The universities are the key points in Nigerian education. Their functions are so numerous that they are looked upon as centers of excellence. Besides teaching, they also focus on advocacy, research, invention and application of findings to industry and society. The Igbo name for university describes it all, "Mahadum”, meaning, know it all or master it all. Right from the time the first university (University of Ibadan) was established in 1957, the Universities have continued to show the light on development and advancement in the areas of science, technology, culture, education and society. The advancement of Nigeria cannot be complete without them.

The number of Universities in the country keeps growing by the days (Presently a total of 101 universities made up of 25 Federal, 35 State and 41 Private Universities) as State governments and private individuals/organizations obtain operational licenses from the National Universities Commission (NUC).


TYPES OF UNIVERSITIES

In Nigeria there are seven (7) types of Universities. The classification is based on areas of focus and specialization. Theses are:

Type of University
1. All Purpose Universities (78)
2. Universities of Technology (15)
3. Universities of Agriculture (3)
4. Universities of Education (2)
5. Military University. (2)
6. Petroleum University (1)
7. Open University (1)

The General universities offer courses in all disciplines and faculties with the exception of military courses and training. Such Universities include the Abia State University (ABSU), Lagos State University, (LASU), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and Madonna University.

The Universities of Technology focus on helping candidates acquire practical experiences and appropriate technological skills needed for human development. These Universities include Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Enugu State University of Technology, Ladoke Akintola University of Science and Technology and the Federal University of Technology Mina (FUT Mina)

The Universities of Agriculture focus on agricultural productivity, agricultural mechanization and technology and research. They include Michael Okpara University of Agriculture and The University of Agriculture Abeokuta (UNAAB).

The Universities of Education offers only courses related to Education and presently there are just two in the country, Tai Solarin University of Education and The University of Education, Ikere Ekiti.

The University of Petroleum (which is only one at the present, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun) offer petroleum related courses and engineering courses.

The Open University (National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN) is an off-campus or distance learning university designed for workers and those unable to attend full time courses in the regular universities.

The Military University (Nigeria Defense Academy, NDA and the newly created Nigerian Police University Wudil in Kano State 9formerly Police Academy, kano) are not open to the general public but only to men and officers of the Military, Para-military and Police as it offers only military, war and peace related courses and military engineering related courses.

UNIVERSITY PROGRAMMES

The programmes in the Universities are divided into two broad categories, namely:

1. Undergraduate programme

2. Postgraduate programme

The postgraduate programme is designed to develop and offer academic and professional studies that stress professional training and are intended primarily for those who wish to pursue advanced study, leading to the award of Postgraduate Diploma/ Degrees (Masters and Doctorate) which emphasize planning, adaptive, technical, maintenance, developmental and productive skills in the professional disciplines, with the aim of producing socially mature personnel with capability not only to understand, use and adapt existing knowledge, but also to improve and develop new ones. To enroll for a postgraduate programme, one must have completed an undergraduate course. The postgraduate programme is offered and monitored in each university by the School of Post Graduate Studies.


GAINING ADMISSION
Students desiring to study at any of the Universities must first pass the requisite subjects at the SSCE, NECO or GCE examinations. After this, they must obtain and pass the Universal Matriculation Tertiary Examination (UMTE) examinations conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). For details of these please obtain the latest JAMB brochure which explains in detail the subject requirement for each course of study in the universities.

Duration of courses ranges from four to six years. Courses in the Arts, Social Sciences, Education lasts for four years. Courses in Engineering, Architecture and Pharmacy lasts for five years. A Course in Medicine lasts for six years.


COURSES OFFERED
Below are some of the courses offered in Nigerian Universities and their respective faculties. Please note that the list is not exhaustive and all the different universities do not follow the same nomenclature and do not have all the faculties and departments. For instance the University of Lagos does not offer courses in Agriculture. Also, the placement of the courses in the faculties varies slightly from University to University.


FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE

1. Agricultural Economics
2. Agricultural Extension
3. Animal Science
4. Food Science and Technology
5. Home Science, Nutrition and Diatetics
6. Soil Science
7. Crop production
8. Fisheries
9. Forestry and Wildlife
10. Agricultural Administration
11. Food Service and Tourism
12. Horticulture
13. Plant Breeding and Seed Technology
14. Water Resources Management and Agronomics.
15. Animal Breeding & Genetics
16. Animal Nutrition
17. Animal Physiology
18. Animal Production & Health
19. Pasture & Range Management

FACULTY OF ARTS
1. Archaeology and Tourism,
2. English and Literary Studies,
3. Fine and Applied Arts,
4. Foreign Languages and Literature,
5. History and International Studies,
6. Linguistics,
7. Igbo
8. Yoruba
9. Hausa
10. Arabic Studies
11. Foreign Languages
12. Mass Communication,
13. Theatre Arts and the
14. Department of Music
15. Philosophy and Religion

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Mechanical Engineering
2. Chemical Engineering
3. Agricultural Engineering
4. Civil Engineering
5. Computer Engineering
6. Electronics and Electrical Engineering
7. Metallurgy and Materials Engineering
8. Food Science and Technology
9. Petroleum Engineering
10. Production Engineering
11. Polymer and Textile Engineering

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

1. Adult Education and Extra-Mural Studies
2. Health and Physical Education
3. Educational Foundations
4. Library and Information Science
5. Educational Psychology and Curriculum Studies
6. Elementary Education
7. Educational Planning and Administration
8. Education Social Sciences (specializing in a particular subject)
9. Education Arts (specializing in a particular subject)
10. Education Sciences (specializing in a particular subject)
11. Educational Technology
12. Continuing Education

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

1. Economics
2. Sociology
3. Political Science
4. Psychology
5. Social Work

FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

1. Building
2. Architecture
3. Geography and Planning
4. Quantity Surveying
5. Urban and Regional Planning

FACULTY OF SCIENCES

1. Physics
2. Chemistry
3. Biology
4. Microbiology
5. Biochemistry
6. Geophysics
7. Marine Biology
8. Oceanography
9. Marine Geology
10. Industry Physics
11. Plant biology and Biotechnology
12. Applied Physics
13. Industrial Chemistry
14. Botany
15. Mathematics
16. Zoology
17. Geology
18. Computer Science Statistics

19. COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

1. Medicine
2. Anaesthesia
3. Anatomy
4. Biochemistry
5. Chemical pathology
6. Community Health
7. Medical Instruction and Technology
8. Medical Laboratory Science
9. Medical Microbiology
10. Medicine and Radiology
11. Nursing Science
12. Obstetrics and Gybaecology
13. Opthalmology
14. Paediatrics
15. Pathology and Haematology
16. Physiology
17. Psychiatry
18. Surgery
19. Mental Health
20. Child Health
21. Orthopaedics and Traumatology
22. Medical Rehabilitation
23. Morbid anatomy and forensic Science

FACULTY OF LAW

1. Public and Private law
2. Civil law
3. Commercial and Property law
4. International law and Jurisprudence
5. Islamic Law

FACULTY OF PHARMACY

1. Clinical Pharmacy and pharmacy Management
2. Pharmaceutical Chemistry
3. Pharmaceutical Technology and Industrial Pharmacy
4. Pharmaceutics
5. Pharmacognosy
6. Pharmacology and Toxicology

SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES

1. Business Administration
2. Accountancy
3. Personnel Management and International Relations
4. Insurance
5. Actuarial Science
6. Banking and Finance
7. Estate Management
8. Public Administration
9. Local Government
10. Marketing
11. Project Management


SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

1. Veterinary Anatomy
2. Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology
3. Veterinary Parasitology and Entomology
4. Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology
5. Veterinary Medicine
6. Veterinary Surgery and Obstetrics.
7. Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine,
8. Animal Health and Production
9. Veterinary Obstetrics and Reproductive Diseases

SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY

1. Oral Diagnosis & Radiology
2. Oral Surgery & Pathology
3. Periodontics Dentistry
4. Preventive Dentistry
5. Restorative Dentistry

SCHOOL OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY

1. Dental Technology
2. Optical Technology
3. Public Health Technology
4. Physiokinetic and Biomedical technology
5. Prosthesis and Orthopaedic Technology


CERTIFICATES AWARDED

The universities award the following qualifications upon completion of a particular level in the course of study: Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate Degrees. Bachelors Degree is awarded for the completion of the first degree or graduate program. Masters Degree is awarded upon the completion of a postgraduate course and normally after the first degree. Doctorate degree is awarded for completion of a successful academic and research work after the masters degree.

Degree in the Arts

Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Master of Philosophy (M. Phil)
Philosophy Degree (PhD)

Degree in Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Bachelor of Science (BSc) Degree
Master of Science (MSc)
Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech)
Master of Philosophy (M. Phil)
Philosophy Degree (PhD)
Doctor of Science (DSc)

Degrees in Education

Bachelor of Education (BED)
Master of Education (MED)
Master of Philosophy (M. Phil)
Philosophy Degree (PhD)

Degrees in law

Bachelor of laws (LLB)
Master of Laws (LLM)
Master of Philosophy (M. Phil)
Philosophy Degree (PhD)


MANAGEMENT OF THE UNIVERSITIES.

The Universities in Nigerian are under the oversight of the National Universities Commission (NUC), a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Education. This body is saddled by law to approve and grant operational license to each proposed university, evaluate and accredit courses offered in each university and regulate the minimum standards in terms of infrastructure and academics.

Besides the above, each University in the country enjoys autonomy in terms of appointments and promotions. The Head of each University is the Vice Chancellor who is responsible for the overall management and academic progress of the university. The University is in turn split into Faculties or Schools (also sometimes called colleges or institutes) and Departments. A faculty is made up of related courses while a department is each course of study. For instance, the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Lagos is made up of the departments of Economics, Sociology, Psychology and Political Science. The faculty is headed by a Dean while each department is headed by a Head of Department (HOD).

The principal officers of a university are as follows:

VISITOR: The Visitor is the President in terms of Federal Universities, Governor in the Case of State owned universities and the Chief promoter/proprietor in the case of private universities.

CHANCELLOR The Chancellor

PRO-CHANCELLOR The Pro-Chancellor serves as the Chairman of the University’s governing council.

VICE CHANCELLOR The Vice Chancellor is the Chief Executive of the University and is charged with the general responsibility for matters relating to the day-to-day management of the institution.


DEP. VICE CHANCELLOR The Deputy Vice Chancellor serves as the deputy to the Chief Executive and as such carries out other functions as may be assigned to him by the Provost.

REGISTRAR The registrar is the Chief Administrative Officer of the University. He is responsible to the Provost for the day-to-day administration of the institution, amongst others.

BURSAR The bursar is responsible for the day-to-day administration and control of the financial affairs of the University, amongst others.

LIBRARIAN The Librarian is responsible for the administration of the University Library and the coordination of the library services of the University, among others


ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANS OF THE UNIVERSITIES


GOVERNING COUNCIL

The governing council of a university (sometimes called Board of Governors) oversees the academic, business and student affairs of the University. The governing council by law is charged with the general control (including appointment and promotion of staff) and superintendence of policy, finances and property of the university. In order to do this, it sets up a standing committee called finance and general purposes committee which comprises the following members: chairman of the council, the vice chancellor, one senate member who must also be a member of council, and at least two members of the council who are drawn from the university community. This is a powerful committee of decision making status. It hammers out all budget proposal, discusses all promotions and appointments and conditions of service of university staff before tabling them in council for deliberations and approval.


UNIVERSITY SENATE

The senate is the academic touchstone of each university and is in charge of all matters which deal with academic duties; it controls teaching, research, admission, discipline of students, examination, the organization of halls of residence, and the award of degree (Federal Ministry of Education, 2003).


TUITION FEES

The Federal Universities are non-fee paying institutions and are thus fully funded by the Federal Government. Some of the State Universities attracts some fees are thus subsidized by the respective State Governments. The private Universities are fully fee payable institutions and have no subsidies as they are pure commercial and private ventures set up by the respective promoters/proprietors.

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