B.SC. DEGREE IN POLITICAL SCIENCE

Philosophy of the B.Sc. Degree in Political Science

The philosophy of the Bachelor degree programme in Political Science is to foster critical, analytical, and creative thinking in students to enable them gain an understanding of political theory, systems, institutions and public policies.

Objectives of B.Sc. Degree in Political Science

The major objectives of the B.Sc Political Science programme are to:

Provide basic knowledge and skills needed to understand and analysis politics and the political process;

Equip students with knowledge and skills for decision making, especially skills to apply their knowledge to real world situations, to identify, define and solve problems in government, politics and society at large.

Provide students with the expertise they need in order to pursue a diverse range of postgraduate study options;

Educate students in the intricacies of governmental authority and prepares them to work domestically and internationally in a wide breadth of areas; and

Develop in students leadership and interpersonal skills necessary for future public service roles and to improve society.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Admission into the BSc. Degree programme in Political Science may be through any of the following modes: Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME), Direct Entry (DE), or Transfer.

Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) Entry Mode

Candidates are expected to have credit level passes in FIVE (at a single sitting) or SIX (at two sittings) subjects at Ordinary Level including English Language, Government or History, and any other THREE Social Science or Arts subjects in nationally recognised examinations. The candidate must also have at least a Pass in Mathematics. Additionally, candidates must write and pass the UTME examination in English, Government and any other TWO Social Science or Arts subjects.

Direct Entry Mode

In addition to the Ordinary Level requirements stipulated above, applicants through the Direct Entry Mode should possess at least TWO Advanced Level papers in Government and any other Social Science or Arts subjects.

Transfer

Students may be allowed to transfer into 200 level of the programme provided:

They satisfy the University conditions for transfer.

Offer All the Four Political Science courses (POS 111, POS 112, POS 113 and POS 114) at 100 level.

And score a minimum average score in the four courses, as may be set by the Department from time to time.

Expected Duration of the Programme

A student will not be allowed to exceed an additional 50 per cent of the duration of the programme if he fails to graduate within the minimum number of years.

UTME: Four (4) academic sessions (8 semesters); maximum of 9 semesters

Direct Entry: Three (3) academic sessions (6 semesters); maximum of 9 semesters

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

i. Course System

Credits are weights attached to a course. One credit is equivalent to one hour per week per semester of 15 weeks of lectures. Course System is 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, 111 etc and Level II or year II courses are 200, 211 etc.

ii. Units

Consist of specified number of student-teacher contact hours per week in a 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. The minimum credit load per semester is 15 credit units.

iii. Standard Terminologies

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

Compulsory Courses: These are courses which every student must compulsorily register for and pass at a particular level of study and must be passed before graduation.

Required Courses: These are courses that must be taken at a level of study but not necessarily passed. Where there is a group of such courses, the department may specify the number of units to be passed.

Elective Courses: These are courses that students take to make up the required additional units for the award of degree and to specialize. These may be taken within or outside the department. Students may graduate without passing the elective courses provided the minimum credit units for graduation had been attained.

Faculty Course – FSS: These are faculty courses which are with compulsory and required status. No student may graduate from the University of Ibadan without taking ALL relevant required faculty courses and must pass the compulsory ones. The faculty course specified for the Department at the moment is the FSS 204: Statistics for the Social Sciences.

e) University Courses – General Studies (GES) Courses: These are university courses which are with compulsory and required status. No student may graduate from the University of Ibadan without taking ALL relevant required GES courses and must pass the compulsory ones. The GES courses specified for the Department are listed below:

GES 101 Use of English I

GES 104 Science, Industry and Mankind

GES 105 Agriculture, Renewable Natural Resources, and Animal Husbandry andHealth

GES 106 Philosophy, Logic and Critical Thinking

GES 107 Reproductive Health, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), Drugs and Mankind

GES 108 Introduction to French

GES 201 Use of English II

GES 301 Introduction to Entrepreneurial Skills

COURSE ASSESSMENT AND EXAMINATION

i. Modes of Assessment

All courses taken must be evaluated and a final grade given at the end of the semester. To arrive at the final grade, the evaluation must be a continuous process consisting of some or all the following where applicable:

a) Continuous Assessment

Continuous assessment shall be done through assignments and/or periodic tests, group work, quizzes, essay and attendance. Marks scored from continuous assessment shall normally constitute 40 percent (40%) of the full marks for each course.

b) Examinations

In addition to continuous assessment, final examinations should normally be given for every course at the end of each semester. All courses shall be graded out of a maximum of 100 marks comprising 40 percent (40%) for continuous assessment and 60 percent (60%) for final examination; and the overall pass mark shall be 45 percent (45%).

A student who fails to satisfy the examiners in a course shall be allowed to take the examination at the next available opportunity. Carry-over of courses shall be allowed, provided candidates do not exceed the maximum total number of 40 credit units per session.

ii. Grading of Courses

Grading of courses shall be done by a combination of percentage marks and letter grades translated into a graduated system of Grade Point as shown below.

Classes of degree are to be awarded depending on the cumulative GPA obtained. The classes of degrees that may be awarded are as shown below:

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

The following requirements are mandatory to be eligible for graduation from the B.Sc. Political Science Programme:

i. All compulsory courses must be taken and passed.

ii. All required courses must be taken.

iii. All specified number of external electives must be taken and passed

iv. All specified Faculty Course (FSS 204) must be taken and passed

v. All specified General Studies Programme courses for the Department must be taken while GES 101 and GES 201must be passed.

vi. Minimum unit of courses to be taken at each level is 40 units

vii. Minimum unit to be passed at each level before proceeding to the next level is 24 units.

UTME (4 years) – 96 Credit Units

Direct Entry (3 years) – 72 Credit Units

The conditions for withdrawal of students from the University at the end of each year include:

100 Level: A student who passed less than 24 units.

200 Level: A student who passed less than 48 cumulative units.

300 Level: A student who passed less than 72 cumulative units.

400 Level: A student who passed less than 96 cumulative units.

A CGPA below 1.0 at any level.

POSTGRADUATE (ACADEMIC) DEGREE PROGRAMME

This Department offers higher degree programmes leading to the M.Sc., M.Phil and Ph.D. degrees in Political Science. The Department’s higher degree programmes are intended to:

(a) prepare students for high-level careers in teaching and research

(b) prepare students for careers in government and other key institutions in the society.

(c) improve professional competence of students in specific career areas.

THE M.SC. IN POLITICAL SCIENCE PROGRAMME

The M.Sc. in Political Science programme is an academic programme designed for graduates of Political Science and other cognate disciplines who are interested in Political Science training even to the Ph.D. level.

The aim of this programme is to train students to appreciate the nature of political phenomena and to equip them with adequate methodological skills to carry out research in politics. It also aims to promote skills in debating, oral presentation, teamwork, project work, essay writing and research.

ELIGIBILITY/ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PROGRAMME

Applications for admission to the M.Sc. programme will be considered from holders of a minimum of second-class lower degree in Political Science and cognate disciplines such as Public Administration, International Relations, Strategic Studies, Philosophy, History and International Studies, Sociology and Economics. In addition, applicants must satisfy the O’ Level requirements of five credits at one sitting or six credits at two sittings.

REGULATIONS OF THE M.SC. DEGREE

Duration and Designation of the Programme

A course leading to an M.Sc. degree is organised as a full-time programme of a minimum of three semesters and a maximum of six semesters of full-time engagement. The programme shall be designated Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Political Science.

Assessment Criteria

The M.Sc. programme includes lectures, seminars and project work. The degree shall be awarded on the basis of examinations on course work and project.

The course is taught at the 701 – 799 level and prefixed by a three-letter code, POS.

An M.Sc. candidate shall register for and pass a minimum of 30 units and a maximum of 45 units, including all compulsory courses, in three semesters and other required courses from the various areas of specialisation. For this purpose, at the beginning of this programme, students shall consult with academic members of the Department with respect to the combination of courses best suited to their academic interest (Public Administration and Public Policy; International Relations; Comparative Politics and Methodology; and Political Theory). The compulsory courses for all the areas of specialization shall be POS 702, POS 703, POS 711, POS 704, POS 781 and POS 782 for all M.Sc. students. There are also courses that are compulsory or elective for sub-fields of Political Science. The complete list of courses specific to each sub-field along with their status is found on page 6.

Examination and Determination of Results

The overall assessment of the student (including performance in project work) will take place at the end of the course.

The pass mark for each course shall be 40 per cent

The final assessment for the award of the degree shall normally take place at the end of the third semester. External Examiners shall examine the project and participate in the final assessment for the award of the degree.

All the units registered for shall be used in the computation of results for each student, using the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) System.

The following levels of performance will be applicable:

CGPA

The list of successful candidates for the award of M.Sc. in Political Science degree shall be classified in terms of the CGPA points as follows:

Graduation Requirements

The graduation requirements are subject to extant Postgraduate College regulations:

A student shall not be permitted to qualify for an M.Sc. degree until he/she has undertaken the programme within the stipulated period for the award of degree.

To be considered for the award of the M.Sc. degree, a student must have been credited with a minimum of 30 units, including project and seminar presentations.

Any other regulation that may be specified by the postgraduate school on degree programmes.