College of Health Sciences

Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Name of Faculty:                    Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Name of Dean Of Faculty:      Prof. O. Okorie
Contact E-mail:                       This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Contact Phone Number(s):     08035732287

 

INTRODUCTION

The curriculum has been designed to give the student a general education and at the same time deliver intensive education in the pharmaceutical sciences that meets the requirement of 21st Century practice of the profession. Since the emergence of Pharmacy as a profession, many courses aimed at equipping the pharmacist in whatever field of practice have been introduced in pharmaceutical education. Some of these have been reflected in this curriculum. Above all, the curriculum meets the requirement of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria which is the professional regulatory body. The ever widening knowledge required for drug formulation, manufacture and health care delivery expectedly makes the study of Pharmacy intensive in theory and laboratory practice. The wide range of career opportunities in Industry, teaching and research, hospital, national and international drug administration, community practice and cosmetics pay more than good dividend for the hard work demanded by the training in Pharmacy.

The student is advised to apply himself/herself and use this golden opportunity to achieve the desired goal. The conditions for advancing from 100 Level to 500 Level are spelt out. The students are assigned to academic advisers who will always be ready to assist and advise them so that their desired objectives can be achieved. The teachers are friends and not enemies!

 

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FACULTY OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES

At its 259th meeting on 30th January, 2002, the Senate of the University of Port Harcourt approved the establishment of degree programmes in Nursing (B.Sc Nursing), Pharmacy (B.Pharm) and Dentistry (B.DS) in the College of Health Sciences.  In accordance with the approvals, Pharmacy should be taught and coordinated in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences which should NOT be an integral part of the College of Health Sciences.  However, the Faculty did not take off till 31st January, 2005 when the Dean, Prof. O. K. Udeala accepted an appointment offered by the University and assumed duty.  There was no basic infrastructure at the onset; the foundation Dean among few other members of the staff occupied a one room office with the College of Health Sciences from where they moved to the office loaned to them by Professor Don M. Baridam as he came up as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt.  Later, an abandoned building was renovated to accommodate not only the Dean’s office but also offices for young academic and administrative staff that had grown to 14 in number.  By the end of 2007, the World Bank Library building vacated by the University Library was approved for occupation by the University Administration. The building was restructured to house four (4) laboratories, offices and auditorium. Today, the Faculty has moved to a NEW multipurpose building. It is now able to house the Dean’s Office, Departmental Offices, Library, Faculty Finance Office, Conference Rooms, various classrooms for our students, Drug Information Center and offices for increased number of academic, administrative, technical including various miscellaneous staff coupled with expanded teaching instruments.

 

PHILOSOPHY

Our philosophy is to deliver all-rounded and integrated pharmaceutical education imparting on other facets of societal need, while the focus remains pharmaceutical and patient care in tune with global best practice.

 

OBJECTIVE

The Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm.) Degree curriculum is thus designed to provide the required education, development and training of students for career in any following aspects of pharmaceutical practice: academic (teaching and research), distribution/supply, hospital and community pharmacy, industrial (production and research), national/international drug administration and quality control (assurance), packaging and drug information.

 

VISION

  • To development manpower in every aspect of the profession.
  • To be the centre of excellence in the processing/production of direct compression excipients such as calcium phosphate dehydrate, microcrystalline cellulose and musol etc.
  • To be the centre of excellence in pilot scale studies for pharmaceutical production.
  • To establish a herbarium world class repute; which shall include the conservation of medicinal plants that are native to the tropical rainforest in our medicinal plant farm.
  • To establish a quality control laboratory with proper reference drugs manned by professional experts to complement and work with National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)
  • To re-orientate professionals, going back to ancient landmark in training students who are ethical, cognate and diligent, for the 21st century practice of the profession.
  • To establish a graduate programme for viable research and development.

 

ACADEMIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

 

The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences comprises of the following six departments:

  1. 1) Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Management
  2. 2) Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology
  3. 3) Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry
  4. 4) Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology
  5. 5) Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology
  6. 6) Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy
  7.  

The Faculty shall be headed by a Dean who shall be elected by the members of the Faculty Board.

 

An Associate Dean shall be elected by the Faculty Board upon nomination by the Dean.

 

Each Department shall have a Head of Department or Departmental Coordinator as the case may be.

 

There shall be a Faculty Officer who shall be responsible to the Dean of the Faculty for the day to day administration of the affairs of the Faculty. He/she shall be the Secretary to the Faculty Board. The Faculty Officer shall be appointed in the same manner and as to such terms and conditions of service as are applicable to persons of the same grade and status in the University and may be assigned from among such persons by the Registrar after consultations with Dean.

 

THE FACULTY BOARD

There  shall  be  Faculty  Board  which  shall  control  the Academic work of the Faculty and shall be responsible to and subject to the control of the Board of Studies of the Faculty, and ultimately to the Senate of the University of Port Harcourt in all academic matters. It shall also exercise such powers of the Senate as may be delegated to it by the Senate from time to time.

The Faculty Board shall consist of:

  1. The Dean of the Faculty who shall be Chairman
  2. The Associate Dean
  3. All Professors and Heads of Departments
  4. All members of Academic Staff of the Faculty

The quorum of the Faculty Board shall be one-third (or the whole number nearest to one-third) of the total number of members for the time being of the Board, and subject to the provision of this statute and to any provision made by the regulations in that behalf, the Board may regulate its own procedure.

 

Subject to the provisions of the Act, it shall be the function of the Faculty Board to:

 

  1. Advise and  report  to  Senate all matters relating to the organization of Education, Teaching and Research in the Faculty, including curricula and examination:
  2. Consider the progress and conduct of students in the Faculty and to report thereon.
  3. Recommend to the Senate persons for appointment as examiners, and
  4. Deal with any Academic matters referred to it by Senate.

 

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND SCOPE OF BACHELOR OF PHARMACY (B. PHARM.) PROGRAMME

 

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

In addition to satisfying the general entry requirement of the University of Port Harcourt, candidates must have the Senior Secondary School Certificate, NECO or General Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level) with credits in English, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and Biology in not more than two sittings.

Candidates who in addition to satisfying the conditions stated in (i) above pass creditably in all the courses constituting a very competitive examination written at the end of study in the Basic Studies Unit of the University of Port Harcourt may, strictly based on merit be admitted into 100 Level to fill the limited space allocated to Pharmacy.

In accordance with University of Port Harcourt Regulations, no candidate is admitted directly to Part II (200 Level) of the B. Pharm. Programme of study.

Also students who are already in the University of Port Harcourt may transfer to Pharmacy provided they satisfy the requirements in courses and have CGPA of 4.0 or above.

 

SCOPE OF B. PHARM. PROGRAMME

The Bachelor of Pharmacy Degree Programme encompasses

  1. General education
  2. Basic and pre-clinical sciences; pharmaceutical sciences
  3. Professional studies and training

 

The period of training is FIVE (5) YEARS. The first year of study covers the Basic Sciences, Mathematics, General Studies which include the use of English and subjects in the Social Sciences. The first year of study constitutes the Part One or 100 Level. All the 100 Level courses are offered in the Faculty of Science and General Studies Unit where applicable.

 

Physiology, Anatomy, Biochemistry, Microbiology are some of the courses offered in basic and pre-clinical sciences as students go into the Professional year (Part Two) of study. These courses are designed to teach or acquaint the students with the functioning of the human body in health and disease state. An introductory pharmacy course is also presented in Part Two in order to acquaint the students with the emergence of pharmacy as a profession, changes in pharmacy education and practice, the environment as a pharmaceutical resource base, relationship between pharmacy and other health professions; career opportunities open to pharmacists. Some of the mathematical calculations and expressions often applied and used in pharmaceutical systems are introduced.

Pharmaceutical Sciences cover Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy, Clinical Pharmacy and Management.

 

During this period of study, the students are exposed to the study of pharmaceutical systems which include solutions, mixtures, suspensions, solid and semi-solids. The chemistry which includes the structure, synthesis and analysis of therapeutic agents are covered in Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry. The action of drugs in human and animals is the subject of pharmacology. It is in the study of pharmacognosy that the identification, chemistry and sources of therapeutic agents and formulation aids derivable from plants and animal studied. Pharmaceutical microbiology other than introducing the use of microorganism for production of useful antibiotics and biosynthetic organic chemicals, stresses the technique for eliminating microorganisms to ensure that pharmaceutical systems are not contaminated by them. Clinical Pharmacy gives students great insight to the handling of drugs in the body and how maximum benefit can be derived by the patient by understanding the distribution, therapeutic effect and excretion of drugs when administered as a given dosage form.

 

Professional Training embraces the formulation and compounding of prescription items; the knowledge of pharmaceutical and surgical accessories; pharmaceutical dispensing and patient counseling backed up with good knowledge of Clinical Pharmacy; drug research and industrial pharmacy; Forensic Pharmacy under which pharmaceutical law ethics are dealt with; Hospital, Community Pharmacy Management; Drug distribution and pharmacoeconomics; drug assay, quality control and quality assurance.

 

DEGREE AWARDED

Candidates admitted for first degree in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences proceed to the Degree of Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm.). Every candidate admitted into the Part 1/Year 1 (100 Level) of the B. Pharm.degree programme must attend not less than five(5) academic sessions of approved courses of instruction including lectures, laboratory practices, seminars, conferences, industrial training, etc.

 

Candidates must attend at least 75 percent of contact time of approved courses of study before being allowed to write examinations for the prescribed courses or subjects. All decisions concerning the progress of a student shall be subject to the approval of Senate on the recommendation of the Faculty Board of Pharmacy.

 

EXAMINATION REGULATIONS FOR THE BACHELOR OF PHARMACY (B. PHARM.) PROGRAMME

 

Part 1 (Year 1)

  1. Preliminary Course Examinations are conducted in the Faculty of Science and the General Studies Department of the University of Port Harcourt.
  2. The pass mark for all 100 Level courses conducted in the Faculty of Science and General Studies Department is 40% which is the same as University of Port Harcourt pass mark.
  3. Students of Pharmacy are normally required to pass all the 100 Level courses to qualify to move to 200 Level. No carry-over of courses to the next Part (Year) is allowed in the Pharmacy Degree Programme.
  4. Where a  student has passed all the core or pre-requisites Courses, namely: BIOLOGY, MATHEMATICS, PHYSICS and CHEMISTRY but fails in one General Studies (GES) course, the Faculty Board of Studies may after considering the overall performance of the student, allow the carry-over of ONE GES course.

           

Parts II – IV (Years 2 - 4) 

  1. The pass mark for the professional years (i.e. 200 to 500 Levels) is 50% for all courses except Dispensing and Pharmacy Jurisprudence (Pharmaceutical Law and Ethics) which by the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria (PCN) require or attract a pass mark of 60% for each. These notwithstanding, a pass mark of 70% and above in any subject shall be considered a Distinction.
  2. Candidates who fail not more than Four (4) Courses or twenty percent (20%) of the total registered courses, whichever is lower, at any professional year shall be required to RESIT for such courses in examination administered in the Faculty.
  3. Any candidate that fails any course (s) during the RESIT examination shall be required to REPEAT the year because professional courses are pre-requisites for understanding or grasping the courses in the next stage.
  4. Candidates who fail more than Four (4) Courses at any professional year shall REPEAT the year or be asked to WITHDRAW subject to section (e) below
  5. If during the REPEAT year a student fails more than Four (4) Courses again, such student will be required to WITHDRAW from the Faculty (i.e., students cannot repeat a particular level more than once).
  6. Candidates shall normally NOT be allowed to stay beyond eight (8) years in the professional Pharmacy Programme (Parts II- V) and ten (10) years in the entire Programme (Parts I- V).

 

Part V (Year- 5)

  1. The conditions for pass, resit and repeat stated in Parts II-IV (Years 2-4) above apply
  2. Candidates at 500 LEVEL shall be allowed to repeat the year until they exhaust the maximum years (ten years) allowed for the programme.
  3. Repeat candidates at 500 LEVEL, who are unsuccessful after ten (10) years in the entire Pharmacy Programme, may with the approval of the Faculty Board be permitted to repeat the year in NOT MORE THAN TWO subsequent occasions.
  4. Projects accepted for final year students as satisfactory at the first attempt of the final examination (500 Level) shall be acceptable for subsequent repeat examination.
  5. All examinations shall be conducted in accordance with Regulations governing the conduct of examinations in the University of Port Harcourt. External Examiners as approved by Senate shall participate in the conduct of Year 4 Practical Pharmaceutics (Dispensing); Pharmacy Jurisprudence (Pharmacy Laws or Ethics) and all final year (500 Level) courses.

 

 

FINAL DETERMINATION OF DEGREE IN THE FACULTY OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES

The degree of B. Pharm. is not classified; there is no First, Second or Third Class Honour. The letter grade scores of candidates in Parts I, II, III, IV and V examinations shall be assigned as follows:

 

Percentage Score

Equivalent Grade Point

Remark

70 and above

5

Distinction

60 – 69

4

Pass

50 – 59

3

Pass

 

For each year, Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) shall be calculated from the course examination results. Weighting shall be determined by the contribution of each year’s academic performance.

 

To qualify for the award of the B. Pharm. degree, a candidate must have not less than C (i.e.50%) in each of the Pharmacy courses registered for the degree except Dispensing and Pharmacy Jurisprudence for which the minimum mark is 60%. This is in compliance with the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria Regulation for the award of the Bachelor of Pharmacy Degree. Students who pass a subject with a score of 70% and over shall earn a distinction in the course.

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

Absence from Examination, continuous assessment, practical sessions and lectures

It is mandatory for a student to attend lectures and practical sessions up to 75 % of the total contact hours per semester before he/she is allowed to sit for the continuous assessments and/or semester examinations.  A student who fails to meet this condition without any valid reason will not be allowed to sit for any continuous assessments and/or semester examinations.  A student who, based on medical or any other justifiable reason could not fulfill this requirement is expected to communicate in writing, to the Dean, through his/her Academic Adviser, through the Head of Department involved, two (2) weeks before the date of the examination and where this is not possible, the Dean shall be notified not later than two (2) weeks after the assessment/examination date.  The student should attach a copy of his/her medical report duly certified by the Director of Health Services of the University of Port Harcourt Health Centre, to the application. In the event of any other justifiable reason, other than on medical ground, the student must provide evidence to substantiate the claim which shall be verified by a Committee appointed by the Dean.  

 

Request for Re-mark of Examination scripts

Where a student feels that he/she was under assessed in any semester course examination, the student shall formally apply for a re-assessment of his/her script to the Dean, through the academic adviser, through the head of department involved, not later than two (2) weeks after the release of the examination results. In such circumstance, Section 22 of the University of Port-Harcourt Statement of Academic policies shall apply.

                                                           

Examination Malpractice

All forms of cheating which directly or indirectly falsify the ability of the student are unacceptable. These shall include cheating within and outside examination hall, and any involvement in all examination related offences.

Any student found guilty of examination malpractice after due process shall be recommended for appropriate punishment as stipulated in Sections 23 and 24 of the University of Port-Harcourt Statement of Academic Policies.

 

Dress Code 

Each student of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences shall be required to dress properly at all times in line with the prescribed mode of dress:

 

Male Student

Dressing should be neat and decent: ash-grey trousers, white shirt and tie

T- shirt and Jeans wears are not acceptable

Presentable footwear should be won excluding all types of slippers.

 

Female Student

Dressing should be neat and decent: knee-length ash-grey skirts with white blouse.

Presentable footwears should be worn excluding slippers.

T- shirt and Jeans wears are not acceptable.

Clothing that is too short, clinging or that indecently expose some parts of the body is not acceptable.

Fingernails should be kept to a minimum.

 

Secret Societies/Cults

The profession of Pharmacy serves to preserve human life; respect and upholds the sanctity of life. Cultism in the profession is inadmissible. Secret societies/cults are anti-social and are banned by the university. Any student proved to belong to a secret society/cult shall be expelled.

 

Professional Student Association

The Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria Student (PANS) caters for the welfare and professional interest of all students in the Faculty. It becomes imperative that student avail themselves of these opportunities and register accordingly.

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