PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

Indicated in parenthesis are pre-requisite modules

Asterisk * denotes non-core modules

Code Description     Credits

Level 1 Semester 1

HABB 131 Biodiversity 1 12

HABB 135 Molecular and Cell Biology 12

*HABB 138 Analytical and Laboratory Techniques 12

CS 131 Communication Skills 12

HCSCI 131 Introduction to Computers and Computer Applications 12

Level 1 Semester 2

HABB 132 Biodiversity 2 12

HABB 133 Principles of Ecology 12

HABB 134 Principles of Genetics and Evolution 12

HABB 136 Microbiology 12

HABB 137 Experimental Design and Data Analysis for Biologists 1 12

*HBB 140 Principles of Biochemistry 12

Level 2 Semester 1

HABB 231 Molecular Genetics (HABB 134) 12

HABB 232 Immunology 12

HABB 233 Population and Community Ecology (HABB 133) 12

HABB 234 Animal Biology (HABB 132) 12

TCNP 201 Technopreneurship 12

GS 231 Gender Studies 12

Level 2 Semester 2

HABB 235 Recombinant DNA Technology (HABB 135) 12

HABB 236 Plant Biology (HABB 131) 12

HABB 237 Entomology (HABB 132) 12

HABB 239 Fermentation Biotechnology 12

*HABB 248 Bioethics, Safety, Regulation and IPR 12

Level 3 Semester 1

HABB 330 Work-related Learning/Industrial Attachment I 40

Level 3 Semester 2

HABB 331     Work-related Learning/Industrial Attachment II 80

Level 4 Semester 1

HABB 441 Experimental Design and Data Analysis for Biologists 2 (HABB 137) 12

HABB 442 Generic Skills for Biologists 12

HABB 443 Bioinformatics 12

HABB 444 Gene Structure and Function (HABB 231) 12

Choose at least TWO from the following electives:

*HABB 446 Plant Biotechnology (HABB 235) 12

*HABB 447 Industrial Biotechnology (HABB 136/235239) 12

*HABB 448 Biotechnology of Biofuels and Bioenergy (HABB136/235) 12

*HABB 453 Plant Biosystematics 12

Level 4 Semester 2

HABB 460 Research Project 38

Choose at least TWO from the following electives:

*HABB 445 Environmental Biotechnology (HABB 136) 12

*HABB 449 Medical and Veterinary Entomology (HABB 237) 12

*HABB 450 Agricultural Entomology (HABB 237) 12

*HABB 451 Applied Virology (HABB 136) 12

*HABB 452 Aquatic Ecotoxicology (HABB 133/233) 12

*HABB 453 Plant Biosystematics 12

*HABB 454 Medical and Veterinary Parasitology (HABB 132) 12

*HABB 455 Veterinary Parasitology (HABB 132) 12

*HABB 456 Population Genetics (HABB 134) 12

*HABB 457 Conservation Biology (HABB131/132) 12

Synopses

HABB 131 Biodiversity 1

Origins of life; comparative metabolism; stromatolites and other fossils; the geological time scale; the primitive atmosphere and the evolution of the genetic code.  Taxonomy and phylogeny:  the goals of classification; the stages of classification; phenetic, cladistics, and evolutionary systematics, taxonomic characters, homology; analogy; taxonomic keys, and phylogenetic trees. Viruses and Monera:  the diversity among viruses and in the kingdom Monera. Protista: the diversity within Kingdom Protista. Fungi:  the diversity among the Fungi, including the division eumycota and lichens.  Plants:  brown algae; red algae; green algae; bryophytes; psilopsids; lycopsids; sphenopsids; ferns; tracheophyte gymnosperms and angiosperms, and their adaptations to terrestrial life.

HABB 132 Biodiversity 2

Characteristics, origins and trends of Kingdom Animalia; A brief outline of the grades of organization and the evolution of the two main lines of animals (vertebrates and invertebrates); Major trends in embryonic development and body construction; Introduction to use of DNA based methods to assess phylogenetic relationships at higher taxonomic levels (Phyla, Class); Major Phyla (Cnidaria, Platyhelminthes, Nematoda, Annelida, Mollusca, Arthropoda, Echinodermata, Chordata.

HABB 133 Principles of Ecology

Definition of Ecology; Ecology and levels of organization in biological systems; Doing ecology; Population structures; Population growth; Concepts of habitat and niche; Methods of estimating population size and density; Intra- and inter-species interactions, including competition, commensalism, mutualism, parasitism, infectious diseases, and predation; Population regulation.

HABB 134 Principles of Genetics and Evolution

Genetics: Mitosis and meiosis; Mendelian genetics and the chromosome theory of heredity; mutation and variation; introduction to population genetics. Evolution: population genetics and variation; the concept of, and evidence for evolution; theory of evolution by natural selection; adaptation and adaptive radiation; the nature of species; specific mate recognition systems; isolating mechanisms; speciation.

HABB 135 Cell and Molecular Biology  

Microscopy, preparation of specimens for light and electron microscope; Cell theory; Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell structures; Structure and function of different cell organelles; Cytoskeleton and cell motility; Interactions between cells and their environment; Traffic across membranes; Cell growth and division in the cell cycle; 

Cell differentiation; Cell signalling and Signal transduction; Cancer; Cytoplasmic membrane systems, Nature of the Gene and Genome, Molecular anatomy of genes and chromosomes.

HABB 136 Microbiology

The module explores microscopic life forms including bacteria, fungi and viruses. Emphasis is on the nature and behaviour of these microorganisms and their importance in manufacturing, agriculture, medical and food industries. Major topics include history of microbiology, aseptic techniques, nutrient media, classes of microorganisms, microbial growth, procedures for characterization, and microbial energetics. Applications of microbiology in bioremediation, wastewater treatment, bio-fertilizers, animal-microbial symbiosis, industrial microbiology, and control of microbial diseases. Practicals introduce the students to techniques involved in the cultivation, enumeration and purification of microbes.

HABB 137 Experimental Design and Data Analysis for Biologists 1

Introduction: definitions, and uses of statistics (research, business, tourism, agriculture). Probability: multiplication law, addition law, condition probability, tree diagram, law of total probability. Probability distribution: random variables; discrete, continuous. Binomial distributions: normal distributions. Measures of central tendency and dispersion: mean, mode, range, variance, standard deviation, standard error of the mean. Parametric and non-parametric statistic. Sampling techniques: simple, random, stratified, cluster, systematic. Data types, presentation and summarization techniques: tables, graphs, charts. Regression and correlation: regression parameters, correlation coefficient, coefficient of determination. Simple statistical inference: hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, t-tests and chi-square tests.  Practicals using appropriate statistical packages (e.g. SPSS, GENSTAT, SAS)

HABB 138 Analytical and Laboratory Techniques

Laboratory safety practices and procedures. Standard Operating Procedures. Preparation of solutions – understanding of the terms: molarity, molecular weight/mass, percentages, and basic units of volume and weight. Principles, techniques and biological applications of Microscopy; Spectrophotometry; Electrophoresis; Centrifugation; Chromatography; Polymerase Chain Reaction. Basics of writing a scientific report. Practicals will develop competence in preparing stock solutions and accurate dilutions, accurate pipetting and using standard laboratory equipment, techniques in biochemical evaluation, techniques in molecular biology and statistics of instrumental analysis.

HBB 140 Principles of Biochemistry

Carbohydrates: Classification – monosaccharide-structure, stereoisomers and structural isomers, and mutarotation. Oligosaccharides-Disaccharides -structure and importance of sucrose, lactose, maltose, cellobiose. Polysaccharides-structure and importance of homopolysaccharides and heteropolysaccharides. Lipids: definition and classification. Fatty acids: classification, nomenclature, structure and properties of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Essential fatty acids. Triacylglycerols: nomenclature, chemical properties and characterization of fats – hydrolysis, saponification value, acid value, rancidity of fats, Reichert-Meissel number. Biological significance of fats. Glycerophospholipids (lecithins, lysolecithins, cephalins. phosphatidylserine, phosphatidyl inositol, plasmalogens), sphingomyelins, glycolipids -cerebrosides, gangliosides. Amino acids: General properties, peptide bond, essential and non-essential amino acids. Protein chemistry: Classification, different levels of protein structure, forces stabilizing protein structure, and protein folding. Nucleic acids: Introduction, chemistry of nucleic acids, double helical structure and properties of DNA, RNA –types, structure and functions. Vitamins: Introduction, properties, functions and deficiency diseases of fat soluble and water soluble Vitamins. Enzyme: Classification, Nomenclature, Mechanism of enzyme action, derivation of Michaelis Menten equation, Enzyme inhibition, Factors affecting enzyme activity, Allorteric enzymes, Isoenzymes.

HABB 231 Molecular Genetics

Chemical nature of DNA, Replication, transcription and RNA processing, translation. Mutations and genetic basis of cancer. Control of gene expression in prokaryotes, and eukaryotes. Applications of molecular genetics in control of cancer, manufacturing of antibiotics and anti-retroviral drugs. 

HABB 232 Immunology

Definition of immunology; Cellular participants in immune response; Types of immunity; Cytotoxic T lymphocytes; cytokines; Primary and secondary responses; Antigens and antigen processing; Structure and function of antibodies; Antibody and antigen interactions; Antibody antigen reactions; Theory of vaccination; Basis of cellular immunity; Theory of McFarlane Burnet; Monoclonal vs. polyclonal antibodies; AIDS and HIV- immunological basis.

HABB 233 Population and Community Ecology

How organisms adapt and interact with each other and with their physical environment; Nature and consequences of trophic interactions between species; The role of the abiotic environment, and the factors that affect stability and resilience at both small and large scales; The basis for sustainable management of natural and semi-natural systems; Introduction to Limnology.

HABB 234 Animal Biology

Main animal groups: their life cycles, development, body plan, functional organisation including metabolism and their adaptation to different environments. Adaptations to aquatic and terrestrial survival; Locomotion and structural support; Circulation and gas exchange in invertebrates and vertebrates; Control of the internal environment; Animal nutrition: nutritional requirements, digestion; Endocrine systems; Sexual and asexual reproduction; Aestivation, dormancy and cryptobiosis as survival strategies.

HABB 235 Recombinant DNA Technology

This module provides a background to recombinant DNA technology. Emphasis will be on techniques used to multiply, control, detect, screen, alter, express and propagate the recombinant DNA in foreign host systems. Topics include the enzymology of recombinant DNA technology, hosts and vectors, microbial genetics, DNA sequencing, DNA amplification by PCR, RNA labeling, site-directed mutagenesis, isolation of DNA/RNA, construction of DNA and cDNA libraries, screening and characterization of recombinant DNA libraries and methods used, in vitro translation, Northern/Southern blot analysis, restriction mapping, DNA cloning and expression and the principles behind the analytical techniques used in recombinant DNA technology.

HABB 236 Plant Biology

Form and function of higher plants. Transport in plants. Sexual and asexual reproduction and dispersal mechanisms. Adaptations to survival in different environments. Plant hormones and their function. Photosynthesis. Physiology of flowering. Plant nutrition and functions of macronutrients and micronutrients. In-plant and plant-to-plant communication. Regulation of plant growth and dormancy. Biological clocks in plants. 

HABB 237 Entomology

Importance of insects; Insect systematics and taxonomy; External Anatomy of insects; Structural and functional modifications of head and thoracic appendages; Insect growth and development; Internal anatomy and physiology; Insect behaviour; Insect ecology; The application of DNA technology in insect taxonomy.

HABB 239 Fermentation Biotechnology

This module will cover alcoholic and non-alcoholic fermentation, industrial fermentation and brewing industry, construction of yeast, genetic systems with greater fermentation efficiency, fermentation design and control as well as downstream processing.  

HABB 248 Bioethics, Safety, Regulation 

The module covers aspects of handling and disposal of hazardous biological and chemical substances of laboratory origin. Bioethics explores controversial issues brought about by advances in biotechnology and medicine. Ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy are addressed. The module mainly focuses on laboratory set-ups to contain possible epidemic situations when working with microbes, GMOs, and biohazards which become the epicentre of biosafety issues. 

TCNP 201 Technopreneurship

Introduction: nature and importance of technopreneurship, Differences between technopreneurship and entrepreneurship; Relationship between technopreneurship and the national economy; Innovation and creativity, Qualities of an entrepreneur. Small business model and financial issues: developing a business model, basics of small business management, risks and stages of funding, sources of funding, financial funding for growth, product valuation, and how to form and register a small business in Zimbabwe. New Product Development (NDP): Opportunity recognition and creation, Sources of opportunity, Screening technology opportunities, Designing your product/service: design thinking; process thinking, strategic thinking; the NPD process: idea generation, idea screening, concept testing, market strategy development, business financial analysis, prototyping, test marketing, commercialization. Developing and Protecting Intellectual Property: Concept of intellectual property, the theory behind IP protection, Intellectual Property (IP)-driven vs non-IP driven technopreneurship Trade secrets, Copyrights, Trademarks, Patent and Trademark protection and its significance, Basics of patenting, legislation governing IP in Zimbabwe. Case studies of successful technopreneurs. Project.

GS231 Introduction to Gender Studies 

This module will empower the students with knowledge and skills that enable them to be gender sensitive in the University, workplace and in all their social interactions. Topics covered include: understanding gender, gender analysis, gender issue in Zimbabwe, redressing gender imbalances, empowerment and strategies for creating gender responsive environment. Students gain insight into accounts of gender studies in Science and Technology.

HABB 330 Work-related Learning/Industrial Attachment I

This internship allows the student to gain experience working in a professional environment and to apply knowledge gained in the first two years to acquire professional skills or competencies. Students will be able to expand their professional network, convert academic knowledge into industrial skills, narrow down their potential careers and gain unforgettable life experiences.

The main objectives of the training module are:

1. i) To help the student put into practice the basic experimental and theoretical skills which were learnt,
2. ii) To provide exposure to and experience of the industrial environment.

iii) To give the student an insight into the production activities of Zimbabwe’s main industries,

1. iv) To embark on a research project under the joint supervision of a member of the department and a member of the training institution.

The Industrial attachment will be assessed jointly by the industrial supervisor and the academic supervisor as well as by written reports submitted by the student on the industrial attachment experience.

HABB 331     Work-related Learning/Industrial Attachment II

This internship allows the student to gain experience working in a professional environment and to apply knowledge gained in the first two years to acquire professional skills or competencies. Students will be able to expand their professional network, convert academic knowledge into industrial skills, narrow down their potential careers and gain unforgettable life experiences.

The main objectives of the training module are:

1. v) To help the student to put into practice the basic experimental and theoretical skills which were learnt,
2. vi) To provide exposure to and experience of the industrial environment.

vii) To give the student an insight into the production activities of Zimbabwe’s main industries,

viii) To embark on a research project under the joint supervision of a member of the department and a member of the training institution.

The second part of the internship will be assessed jointly by the industrial supervisor and the academic supervisor as well as by written reports submitted by the student on the industrial attachment experience.

HABB 441 Experimental Design and Data Analysis for Biologists 2

Importance of statistics in Biosciences. Hypothesis testing. Principles of Experimental Design. Types of experimental design – completely randomized design, randomized block design, nested designs, factorial design, repeated measures design, Before-After-Control-Impact studies in Ecology. Linear regression and correlation. Analysis of variance – one way ANOVA, factorial ANOVA, repeated-measures ANOVA, random and fixed effects, checks for the assumptions of ANOVA/general linear models. Data Transformation. Non-parametric. Introduction to multivariate models – MANOVA for analysis of multiple response variables simultaneously; Principal Component and Factor Analysis for data reduction, Discriminate Function Analysis methods for discriminating between groups based on multiple variables. Competent use of at least one Statistical Software programme for data analyses.

HABB 442 Generic Skills for Biologists

Philosophy and ethics of Science. How to communicate effectively as a scientist. Effective reading, searching and evaluating literature. Students will receive training in scientific writing skills. Research and Grant proposal writing. GIS: An introduction to the use of GIS in life sciences, with the aim of providing the tools to access relevant spatial data sources, and construct basic maps of sampling sites etc.

HABB 443 Bioinformatics

This module explores the use of Bioinformatics databases and software as research and educational tools. Students will use data mining tools to extract DNA and protein sequences from primary and secondary databases. Software tools will be used to compare and analyze these sequences and construct gene and protein models for solving research problems related to molecular evolution, drug discovery and genetic bases for development and disease. Major topics include- Protein Analysis, Nucleic acid sequence analysis, Data Mining, Post-Transcriptional Modifications Functional & Structural Proteomics, sequence alignments, and primer design.

HABB 444 Gene Structure and Function   

Control of gene expression in prokaryotes; Lysis and lysogeny in bacteriophage Lambda, Control of pathways; Mating behaviour in yeast; Control of gene expression in higher eukaryotes- Gene amplification, Gene rearrangement and mobile units, Regulation at the transcriptional level, Post-transcriptional regulation, Processing transcripts, Differential mRNA processing, Changes in chromatin structure and gene regulation.

HABB 445 Environmental Biotechnology 

Microbial diversity and its importance in biotechnology; Molecular methods for estimating the extent of microbial diversity; Environmental processes catalysed by microorganisms; Pollution control by microorganisms; Wastewater biotechnology; Bioremediation; Biomining; Environmental health and ecosystem sustainability e.g. bio-fuel production; Genetically modified organisms and the environment.

HABB 446 Plant Biotechnology

Overview of plant biotechnology; Model plants; Plant genomes; Gene structure; Control of gene expression; The ‘omics’ era; Plant breeding and crop improvement; Plant tissue culture; Recombinant DNA technology; Plant transformation systems; Plants as bioreactors; Applications of plant biotechnology; Diseases and pest resistance, Resistance to abiotic factors, Crop modification: society, ethics and regulatory issues.

HABB 447 Industrial Biotechnology

Use of microorganisms as cell factories – examples of bio-based products on the market: enzyme, bio-ethanol, fine chemicals i.e amino acids, citric acid, vitamins etc; Fermentation; Bioreactor and Bioprocess design; High throughput screening for novel metabolites; Strain improvement; Gene discovery; Protein expression and production; Protein engineering; Use of recombinant microorganisms.

HABB 448 Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioenergy

Biofuels versus fossil fuels; Biofuels feedstock: lignocellulosic biomass, energy crops; Conversion and utilization of biofuels feedstock; First generation biofuels: bioethanol; Second generation biofuels: lignin modification and degradation, cell wall degrading enzymes, lignocellulosic bioethanol, biodiesel (Jatropha), processing technology for FAME, biogas, Third generation biofuels: Hydrogen and biological processes for hydrogen production, Algae-based hydrogen production and water splitting, Microbe fuel cells; Traditional and molecular breeding of energy crops; metabolic engineering of energy crops; Commercialization of biofuels; Biofuels and food security conflict;

Bioenergy Industry Development and Government Policy.

HABB 449 Medical and Veterinary Entomology 

Nuisance insects and entomophobia; Epidemiology of vector-borne diseases; Major groups of medical and veterinary insects; Taxonomy, biology and ecology of each group, their medical and veterinary importance; Integrated disease management; Public health pest management; Forensic entomology; Medico-legal forensic entomology, Stored-product forensic entomology; Taxonomy, biology and ecology of each insect taxa of forensic importance.

HABB 450 Agricultural Entomology 

Definition of a pest; Insects as pests; How pests arise; Economics of pest control; Methods for estimating pest population size or density; Life cycles and life history strategies of the most important agricultural pests in Zimbabwe; Pest control tactics; The problem of pesticide resistance; Integrated pest Management (IPM); Biotechnology in IPM – genetic manipulation of the pest population (e.g. SIR), and genetic manipulation of the crop.

HABB 451 Applied Virology

Advanced study of viruses; Virus molecular biology; Retrovirology; Virus detection and serology; HIV pathogenesis; Prevention and control of viral diseases; Drugs and vaccines; Viral vectors and their applications in biotechnology; Gene therapy.

HABB 452 Aquatic Eco-toxicology

Introduction to toxicology; Environmental stress; Exposure and Dose assessments – the exposure component of risk assessment; Experimental approaches in assessing biological effects of toxicants; Applications of toxicology in modern Industry; Legal aspects of aquatic toxicology 

HABB 453 Plant Biosystematics

Angiosperm plant keying theory and practice; Taxonomic revisions; Species concepts; Theory of phylogenetic reconstruction; Morphological character analysis; Molecular systematics; Phylogenetics computing; Plant biogeography; Phenetics; Cladistics; Methods used to infer phylogenies; Modern taxonomy including DNA barcoding; Plant families of ecological and economic importance in the flora Zambesiaca; The weed flora of Zimbabwe.

HABB 454 Medical Parasitology

Meaning of commonly-used terms in human parasitology; Important human parasites-intestinal and systemic protozoa, taxonomic classification of helminths, intestinal and systemic nematodes, cestodes; How parasitic infections affect communities in developing countries; Life cycles and their necessity for effective prevention and control of human parasites; Epidemiology, clinical presentation, management and control of schistosomiasis with special reference to Zimbabwean schistosomes, lymphatic filariasis. 

HABB 455 Veterinary Parasitology

Intimate associations; protoctistan parasites; life cycle strategies; categories of nematode parasitism; cestodes; digeneans; monogeneans and acanthocephalans; parasitic arthropods; host specificity; host response and defense; parasite evasion of immunity; adaptations to parasitism; parasite control; specimen collection and analysis.

HABB 456 Population Genetics

Measuring genetic variation; Mating systems and their genetic effects; Estimation of population parameters; The Hardy Weinberg principle; Microevolutionary forces; the neutral theory, synthesis of forces; Macroevolution – the species concept, reproductive isolation mechanisms, geographic models of speciation: allopatric speciation, sympatric speciation and parapatric speciation.

HABB 457 Conservation Biology

Science and practice of conservation biology with emphasis on Africa and Zimbabwe. Conservation issues; definition of conservation, definition of biodiversity, the value of biodiversity, extinction risks and the history and philosophy of conservation. Recognition and conservation of biodiversity at genetic, species, population and ecosystem levels. Conservation and society: incentives, access, who benefits from conservation, conservation and sustainable development, legal aspects and management policies.

HABB 460 Research project

The research project involves an experimental or observational investigation of a fundamental or practical problem in Applied Biosciences, Biotechnology or bio-product development. With guidance from an academic supervisor, each student should choose and propose his/her own project theme. Each student is required to submit a proposal, carry out an independent research project or develop a product; submit a final written report, and to deliver an oral presentation.