated in the same manner as the GPA by using the grade points of all the courses taken during the period.

 Table 4: Calculation of GPA or CGPA

Course	Units	Grade Point	Units x Grade Point (UGP)
C1	U1	GP1	U1 x GP1
C2	U2	GP2	U2 x GP2
–	–	–	–
–	–	–	–
Ci	Ui	GPi	Ui x GPi
–	–	–	–
–	–	–	–
CN	UN	GPN	UN x GPN
TOTAL	TNU		TUGP

Degree Classifications

The following regulations shall govern the conditions for the award of an honours degree.

1. Candidates admitted through the UTME mode shall have registered for and passed at least 120 and 150 units of courses during the 4-year and 5-year degree programmes, respectively.
2. Candidates must have registered and passed all the compulsory courses specified for the programme.

The determination of the class of degree shall be based on the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) earned at the end of the programme. The CGPA shall be used in the determination of the class of degree as summarized in Table 5. It is important to note that the CGPA shall be calculated and expressed correct to two decimal places.

Table 5: Degree Classification

Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)	Class of Degree
4.50 – 5.00 3.50 – 4.49 2.40 – 3.49 1.50 – 2.39 1.00 –  1.49	1st Class Honours 2nd Class Honours (Upper Division) 2nd Class Honours (Lower Division) 3rd Class Honours Pass

Students who transfer from other universities shall be credited with only those courses deemed relevant to the programmes, which they have already passed prior to their transfer.  Such students shall however be required to pass the minimum number of units specified for graduation for the number of sessions he/she has spent in the faculty; provided that no student shall spend less than three sessions (6 semesters) in order to earn a degree.  Students who transfer from another programme in the Faculty or other faculties for any approved reason shall be credited with those units passed that are within the curriculum of the programme to which he/she has transferred.  Appropriate decisions on transfer cases shall be subjected to the approval of Senate on the recommendation of the Faculty Board.

Probation

A student whose Cumulative Grade Point Average is below 1.00 at the end of a particular year of study, earns a period of probation for one academic session A student on probation is allowed to register for courses at the next higher level in addition to his/her probation level courses provided that:

1. the regulation in respect of student work-load is complied with; and
2. the pre-requisite courses for the higher-level courses have been passed.

 Withdrawal

A candidate whose Cumulative Grade Point Average is below 1.0 at the end of a particular year of probation shall withdraw from the University.  However, in order to minimize waste of human resources, consideration should be given to withdrawal from programme of study and possible transfer to other programmes within the same University.

Evaluation

Evaluation shall be done from different perspectives: First, students would be assessed through continuous assessment, examination including external examination and fieldwork. Second, students will evaluate courses, staff, equipment, space, and other aspects of the programme. 

Tutorials

The timetable for courses shall be designed to make provision for tutorials of at least one hour for every four hours of lecture. Thus a 3-unit course of 45 hours per semester should attract about 10 hours of tutorials.

Techniques of Students Assessment

Continuous Assessments

Continuous assessment shall be done through essays, tests, and practical exercises.

1. Scores from continuous assessment shall normally constitute 30 – 40 per cent of the full marks for courses which are primarily theoretical.
2. For courses which are partly practical and partly theoretical, scores from continuous assessment shall constitute 40% of the final marks.
3. For courses that are entirely practical, continuous assessment shall be based on a student’s practical work or reports and shall constitute 100% of the final marks.

Examinations

In addition to continuous assessment, final examinations should normally be given for every course at the end of each semester. All courses shall be graded out of a maximum of 100 marks comprising:

Final Examination:     70% – 60%
Continuous assessment (Quizzes, Homework, Tests, Practicals): 30% – 40%

Each course shall normally be completed and examined at the end of the semester in which it is offered. 

External Examiner System

The involvement of external examiners from other universities is a crucial quality assurance requirement for all courses in Nigerian University System. In this regard, external examiner should go beyond mere moderation of examination questions to examining of examination papers to scope and depth of examination questions vis-a-vis the curricular expectation.

Students’ Evaluation of Courses

There should be an established mechanism to enable students to evaluate courses delivered to them at the end of each semester.  This should be an integral component of the course system; serving as feedback mechanism for achieving the following:

1. Improvement in the effectiveness of course delivery.
2. Continual update of lecture materials to incorporate emerging new concepts.
3. Effective usage of teaching aids and tools to maximize impact of knowledge on students.
4. Improvement in students’ performance through effective delivery of tutorials, timely presentation of continuous assessment and high quality examination.

The evaluation should be conducted preferably before the final semester examinations. It is very important that students’ evaluation of courses be administered fairly and transparently through the use of well-designed questionnaires. The completed questionnaires should be professionally analysed and results discussed with the course lecturer(s) towards improvement in course delivery in all its ramifications. 

Maintenance of Curricular Relevance

The Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) of each programme shall be reviewed from time to time to determine the continued relevance and fitness for purpose. The NUC, in its role as the national quality assurance agency on university programmes, shall subject the CCMAS document to review periodically.

It is recommended that Universities review their programmes, at least once in five years, using the current quality assurance CCMAS provisions.

Unless otherwise essential for particular programmes, all Agriculture programmes in a university should be reviewed at the same time. Indeed, because even students from other faculties normally take some of their special electives in the Agriculture, it would be expedient if all courses in the University are reviewed at the same time.

A committee of staff, senior enough and competent to carry out an effective review, shall do each curriculum review.  The review shall include an assessment as to ascertain whether the goals and objectives of the programme (as formulated) are still relevant in dynamic, professional and social contexts.

Reviews shall endeavour to incorporate the opinions of relevant stakeholders such as students, staff, external examiners, employers, professional bodies and policy makers.

Each curriculum so revised shall be subjected to consideration and approval at the levels of Department, Faculty/Colleges, and Senate in the University. Specifically, a good review should examine the curriculum and resources in accordance with the following criteria:

1. Re-assessment/re-formulation of goals and objectives of the programme in relation to the needs of the learners and the market requirements, taking into account the broader aspects of the discipline.
2. The market demands of the graduates now and in the future, in terms of skills needed to function as competitive professionals in the current labour market on a global scale.
3. Relevance of the current content in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes being taught/developed and how these meet the needs of the present and future requirements of the clientele.
4. How the teaching and learning methods meet or fall short of current and future standards of comparable programmes.
5. The quality of teaching and learning material used.
6. Outcomes of learning in terms of success, experience of learners (pass rate, knowledge and skills acquisition, professional capability and integrity) as contributed by the programme.
7. The views of employers and community members on the quality and relevance of the curriculum.

Performance Evaluation Criteria

The accreditation of the Agriculture degree programmes means a system of recognising educational institutions (universities and programmes offered by them) for a level of performance, integrity and quality which entitles them to the confidence of the educational and professional community, the public they serve, and employers of labour.

The objectives of the accreditation exercise are to:

1. Ensure that at least the provisions of the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards are attained, maintained and enhanced.
2. Assure employers and other members of the community that graduates of these institutions have attained an acceptable level of competence in their areas of specialisation.
3. Certify to the international community that the programmes offered in these universities are of high standards and that their graduates are adequate for employment and for further studies.