Normal Entry

In order to qualify for normal entry candidates must satisfy the Entry Regulations specified in the General Academic Regulations and in so doing must also meet the following requirements:-

The candidate must have obtained passes in A’ Level Biology and “A” Level Chemistry or their equivalents plus any other science subject.

Special entry 

Candidates who have successfully completed a National Diploma in Biological Sciences and Biotechnology or its recognized equivalent may    apply for entry into Year I. Candidates shall normally have 2 years’ post qualification working experience and shall normally undergo    interviews.

The programme shall consist of 36 taught modules, plus 28 weeks industrial attachment. Year III of the programme shall consist of Industrial Attachment which shall culminate in the submission of an Industrial Attachment report in line with the General Regulations. In their final year students are expected to complete and pass a research project. All modules and research project are compulsory and students shall be required to pass them.

Assessment of candidates
Candidates shall be assessed through continuous assessment, practical assessment and a final written examination for each taught module. A student registered for the BSc (Hons) in Applied Biology and Biochemistry shall be required to pass all the modules for which they have registered.
Continuous assessment shall constitute 20%, practical assessment 20% and examination 60%of the overall mark.
During industrial attachment a student may register for failed modules he/she is eligible to re-sit. The industrial attachment module shall be assessed by continuous assessment, an oral examination and by the assessment of a final report written by the student. The continuous
Think in other terms assessment mark shall constitute 50%, attachment report 40% and oral examination 10% of the overall assessment.
On submission of a satisfactory research project the student shall be required to defend his/her work before a panel of Departmental Examiners. The project module shall be assessed by oral presentation which shall constitute 10% and a dissertation which shall constitute 90% of the overall assessment.

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.

REGULATIONS
The Regulations for the Bachelor of Science Honours degree, hereinafter referred to as the BSc (Hons) in Applied Biology and Biochemistry complement and are subordinate to University General Regulations for undergraduate degrees and Faculty of Applied Science regulations.

Expected Learning outcomes

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

• Be participants of the global community who understand and can contribute to the debate, research and experimentation on contemporary issues in the area of Applied Biology and Biochemistry.
• Be able to design, conduct, analyze, and communicate (in writing and orally) their academic research.
• Recognize and be able to apply basic ethical principles to basic and applied biological and biochemical practice and shall understand the role of biological/biochemical science, scientists, and practitioners in society.
• Display sufficient practical skills and knowledge in Biology and Biochemistry to be sought-after practitioners in industries (brewing, dairy, baking, pharmaceutical),research institutions, tertiary education, manufacturing industries and in the medical sector in Zimbabwe, the region and the world at large.
• Demonstrate a decisive approach in the evaluation of scientific data and information,Think in other terms including the capacity to apply relevant statistical analysis and use of statistical software.
• Apply relevant Applied Biology and Biochemistry techniques to solve real problems in industry.
• Provide the students with the knowledge and skills to create employment in varied areas of Applied Biology and Biochemistry.

Employability:
Production Managers, Quality controllers, Laboratory technicians in the food industry (brewing, baking, dairy etc), Pharmaceutical, Agricultural (seed production houses, feed manufacturers, egg and chicken industries), Medical (Laboratories at diagnostic and medical centres). Research scientists in research institutions, lecturers at Universities and polytechnics, biology educators in the education sector. Some can proceed and pursue higher degrees. Some can become consultants or become entrepreneurs in biology related businesses.

Further Studies:
PhD, MPhil in Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Biotechnology, MSc in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

COURSE SYNOPSIS

YEAR I

SBB 1101 Man And The Environment 10 Credits
The module looks at layers of the atmosphere, air pollution, photochemical smog, biomes, ecosystems and habitats, food chains and webs, resource depletion, recycling and renewable energy, agrochemicals, portable water, sewage systems and effluent, differentiation, environmental impact assessment, oil spills s well as environmental ethics.

SBB 1103 Cell Biology 10 Credits
The module explores the cell concept, structure and function of cell organelles , cell junctions, cell matrix, cytoskeleton, cell membrane structure and function, electron and light microscopy, microtomy, somatic and gamete cell division, cell culture, cell differentiation and specialization and cells in Biotechnology.

SBB 1105 Plant Physiology 10 Credits
The module examines the plant Cell Structure function and regeneration, plant water relations, mineral nutrition and ion transport, respiration, photosynthesis, physiological principles of plant's growth and development, stress physiology and some new direction of plant physiology.

SCS 1100 Introduction To Computers 10 Credits
Offered by Department of Computer Science

SCH 1116 Organic Chemistry 10 Credits
Offered by Department of Applied Chemistry

SMA 1112 Preparatory Mathematics 10 Credits
Offered by Department of Applied Mathematics

SBB 1204 Genetics 10 Credits
The module is about the pre-Mendelian theories of genetics DNA and its genetic role. Mendelian genetics; monohybrid and dihybrid inheritance, allelic interations; multiple allelism, codominance and incomplete dominance, lethal alleles, gene interactions; epistasis, modifiers, suppressors, complementary genes, penetrance and expressivity, extranuclear inheritance, statistics and genetics; use of probability theories in genetics, the chi-square test, pedigree analysis, Bayes theorem and genetic counselling. It also looks at linkage analysis, Cytogenetics; variations in chromosome structure and number as well as population genetics; genetic variation, the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and quantitative genetics.

SBB 1206 Animal Physiology 10 Credits
The module looks at energy changes in living cells, Respiration and gaseous exchange, digestion and nutrition, endocrine control and hormone action, homeostasis: Nervous system
excretion, animal cell culture, cardiovascular systems, circulation, hemodynamics, growth and aging as well as locomotion.

SBB 1207 General Microbiology I 10 Credits
This introductory module deals with the study of different prokaryotic organisms, their morphology anatomy classifications, ecology, metabolism and control along with a brief survey of human diseases caused by them. Lab work would emphasize their identification and growth methods.

CTL 1101 Conflict Transformation And Leadership 10 Credits
The thrust of the module is understanding peace and conflict; theories of conflict; conflict analysis and tools; economic roots of conflict; gender and conflict; leadership; leadership and conflict handling mechanisms; leadership and conflict handling mechanisms; women in leadership; leadership ethics; interplay: leadership, conflict and development.

YEAR II

SBB 2101 Biochemistry: Chemistry Of Biomolecules 12 Credits
The module introduces the student to Macromolecular chemistry. The chemistry of water, carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins and nucleic acids are studied in preparation for studying metabolic processes.

SBB 2102 Biochemistry : Metabolic Processes I 12 Credits
The module acquaints students with the modern concepts in Bioenergetics (biological oxidation and oxidative phosphorylation); coupling of biological reactions, Role of ATP in thermodynamically unfavourable reactions, mechanisms of oxidative phosphorylation; pathways for ATP formation in substrate and respiratory chain, carbohydrate metabolism and its regulation (glycolysis, citric acid cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, gluconeogenesis, irreversible steps and their bypass, regulation of gluconeogenesis, Cori cycle, glycogen degradation and synthesis) as well as lipid metabolism and its regulation (degradation and synthesis of glycerol and fatty acids).

SBB2104 Introduction To Enzymology And Immunology 10 Credits
This module aims at giving the student an overview of the major characteristics and properties of enzymes and the mechanism of enzyme reactions and regulation of enzyme activity. The module introduces student also to the general processes of immune response, structure of immunoglobulins, mechanism of action of B- and T- cells.

SBB 2105 General Microbiology II 10 Credits
This module deals with detailed treatment of microbial growth, kinetics and environmental factors affecting growth, regulation of metabolism, solute transport, interaction of mixed cultures, antibiotics, sterilization and disinfection and enumeration of bacteria.

SBB 2107 Food Chemistry 12 Credits
Food Chemistry is a major aspect of Food Science and is the science that deals with the composition and properties of food and chemical changes it undergoes under different environmental conditions and processing. Hence some of the components that shall be looked at in this module are the lipids, proteins, carbohydrates food colour pigments and other additives.

SBB 2109 Principles Of Fermentation Technology 10 Credits
The scientific, technological and economic principles involved in selection and application of microbes, substrates and equipment to industrial fermentations are studied in this module.

SBB 2203 Analytical Biochemistry 12 Credits
The module introduces students to practical techniques used in biochemical research as well as terms that are the language of the practicing biochemist. Topics covered include measurement of pH, extraction of biomolecules and techniques used in elucidating their structures (e.g. Centrifugation, Chromatography, Electrophoresis, Spectrophotometry, radioisotope techniques).

SBB 2206 Food Microbiology 12 Credits
This module deals with microorganisms responsible for contamination, and spoilage of foods. Food preservation and Food processing. Food-borne infections and intoxication shall be examined as well as the microbiological analysis of foods including data interpretation.

SBB2211 Principles Of Quality Control 10 Credits
The module deals with quality in food processing, probability and sampling methods, quality control plans for factories, sanitation (personal, storage and transport) and product principles.

SBB 2214 Molecular Genetics And Biotechnology 12 Credits
The module deals with Advanced aspects of expression and transmission of genetic information; gene transfer in plants and animals, probes and their application; cutting and joining DNA molecules; recombination techniques; DNA libraries and basic cloning techniques.

SCH 2108 Principles Of Process Engineering 10 Credits
Offered by Department of Applied Chemistry

SORS 2210 Applied Statistics For Biological Sciences 10 Credits
Offered by Department of Applied Statistics and Operations Research

YEAR III

SBB 3001 Industrial Attachment 120 Credits

YEAR IV

SBB 4103 Principles Of Nutrition 12 Credits
The module explores the history of human nutrition; factors that influence food availability and consumption patterns; macro and micronutrients; sources, digestion and metabolism; nutrients with antioxidant functions; nutritional requirements in humans; role of age, sex and lifestyle on nutritional requirement, determining nutritional status in humans, dietary reference values (DRVs), diet planning, nutritional evaluation of food. It also looks at macro and micronutrient malnutrition; diet therapy; food fortification nutritional epidemiology and food labelling.

SBB 4109 Advanced Applied Microbiology 12 Credits
The module examines the ecological and metabolic diversity of microorganisms and their Bio-geo chemical roles in nature and in artificial habitats such as sewage are taught. Metabolism of hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds as well as growth on reduced C-1 compounds shall be included in the module.

SBB 4101 Advanced Biochemistry And Molecular Physiology
12 Credits
This module deals with advanced aspects of mechanisms of enzyme action; blood clotting, metabolism of liver and biotransformation reactions, biochemistry and Molecular, physiology of muscle contraction, neurotransmission and hormone action.

SBB 4111 Biochemistry: Metabolic Processes II 12 Credits
The module deals with ketone body formation, metabolism of cholesterol and steroids, Amino acid metabolism and their conversion to specialized products, Nucleic acid metabolism, Protein synthesis, regulation and integration of metabolism shall also be covered.

SBB 4106 Food Technology I: Non Alcoholic Fermentations 12 Credits
The module covers the principles of processing , preservation, packaging and storage of various categories of foods of plant and animal origin as well as non-alcoholic fermented foods are studied. Major food processing sectors that include the dairy, meat, canning, cereals, fruit, vegetable, oils and fats industries are explored.

SBB 4202 Enzyme Biotechnology 12 Credits
The module gives the student an overview of applications of Biotechnology, introduction to enzyme biotechnology, the production and purification of enzymes and methods of enzyme and cell immobilization, the use of immobilized enzymes analytical chemistry, medicine on the synthesis of fine chemicals and food production.

SBB 4204 Advanced Cell Biology 12 Credits
Following from SBB 1103, mitotic and meiotic cell divisions are also studied in this module. Molecular anatomy of genes and chromosomes Gene rearrangements, gene regulation and development are also studied. Other topics also include: cell cycle, cell signalling, cell aging and death, molecular biology of cancer, cellular immunology, tissue culture techniques, cell culture.

SBB4207 Food Technology II: Alcoholic Fermentations 12 Credits
The module gives an overview of methods of production, quality control and legislation on alcoholic beverages, principally beer (including opaque beers), wines and spirits. In the production of distilled alcoholic beverages, aspects of distillation and product recovery will be focused on as well as principles of production of matured and unmatured spirits.

SSB 4208 Biotechnology Of Pharmaceutical Product 12 Credits
The module includes advanced topics in production of vaccines, antibiotics, and hormones using traditional and genetic engineering techniques and hybridoma technology.