DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS

The department of Economics is one of the pioneer departments of the University established in 2001/2002 session. The undergraduate economics program is carefully designed to produce economists who have a sound foundation in a wide range of specialized branches of economics.
In addition, students are groomed for competence in quantitative techniques in economics to pave way for prospective postgraduate studies anywhere in the world.
The undergraduate program is normally expected to last 3 to 4 sessions (i.e. six to eight semesters), depending on the point of entry, and leading to the award of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics (B.Sc. Econs).
PHILOSOPHY, MAJOR AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The philosophy and mission statement underlying the Economics programmes of Nigerian universities is to produce graduates equipped with critical skills and abilities to: abstract using simplified models that identify the essence of a problem; analyze and reason – both deductively and inductively; marshal evidence, assimilate structure and analyze qualitative and quantitative data; communicate concisely the results to a wide audience, including those with no training in Economics; think critically about the limits of one’s analysis in a broader socio-economic context; and draw economic policy inferences and to recognize the potential constraints in their implementation.

OBJECTIVES OF THE DEGREE PROGRAMMES IN ECONOMICS ARE:

1. To provide training in the principles of economics and their application appropriate to the type of degree concerned: single, joint and combined studies;
2. To stimulate students intellectually through the study of economics and to lead them to appreciate its application to a range of problems and its relevance in a variety of contexts;
3. To provide a firm foundation of knowledge about the workings of an economy and to develop the relevant skills for the constructive use of that knowledge in a range in a range of settings;
4. To develop in students the ability to apply the analytical tools, knowledge and skills acquire to the solution of societies’ economic problems.
5. To equip students with appropriate tools of analysis to tackle issues and problems of economic policy;
6. To develop in students, through the study of economics, a range of transferable skills that will be of value in employment and self-employment;
7. To provide students with analytical skills arid an ability to develop simplifying frameworks for studying the real world;
8. To provide students with the knowledge and skill base, from which they can proceed to further studies in Economics, related areas or in multi-disciplinary areas that involve Economics; and
9. To generate in students an appreciation of the economic dimension of wider social and political issues.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Candidates for admission into four – year degree program in the department should possess a Senior Secondary School certificate or General certificate of Education or their equivalent with at least five credit passes of which three shall be Economics, Mathematics and. English. In addition, candidates must, have acceptable passes in University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)
• Candidates for Direct Entry admission (i.e. three – year program) shall possess five credit passes in general certificate of Education or its equivalent of which at least two shall be in advanced level, provided such passes are not counted at both levels of the examination.
• Candidates wishing to join the department for four – year degree program through the Remedial Program must have at least credit passes in four subjects including Economics at ordinary level. After the Remedial Program, such candidates must acquire credit passes in at least five subjects including Mathematics and English Language (a Faculty requirement).

COURSE REQUIREMENT

• Courses are categorized into two: Core (compulsory) and Elective (cognate). A core (compulsory) course must be taken and passed by all students before they can be awarded a degree.
• An Elective (cognate) course may be taken by a student but could be substituted for another in the same category. Elective courses consist of a wide range of courses from which students must select a given number which they must pass before they can be awarded a degree. The Elective courses cover virtually all branches of economics and business studies and allow for specialization in these fields. Such courses would not be required of all students, but from those specializing in the economic branch group and could be from within or outside the department and/ or from within or outside the faculty.
• For each course specified, the categories to which it belongs and weight (units) attached are indicated.
• All courses are listed by the year in which they could be offered on the program. Lower level course serve as prerequisite for higher-level course.
• Pre-requisite courses are those courses students need to pass in order to register for higher level courses
• A unit of course is defined as one contact hour of lecture/tutorial or seminar or three hours practical per week in a semester of 15 weeks. A student is expected to take and pass a minimum of 15 and maximum of 24 credit units of courses in any given semester. A student must accumulate at least 30 units per level to qualify for graduation.
• All students for the four-year program are required to take and pass four general (university) courses at the 100 level before graduation.