Department of Public Health

(a) Philosophy

The philosophy of the programme is in the training of personnel to the highest academic and professional standards in the identification and resolution of public health and safety issues. The programme will provide higher capacity skilled manpower, trained specifically for promoting health and preventing illness through applying scientific skills to solving real life problems and better management of public health related issues. 

The programme is therefore designed to provide the training needed for an understanding of the Public health and safety to build upon the foundation by exploring in some depths, specific aspects like epidemiology and disease surveillance, contemporary health issues, Primary Health Care, health programme planning and evaluation, health problems of the adolescents, adults and the handicapped and ways of preventing and solving them, workplace safety, hazardous and municipal waste management, impact of science and technology on the environment.

(b) Aims and Objectives

The overall objective of the Bachelor of Science in Public Health Degree Programme is to impart relevant knowledge and skills needed for promotion and sustenance of the health and safety of man in his environment. The specific objectives are:

1. To impart and generate knowledge that pertains to effective recognition and response to Public Health problems.
2. To acquaint the students with the knowledge of prevailing communicable/non-communicable diseases, disease control and surveillance, their mode of transmission and prevention.
3. To impart the basic knowledge of planning and administration of health system, concepts, principles and application of these in the practice of Public Health.
4. To impart skills and relevant methods used in identification, diagnosis and management of health hazards.
5. To impart on the students’ attitude of team work, leadership and scientific enquiry in relation to every aspect of his professional activities.
6. To equip students with relevant knowledge and skill for advanced training and research in Public Health.

1.3       Admission Requirements

 Candidates may be considered for admission to 100 level B.Sc. in Public Health Degree course after passing at the required level, the UTME Examination of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), provided they obtain the West African School Certificate (WASC), National Examination Council (NECO) or the General Certificate of Education (SSCE/GCE) at a minimum of credit level in five (5) subjects including English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology taken and passed at not more than two (2) sittings.

(ii) Direct Entry.

• In addition to O’ Level requirements stipulated above; applicants should possess at least two A’ Level papers in relevant subjects.
• OND/HND in relevant discipline with at least upper credit grade in addition to the five credit passes as in 1.3.ii(a) above.

 Transfer Cases.

Candidates wishing to transfer from one programme to B. Sc Public Health for some good reason (s) may be considered for admission at the appropriate level. Any deficiencies in their background should be rectified by taking appropriate courses

1.4 Graduation Requirements:

 Conditions for graduation as provided in the general section of the Discipline

   1.4.1 Expected Duration of the Programmes

 (a.)      UTME

Four (4) academic sessions or eight (8) semesters

            (b.)      Direct Entry

Three academic sessions or six (6) semesters

(c.)       In general, no student will be allowed to exceed an additional 50% of the normal duration of the programme.

1.4.2. Course Credit 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 Terms

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, e.g., Level or year I courses are 100, 101 etc. and Level II or year II courses are 200, 202 etc.

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 work load.

• As a measure of course weighting for each Unit course (e.g.) HIS 105, ZOO 203, ARCH 404), 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 work load, “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.

1.4.3 Standard Terminologies

The following standard terminologies are used for different categories of courses.

1. Core/Compulsory Course:

A course which every student must compulsorily take and pass in any particular programme at a particular level of study.

1. Elective Course:

A course that students take within or outside the faculty.  Students may graduate without passing the course provided the minimum credit unit for the programme had been attained.

• Optional Course:

A course which students can take based on interest and may count towards the minimum credit unit required for graduation.

1. Pre-requisite Course:

A course which student must take and pass before taking a particular course at a higher level.

1. Required Course:

A course that you take at a level of study and must be passed before graduation.

2.0 General Studies

Goal

To produce a well-rounded, morally and intellectually capable graduates with vision and entrepreneurial skills in an environment of peace and social cohesiveness.

Objectives

The objectives of the General Studies programme consist of the following:

1. Acquisition, development and inculcation of the proper value-orientation for the survival of the individual and society.
2. b) The development of intellectual capacities of individuals to understand, appreciate and promote peaceful co-existence.
3. c) Production of graduates with broad knowledge of the Nigerian Nation and people with a view to inculcating in them mutual understanding and patriotism.
4. d) Exposing graduates of Nigerian Universities to the rudiments of ICT for computer literacy and ability to live usefully in this ICT age.
5. e) Preparing students for a post university life with opportunities for job creation and entrepreneurial skills.
6. f) Production of graduates capable of communicating effectively (both oral and written)

 3.0 Resources Requirement for Teaching and Learning

1. a) Academic and Non-Academic Staff

The selection of a staff member shall be based on; educational qualifications, experience, scholarly achievements in research and community service, teaching and positive-influence personality. This will be based on the criteria set by ATBU.

Personnel

Staff of the Department can be categorized into two; academic and non-teaching staff. The non- teaching staff can be further categorized into four: Senior Technical, Senior Administrative, Technical and Non-Technical Junior Staff.

1) Academic Staff

Academic staff requirements are in terms of three criteria: number, structure, and qualifications (appointments and promotions).

1. i) Staff-Student Ratio

Determination of the number of academic staff required for an academic programme is contigent on the approved staff-student ratio for each discipline.

The approved Staff-Student ratio for Basic Medical and Allied Health Sciences Discipline is 1:15.

1. ii) Staff – Mix by Rank

This should be in line with recommendations by the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) that categorized Academic staff in the Universities are broadly classified into three;

Professorial (Professor/Reader) Senior lectureship and Lecturers Grade I and below. The Professorial cadre should constitute a maximum of 20 percent of the staff strength while the remaining two should constitute 35 and 45 persons respectively

1. b) Academic and Non-Academic Spaces

building and furniture

1. c) Academic and Administrative Equipment

The following Equipment shall be available in the stated minimum quantity:

1. At least 1 Computer to 5 students
2. Computers and Printers for the Department
3. Oerhead projector with its accessories
4. Photocopying machine
5. Photo Camera
6. Video Camera
7. Audio visual equipment’s for the Media Center
8. Video/Tape Recorders/Player
9. Television
10. VCR (Video recording / Playback)
11. DVD/CD players
12. Multimedia Projector
13. Slide Projector and Slide
14. Equipment for field work e.g. scales height and measurement
15. White Board
16. d) Library and Information System

There shall be enough learning resources materials such as text books, periodicals, Journals in the relevant subject areas.

1. e) Public Health Museum
2. f) Public Health Laboratory

 CONTENT AND DESCRIPTIONS

COURSE CODES 

For uniformity, courses are broadly classified into Core Public Health courses and others. The core Public Health Courses must be offered as described by this minimum standard in the Department of Public Health, while the others may be offered in other Departments and faculties where such or similar courses exist. The core Public Health courses must retain the PBH (Public Health) code, while the others may retain the relevant departmental course code or carry another code of a similar course offered in another department or faculty.