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Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science Honours Degree

Introduction (Preamble)

These regulations should be read in conjunction with the General Academic Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees hereinafter referred to as General Regulations. The Senate shall be the final authority for the interpretation of the regulations.

The Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences Honours (BSc BMS Hons) Degree programme is a 4-year programme that is the foundation of the NUST Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) programme.     

On completion of year 3 of the BSc BMS Hons degree, students will graduate with a General BSc BMS degree. Qualifying students may proceed to Year 4 of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme or do an extra year to complete the BSc BMS Hons Degree.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants to the Faculty of Medicine BSc BMS Honours Programmes of study may be accepted provided they have satisfied the entry requirements prescribed under the General Regulations for acceptance to the University and the specific Faculty requirements as follows:

  • Applicants should have passed at least 5 subjects at ‘O’ Level at Grade C or better.  These should include Mathematics and English Language
  • Applicants should have 3 ‘A’ Level passes in Chemistry (Mandatory subject) and in any two of the following subjects: Mathematics, Biology, Physics, or their approved equivalents.                              
  • Applicants may apply for Special Entry on the basis of an appropriate Undergraduate Degree, normally at the First or Upper Second Class Degree Classification. Appropriate Degrees will be those with substantial content in the biomedical or chemical sciences.  Any requests by such candidates for exemptions from any part of the BSc BMS programme will not normally be considered but may be granted by the Senate on advice from the Faculty Board. Applicants with other science degrees may be granted an exemption by the Senate on advice from the Faculty Board provided the applicant has the required subjects at ‘A’ Level (Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics/Pure Mathematics/Additional Mathematics/Statistics or their approved equivalents).
  • Applicants to the Programme may also be required to satisfy a Faculty Panel in an interview.

 DEGREE WEIGHTING

Each taught module shall have a coursework or continuous assessment (CA) component and a written examination.

The CA shall contribute 50% of the overall mark and the written Examination shall contribute 40 - 50% of the overall mark.

Where applicable, oral examination and/or Practical examination will contribute 10% of the overall mark.

For industrial training modules, the CA mark shall constitute 50% and the final report mark shall constitute 50% of the overall assessment.

The overall BSc BMS General degree shall carry equal weighting of year I, year II and year III overall marks and the overall BSc BMS Honours degree shall carry 100% weighting of year IV modules.

Teaching and Learning Methods
Lectures, tutorials, laboratory classes, seminars, group work, industrial visits, industrial attachment, research project, individual independent study.

Assessment Methods
Written and oral examinations, tests, laboratory reports, seminar presentations, industrial attachment report, final year research project report, continuous assessments.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this degree programme, the graduates shall be expected to:

  • Demonstrate strong and sound scientific base and continuous learning for all health science disciplines.
  • Employ practical and analytical skills for innovations that lead to the development of drugs and appliances for the management of health problems in the country. 
  • Demonstrate competencies and skills to undertake research in health care.
  • Demonstrate the competency to develop and produce technologies that contribute to the latest advances in medical science.
  • Apply research methodologies and generate solutions in community-based projects that address local health needs.
  • Develop healthy inter-professional/teamwork skills for professionalism.

Admission to sit for examinations

A student shall be required to have a CA mark of at least 50% in a module for which they can be admitted to sit for an examination.  A student who obtains an overall CA mark below the minimum acceptable mark shall be required to repeat that course for a minimum of one year.

Students who fail to attend a minimum of 80% of the lectures will be barred from writing the examinations.

Determination of Results

Final examinations will be held at the end of each module. At the end of each Part (Year) of the BSc BMS programme, the students will need to have passed the set examinations before they can proceed. 

To pass a module, the student must have obtained a mark of at least 50% in the written examinations and have an overall mark of at least 50% in the in the continuous assessment, practical and written examinations.

To pass a project module a student must achieve an overall aggregate of at least 50%. A mark less than 50% will be classified as a fail and repeat module.

Where applicable, the assessment of project modules shall be based on dissertation and oral presentation by the student. Normally a dissertation shall be submitted at the end of the revision period of the semester in which the module is completed.

The final research project component shall be marked as follows: Project proposal and presentation 10%, Final Research project presentation 20%, Research project write up 70%.

To pass an Industrial Attachment Module a student must obtain a continuous assessment mark of at least 50%, a mark of at least 50% in the assessment of the final report and oral assessment and an overall Mark of at least 50%.

A student may be allowed to repeat the industrial training module if he/she has obtained a mark less than 50%. If he/she has passed the continuous assessment, then in repeating the module he/she shall only be required to submit a new version of his/her final report.  

Supplementary Examinations

To be eligible for a supplementary examination in a module a student (i) must have passed at least 50% of the modules examined in that year (ii) Must have obtained a mark of at least 40% in the overall assessment in a module. The supplementary examinations will be written according to the guidelines in the NUST general regulations.

Repeat

A student who fails more than 50% of the modules examined in that year shall apply to repeat the modules over one year.

The student shall apply for permission to repeat the failed modules twice only.  A student who fails after two repeat attempts shall be requested to withdraw from the Programme.   

After withdrawing from the programme they may be allowed to apply after 2 years from the time of the last examination.

Awarding of Degree & Degree Classification

To be eligible for the award of the Bachelor of Sciences In Biomedical Science General Degree a student must pass all Part I core modules, all Part II core modules, all part III core modules and all practical modules if appropriate.

To be eligible for the award of the Bachelor of Sciences In Biomedical Science Honours Degree a student must pass the project module and pass all Industrial Training/field attachment modules.

The classification used for each total assessment being considered shall be:

 

Mark

Classification

Description

75% and above

1

Distinction

65-74%

2.1

Upper Second

60-64%

2.2

Lower Second

50-59%

3

Pass

40-49%

Fail allowed to supplement

Fail

0-39%

Fail

Fail

Course Synopsis