Environmental Sciences
Preamble
The Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) 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 BMAS 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
The programmes are Administration and Management Science which covers the following degree areas.
Table 1: 1 List of Programmes and Degrees
| Programme | Degree(s) in View |
| Accounting | B.Sc. |
| Actuarial Science | B.Sc. |
| Aviation Management | B.Sc. |
| Finance | B.Sc. |
| Business Administration | B.Sc. |
| Business Information Technology | B.Sc. |
| Co-operative and Rural Development | B.Sc. |
| Employment and Human Resource Management | B.Sc. |
| Entrepreneurship | B.Sc. |
| Hospitality and Tourism Management | B.Sc. |
| Information Resource Management | B.Sc. |
| Insurance | B.Sc. |
| Local Government and Development Studies | B.Sc. |
| Logistics and Supply Chain Management | B.Sc |
| Marketing | B.Sc. |
| Office and Information Management | B.Sc. |
| Petroleum Information Management | B.Sc. |
| Procurement Management | B.Sc. |
| Project Management | B.Sc. |
| Public Administration | B.Sc. |
| Security and Investment | B.Sc. |
| Taxation | B.Sc. |
| Transport Management | B.Sc. |
Philosophy, Aims and Objectives of Administration and Management Science
Philosophy
The general philosophy is the belief that training in this discipline will develop the mind, impart both theoretical and practical knowledge on the individual student, develop self-confidence, help to be innovative and self-reliant in the fields of Administration and Management.
Objectives
The major objectives of Degree programmes in Administration, Management and Management Technology are to:
- provide basic knowledge and skills needed for the understanding and analysis of problems related to the management and administration of industrial, commercial, public and other human organizations;
- equip students with knowledge and skills of decision making; especially the analytical skills needed for recognizing, defining and solving problems; and
- develop in students, leadership and interpersonal relations skills in management.
- develop in student’s entrepreneurial skills and competencies to adequately prepare them to be innovative in job creation
Learning Outcomes
Regime of Subject Knowledge
The programmes and their curricula should give students comprehensive education and training that equip them with knowledge, decision-making and problem-solving skills in a variety of areas.
Competencies and Skills
The general skills should include competencies in computer literacy, quantitative skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, organization skills, Information Technology skill and Entrepreneurship skills.
Administrative and Management related cognitive abilities and skills required are as follows:
- ability to recognize and analyze management and administrative problems and evolve strategies for their solutions;
- ability to recognize and implement good management and administrative policies.
- computational and data processing skills, relating to administrative, financial and manpower data; and
- ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts and principles, and apply theories to Administration and Management. Acquire knowledge in problem solving through Industrial attachment, Industrial Seminars and Student Apprenticeship Scheme.
Behavioural Attributes
Graduates of these programmes should:
- understand the social-cultural environment in which they find themselves and how such environment conditions behaviour;
- be able to understand, explain, predict and influence human behaviour in work organizations;
- relate the knowledge of human behaviour to the ethics of their relevant professions; and
- understand the relationship between culture and behaviour and why a unimodal system of behaviour may not work.
Admission Requirements and Duration of the Programmes
Candidates are admitted into the degree programmes in any of the following two ways:
- the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)
- Direct Entry
UTME Entry Mode
The minimum academic requirement is credit level passes in five subjects at O’Level in nationally recognised examination including English Language, Mathematics and Economics at not more than two sittings. For applicants in the Actuarial Science, a credit level pass in Further Mathematics will be an added advantage.
Direct Entry Mode
- In addition to O’Level requirements stipulated above, applicants should possess at least two A’Level papers in relevant subjects. For those who wish to read Actuarial Science, Mathematics must be passed at Advanced Level.
- ND in relevant discipline with at least upper credit grade in addition to the five credit passes as in (a) above
- HND in relevant discipline with at least upper credit in addition to five credit passes as in (a) above.
Duration
A student will not be allowed to exceed an additional 50 per cent of the duration of the programme if he/she fails to graduate within the minimum number of years.
UTME
Four (4) academic sessions or eight (8) semesters
Direct Entry
Three academic sessions or six (6) semesters. In general, no student will be allowed to exceed an additional 50% of the normal duration of the programme.
Course System
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.
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. Level 1 courses are for example 100 and 101; Level II courses are for example 200 and 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. As a measure of course weighting for each Unit course (e.g. HIS 105, ZOO 203, ARCH 504), the credit unit to be earned for satisfactorily completing the course is specified; e.g. a 2-credit unit course may mean two 1-hour lecture per week per semester or one 1-hour lecture plus 3-hour practical per week per semester.
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.
Normally, in 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 minimum number of credit units for the award of a degree is 120 units, subject to the usual Department and Faculty requirements. A student shall therefore qualify for the award of a degree when he has met the conditions.
The minimum credit load per semester is 15 credit units. For the purpose of calculating a student’s cumulative GPA(CGPA) in order to determine the class of Degree to be awarded, grades obtained in all the courses whether compulsory or optional and whether passed or failed must be included in the computation.
Even when a student repeats the same course once or more before passing it or substitutes another course for a failed optional course, grades scored at each and all attempts shall be included in the computation of the GPA. Pre – requisite courses must be taken and passed before a particular course at a higher level.
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 1.2.
Table 1. 2 Grade Point System
| Mark % | Letter Grade | Grade Point |
| 70 – 100 | A | 5 |
| 60 – 69 | B | 4 |
| 50 – 59 | C | 3 |
| 45 – 49 | D | 2 |
| 40 – 44 | E | 1 |
| 0- 39 | F | 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 1.3.
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 1:3 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
Classes of degree are to be awarded depending on the cumulative GPA obtained. The classes of degrees that may be awarded are First Class Honours, Second Class Honours (Upper Division), Second Class Honours (Lower Division) and Third Class Honours (see Table 1.4).
Table 1.4: Degree Classification
| CGPA | Class of Degree |
| 4.50 – 5.00 | First Class Honours |
| 3.50 – 4.49 | Second Class Honours (Upper Division) |
| 2.40 – 3.49 | Second Class Honours (Lower Division) |
| 1.50 – 2.39 | Third Class Honours |
| 1.00 – 1.49 | Pass |
Probation
Probation is a status granted to a student whose academic performance fall below an acceptable standard. 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.
Withdrawal
A candidate whose Cumulative Grade Point Average is below 1.00 at the end of a particular period of probation should be required to withdraw from the University. Where possible, consideration may be given to a student withdrawn from a programme of study for transfer to any other programme within the same university. Subject to the conditions for withdrawal and probation, a student may be allowed to repeat the failed course Unit(s) at the next available opportunity, provided that the total number of credit units carried during that semester does not exceed 24, and the Grade Points earned at all attempts shall count towards the CGPA.
Modes of Student Assessment
All courses taken must be evaluated and a final grade given at the end of the semester. To arrive at the final grade, the evaluation must be a continuous process consisting of some or all of the following where applicable:
- Continuous Assessment
- Examinations
Continuous Assessment
Continuous assessment shall be done through essays and tests. Scores from continuous assessment shall normally constitute 30-40 per cent of the full marks for courses which are primarily theoretical.
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: 60% – 70%
Continuous assessment (Quizzes, Homework, Tests and Practical): 30% – 40%
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 credit system to serve as an opportunity for feedback on the effectiveness of course delivery. Such an evaluation which should be undertaken by students at the end of each course, should capture, among others:
- improvement in the effectiveness of course delivery;
- continual update of lecture materials to incorporate emerging new concepts;
- effective usage of teaching aids and tools to maximize impact of knowledge on students;
- improvement in students’ performance through effective delivery of tutorials, timely in; and
- presentation of continuous assessment and high-quality examination.
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 analyzed and results discussed with the course lecturer(s) towards improvement in course delivery in all its ramifications.
