Admission Requirements

a) M.Sc. Biology – Minimum of B.Sc. or B.Tech. (Second Class, Lower Division) in Biology, Botany or Zoology, or any relevant applied Biology area.

b) M.Sc. Botany – Minimum of B.Sc. or B.Tech. (Second Class, Lower Division) in Biology or Botany or any relevant applied Biology area.

c) M.Sc. Fisheries – Minimum of B.Sc. or B.Tech. (Second Class, Lower Division) in Biology, Botany, Zoology or any relevant applied Biology area.

d) M.Sc. Zoology – Minimum of B.Sc. or B. Tech. (Second Class, Lower Division) in Biology or Zoology, or any relevant applied Biology area.

Graduation Requirements

a. Course Work

To qualify for the M.Sc. degree, a candidate must in addition to fulfilling other Ahmadu Bello University Postgraduate School requirements, obtain a minimum of 50 Credit Units as prescribed under the degree in view.

a. During a student’s M.Sc. programme, he/she may be required to take specific undergraduate courses to address identified deficiencies in his/her undergraduate training, vis a vis his/her envisaged area of postgraduate research. Such courses may be taken from within or outside the department.

b. M.Sc. Research Project

Every M.Sc. student must carry out an approved research to collect data for a M.Sc. thesis. Each M.Sc. student’s research project must be supervised by a committee of at least two senior academics, of which at least one must be a Ph.D. holder and/or of Senior Lecturer rank.

c. Examinations

i) Seminars

During the First Semester of his/her M.Sc. programme, every M.Sc. student must present a Research Proposal for his/her M.Sc. Thesis at a departmental Seminar organized for this purpose. Every M.Sc. student is also required to present the findings of his/her M.Sc. research at a departmental seminar, prior to the Oral Examination.

ii) Course Work Examinations

These consist of written examinations in courses for which the student has registered. The examinations are usually administered at the end of each semester. During each course, oral or written continuous assessment of courses may be conducted in addition to assessments of field/laboratory practical exercises. The weighting of the final score for each course shall be 60% for the final exam and 40% for the continuous assessment.

iii) Oral Examination (Viva Voce)

This will be conducted by a renowned scholar from another institution, approved by the University Senate. The examination shall be based mainly on the candidate’s M.Sc. Thesis and the general area of the research conducted by the student.