Department of
Pharmaceutical Chemistry
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Welcome to Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos, and, more specifically, to the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry. This is the department that connects you to the fascinating molecular world where drugs—the central focus of your Pharmacy studies—reside.
Pharmaceutical Chemistry applies the principles of Chemistry, along with related sciences, to the discovery, synthesis, analysis, delivery, and therapeutic use of drugs. Our Department is blessed with a team of dedicated experts who will guide you through all these areas, with the ultimate aim of preparing you for excellence in both hospital and community pharmacy practice, while also equipping you to seize opportunities in the rapidly expanding industries of Drug Discovery and Design (DDD), Finished Pharmaceutical Products Manufacturing (FPPM), Pharmaceutical Analysis (PA), Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), and Pharmaceutical Excipients (PEs) production.
I encourage you to engage fully in all theory and laboratory classes, and to always prioritize safety in our laboratories. With dedication and diligence, your success is assured.
Once again, welcome to the Department and the Faculty. I hope your time here will be both rewarding and inspiring.
Dr. Olusegun S. Ajala
Head of Department (HOD)
Our Vision
To establish the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos, as a globally recognized and competitive hub for research, while providing high-quality, student-centered training for both undergraduate Pharmacy students and postgraduate (M.Sc./Ph.D.) Pharmaceutical Chemistry students.
Our Mission
To pursue innovative and effective approaches in teaching and research that attract groundbreaking grants, enhance the Department’s global visibility, and equip graduates—B. Pharm., Pharm. D., and M.Sc./Ph.D. holders—with the knowledge and skills for excellence in hospital and community pharmacy practice, as well as in drug discovery, analysis, synthesis, and finished pharmaceutical product manufacturing.
Information about the Department
The Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Lagos, is as old as the Faculty of Pharmacy itself, and its courses form the core of the Pharmacy training curriculum. At the lower levels (years 2 and 3), students are introduced to the fundamentals of physical, organic, and inorganic chemistry, which later underpin advanced courses in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Analysis at higher levels (years 4, 5, and 6).
Over the years, the Pharmaceutical Chemistry curriculum has evolved to uniquely equip Unilag Pharmacy graduates for excellence in hospital and community pharmacy practice, as well as in finished pharmaceutical product manufacturing. Graduates are also prepared to explore opportunities in the emerging Nigerian industries of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and Pharmaceutical Excipients (PEs) production.
The Department also offers postgraduate programs (M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry) for those seeking advanced mastery of drug discovery, synthesis, analysis, therapeutics, and related applications in the pharmaceutical sciences.
The History of Pharmaceutical Chemistry
As human health needs are expanding, so also nursing development is broadening its interest and functions through the dynamic social climates created by religious ideologies, economic development, industrial revolutions and education. These changes have influenced every aspect of human development. In response, the University of Lagos asked the College of Medicine to appoint a Committee to work on the modalities of starting a B.N.Sc Generic programme. Consequently, the Academic Board of the College at its meeting held on Wednesday, August 5th 2009, received a report that curriculum of B.N.Sc degree has been approved by the University Senate to run for 5 years. The working Committee made the following recommendations:
- The programme should be domiciled as a unit in the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Clinical Sciences as approved by Senate until they achieved a Departmental status
- That first UTME intake into the programme be made during the 2009/2010 academic sessionÂ
- That a Co-ordinator for the programme be appointed immediately
Thus, the first class of eight students was admitted during the 2009/2010 academic session while for the 2010/2011 academic session, another class of twenty students were admitted into the programme. A professor of Nursing, Professor R. B. Fajemilehin of the Obafemi-Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife who was then on Sabbatical leave, was invited to guide the establishment of the programme in September 2010. He was appointed as Co-coordinator and later was the Head of Department. The programme as a professional degree is classified and recommended to run a unit course system and the curriculum is designed to prepare competent poly-valent nurse practitioners who will use nursing process approach in providing safe acceptable, effective and efficient nursing care to meet the health needs of individuals, families and the community at large.  A resource evaluation visit to the Department was conducted by NUC in January, 2011 and approval to run only on full time mode was given. Hence Professor R.B. Fajemilehin (Coordinator of the programme) applied for an up-grading from a Unit to a Department of Nursing Science which the University Senate approved on 27th April, 2010. Finally the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria came on an Advisory visit to the Department in November 2011 and made recommendations towards an initial accreditation.
Programmes
Take a significant step in your career journey by investing in your professional development through our faculty’s specialized certificate programs, designed to provide you with in-depth knowledge and practical skills in a focused area of study.
Undergraduate Programmes
Postgraduate Programmes
Student Opportunities
Discover the exciting opportunities awaiting students within this department. Here, you can explore pathways for intellectual growth, engage in stimulating learning experiences, and lay the foundation for future academic and professional success in a specific field of study.
