The department currently runs a four-year BSc Honours programme in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. We are also working on an interdisciplinary postgraduate programme in Microbial Sciences with specialties and this is expected to take off soon.
Undergraduate
The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) program at UHAS is a four year practical and career oriented undergraduate programme offered by the Department of Biomedical Sciences. It has a dynamic, interdisciplinary curriculum designed to produce graduates who will apply a multidisciplinary approach to solving problems in the life sciences. It covers courses in the broad fields of chemistry, biology, genetics and molecular biology, biochemistry, among others. The programme opens an avalanche of opportunities to work in numerous fields as well as enter graduate school or branch into other fields of science, law, journalism, etc.
Graduates of the programme can work in many fields including:
- Biotechnology and Energy Firms
- Colleges, Universities, & Research Institutions
- Crime Labs and Forensic Organizations
- Genetic counselling and forensic services
- Agricultural firms (Breeding, engineering..)
- Gov’t Agencies (CSIR, Atomic, etc)
- Industrial/Chemical Manufacturing Firms
- Inspection & Monitoring Agencies/Boards (FDA, GSA, etc.)
- Food processing (Nestle, Cowbell, Cocoa…)
- Non-Profit Organizations
- Pharmaceutical Companies (Sales, Design, Manufacturing)
- Science-specific Recruitment Agencies
- Technical supply companies (Sigma, etc)
- Science media & journalism
- Water Testing/Treatment Organizations
- Security agencies (Police, military, customs, etc.)
- Chemicals and reagents manufacturing
Graduate Programme
The department of biomedical sciences is in the process of developing a composite graduate programme in Microbial Sciences. The programme will offer specialist tracks of specialization at the taught masters (MSc), research masters (MPhil) and research doctorate (PhD) levels. The programme in Microbial Sciences is being designed as an interdisciplinary programme that draws together knowledge, applications and experiences from various fields of the natural and social sciences to study the inner workings of microbes and their interaction with other life forms particularly that of humans and the environment. Microorganisms are the most abundant biological entities on earth. They hold essential keys to understanding many life processes. Recent advances in genomic, cell imaging and computational techniques have revolutionized the broad field of microbial sciences, opening the door to exciting new avenues of research and applications. The goal of the programme is to provide an enabling platform for scientists, academics (faculty) and students to leverage current technological advances to develop novel multidisciplinary approaches to understand and address fundamental questions in areas such as infectious diseases, microbial ecology and environment, evolution, cell biology and physiology, immunology and public health, drug discovery and biotechnology. The programme is not only to benefit students taking it but also the academics teaching as well as various levels and types of scientists that will provide practical training.