DOCTOR OF PHARMACY PROGRAM

The name of the degree to be awarded under the program  shall be Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD).

PHILOSOPHY

The philosophy of the of the Doctor of Pharmacy degree  program is to produce well educated and competent  pharmacists that are responsive to social needs.

OBJECTIVES 

General Objective

The goal of the program is to produce pharmacists with the  right knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide  comprehensive pharmaceutical services

Specific Objectives

□          At the end of the training, the graduates should be  able to:

I.    Provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care
II.  Design, develop, formulate safe and effective 

medicines

III. Ensure access to medicines, health related products 

& devices

IV. Promote public health

V.  Contribute to the development and implementation 

of national and regional health and medicine  policies

VI. Manage production and quality assurance of  medicines

VII. Promote rational use of herbal and alternative 

medicines

VIII. Function as a leader, manager and entrepreneur

IX. Engage in operational research

X.  Collaborate with other healthcare professionals XI. Become a lifelong learner.

ADMINISTRATION OF THE FACULTY

The Faculty is administered by the Dean who is elected by the  Faculty Board of Studies.  The Dean holds office on election  for tenure of two years and may be re-elected.  The main  administrative setup consists of the Dean, Assistant Dean,  Heads of Departments, Faculty Officer and Chairmen of  Committees of the Faculty.  The highest decision-making  body in the Faculty is the Faculty Board of Studies of which  the Dean is the Chairman.

The Assistant Dean is nominated by the Dean and ratified by  the Faculty Board for approval of the Vice-Chancellor.  The  Vice-Chancellor  on  the  recommendation  of  the  Dean  appoints Heads of Department.  The Head of Department in  the Faculty is normally a Professor and is appointed for a  three-year term. Acting Heads of Departments (normally  those below the rank of a Professor) are usually appointed on  a yearly basis.

REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE DOCTOR OF  PHARMACY DEGREE

STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAM

The PharmD degree program consists of 238 credits spread  over a six-year period of two semesters per year. The program  requires successful completion of

·    Didactic (classroom) lectures

·    Laboratory practicals

·    Blended learning

·    Experiential learning (clinical clerkship and industrial 

training), and
·    Project

Clinical Clerkship shall take in selected tertiary and specialist  hospitals in Benin City and community pharmacies. 

Admission Requirements

In order to be admitted to the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)  degree program, a candidate shall satisfy the minimum entry  requirements of the University.  In addition, the following  requirements apply to the Faculty of Pharmacy:

1.    100 level 

Candidates  must  pass  English  Language,  Mathematics,  Chemistry, Physics and Biology at credit level in the West  African  School  Certificate  (WASC),  Senior  Secondary  School Certificate Examination (SSCE) or its equivalent at  not more than two sittings. This is in addition to an acceptable  pass in the University Tertiary Matriculation Examination  (UTME)  and  another  prescribed  assessment  by  the  University.

2.    200 level (Direct Entry)

The following may be admitted: 

a)         Candidates with A’ Level credits in three science 

subjects which are Chemistry, Physics (or Mathematics)  and Zoology (or Botany or Biology), in addition to the  University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)  requirements. 

b)    Candidates  with  acceptable  Pharmacy  Technician  Certificates from institutions accredited by the Pharmacy  Council  of  Nigeria  (PCN),  in  addition  to  O’  Level  requirements of passes in Chemistry, Physics, Biology,  Mathematics and English Language at, at least credit  level  in  the  Senior  Secondary  School  Certificate  Examination (SSCE).

c)    Candidates must hold at least a Bachelor’s degree  (Second Class Hons) from a recognized university in  chemistry or the biological sciences or related health  related disciplines in addition to UTME requirements  may be considered in line with the University policy. 

Degree Requirements

Candidates admitted to the PharmD degree course must:

i)    Follow an approved course of study for a minimum of  six academic sessions (for those admitted to 100  level) or five academic sessions (for those admitted to  200  level);  pharmacy  undergraduates  of  other  universities  with  qualifications  approved  by  the  Senate  may  be  permitted  to  complete  the  requirements for graduation in the faculty over a  period  of  not  less  than  three  academic  sessions  subsequent to matriculation;

ii)  Comply with such other regulations and requirements 

as may be prescribed.

All candidates are normally required to attend a minimum of  75% of each prescribed course.

Examination Arrangements

All end-of-course examinations shall take place at the end of  the semester.   In addition to written examination, course  examinations may involve orals and/or practicals.

Exemptions:

1□        Mathematics:  Candidates  who  have  passed 

Mathematics at Advanced Level (G.C.E.) or H.S.C. or the  University  100  level  Mathematics  courses  may  be  exempted from the Mathematics courses at the 200 level.

2□   Physiology, Anatomy and Biochemistry:  Candidates  who  have  passed  these  courses  at  200  level  in  the  University of Benin, Benin City or degree holders in these  subjects  may  be  exempted  from  these  courses  as  appropriate.

3     General  Studies:    Candidates  who  have  already  passed the General Studies courses of the University of  Benin, Benin City may not be required to register for  these courses.

Continuous Assessment

Continuous assessment during the semester should form part  of the end-of-course grading.  Its overall contribution should  be from 30 – 40%. For each credit workload, the continuous  assessment  test  should  be  at  least  one. The  minimum  contribution of practicals and continuous assessment for a  course with both practicals and theory should not be more than  40%.

Minimum Pass Mark

The minimum pass mark in all courses at 200 – 600 levels  shall be 50% except for Pharmacy Law and Dispensing where  the pass mark shall be 60% (requirements of the Pharmacy  Council of Nigeria) or CED where the pass mark shall be  40%. The pass mark for all 100 level courses shall be 40%.

Progress throughout the Program

The suitability of students to progress from one year of the  program to the next, and to graduation, will be determined by  a satisfactory standard of course work and examinations.  All  decisions concerning the progress of a student shall be subject  to the approval of Senate on the recommendation of the Board  of Studies of the Faculty of Pharmacy.

The following are the minimum number of credits a student  must accumulate at the end of an academic session in order to  proceed to the next level.

Level□ □          □          Minimum 

100□    □          □          40 

200 □   □          □          28 (38 for Direct Entry)

300□    □          □          30

400□    □          □          27

500□    □          □          32

Students who accumulate the minimum number of credits as  stated above may carry the failed courses over to the next  level.

Final year (600 Level) students are required to repeat all failed  courses as a pass in all the courses of the PharmD degree  program  is  mandatory  before  a  student  can  graduate.  Normally, however, no student shall be allowed to take more  than nine academic sessions to complete the PharmD degree  program if he/she were admitted into the program at the 100  level or eight academic sessions for those admitted at the 200  level.

Probation/Withdrawal 

Students, who fail to accumulate the minimum number of  credits required to move to the next level but have at least 50%  of the stipulated minimum number of credits, will be placed on  probation for one year.  Alternatively, they may opt for Inter- Faculty transfer.  A student on probation is required to repeat  the level and register and repeat only failed courses.  A student  is allowed to go on probation once during the program.  Where  he/she fails at any other time during the program to accumulate  the minimum number of credits required to move to the next  level, such a student shall withdraw from the Faculty and may  seek transfer to another Faculty.

Students who are unable to accumulate 50% of the minimum  number of credits required to move to the next level shall  withdraw from the Faculty.

The students’ final grade point average shall be calculated  from the sum of the weighted grade point for a PharmD  degree when his/her final cumulative weighted grade point  average is 3.0 and above.

Distinction

A candidate shall earn a distinction in any pharmacy subject  area when his/her average score in the pharmacy subject area  (over the duration of the entire degree program) is not less  than 70%.  Distinction(s) shall be reflected in the transcript.   The pharmacy subject areas are:

i.          Clinical Pharmacy and  Pharmacy Practice

ii.         Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology  iii.             Pharmaceutical Microbiology & Biotechnology
iv.        Pharmaceutical Chemistry  

v.         Pharmacology & Toxicology 

vi.        Pharmacognosy 

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Course Codes

ANT – Anatomy

BCH – Biochemistry

BOT/PBB – Botany/Plant Biology

CED – Entrepreneurship Development

CHM – Chemistry

GST – General Studies

PCG – Pharmacognosy

PCH – Pharmaceutical Chemistry

PCN – Clinical Pharmacy

PCO – Pharmacology

PCT – Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology

PHM – Ancillary Mathematics□

PHS – Physiology

PHY – Physics

PIT  –  Industrial Training  (Student  Industrial Work  Experience, SIWES)

PMB – Pharmaceutical Microbiology

PPJ – Project

PPR – Pharmacy Practice

PTX – Clinical Toxicology

PHV – Veterinary Pharmacy 

ZOO/AEB – Zoology/Animal & Environmental Biology

Subject by Level□ i) 100 Level

PHY□  □          – Physics

CHM□ □          – Chemistry

ZOO/AEB□     – Zoology/Animal & Environmental
                           Biology

BOT/PBB□     – Botany/Plant Biology
GST□  □          – General Studies

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ii)        200 Level□

PCT□  – Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology PMB□            – Pharmaceutical Microbiology

PHS□  – Physiology

BCH□  – Biochemistry

PCH□  – Pharmaceutical Chemistry

ANT□  – Anatomy

PCG□  – Pharmacognosy

iii)       300 and 400 Levels□

PMB□ – Pharmaceutical Microbiology

PCT□  – Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology PCO□            – Pharmacology 

PCH□  – Pharmaceutical Chemistry

PCN□  – Clinical Pharmacy

PPR□   – Pharmacy Practice 

PCG□  – Pharmacognosy

CED □ – Entrepreneurship Development

iv)        500 Level

PCG□  – Pharmacognosy

PCT□  – Pharmaceutics and Pharm. Technology
PCO□  – Pharmacology

PTX□  – Toxicology

PCH□  – Pharmaceutical Chemistry

PCN□  – Clinical Pharmacy

PPR□   – Pharmacy Practice

PMB□ – Pharmaceutical Micro biology

PPJ□    – Project

v)         600 Level

PCN□  – Clinical Pharmacy PPR□    – Pharmacy Practice PHV□     – Veterinary Pharmacy

PPJ□    – Project

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Index for Course Coding

Each course code is made up of three letters representing the  subject area, followed by a three-digit number.  For courses  in pharmacy subject areas, the three-digit number indicates  as follows:

First Digit

This refers to the level of course, i.e. 5 for 500 level, 4 for 400  level, 3 for 300 level, 2 for 200 level, and 1 for 100 level.

Second Digit

This digit indicates the semester in which the course is  taken:

0          Combined first and second semester
1          First Semester course.

2          Second Semester course.

Third Digit

This indicates the type of course, i.e. theory or practical. 0       Combined theory and practical course.

1    Practical course

2   Theory course (numbered serially for any one level  beginning from the first semester).