There are many disciplines that are taught in any institution of learning meant to give the student adequate training in an area that will affect the individual and the nation at large. Below are some the courses that many students in Nigeria are apt to study
Mass Communication
Mass Communication is the study of the way individuals pass information with the use of mass media to a very populous amount of people. It can also be seen as a way people engage in conversations (distributing information) with other people on a wide scale. Mass Communication is known mostly to be related to newspapers, magazines, books, and up to radios, TVs, movies, the internet. The above mentioned mediums are used to broadcast information to a large amount of people like the news and advertising. The study of Mass Communication concerns the way people are influenced by the information they receive.
Some of the careers in mass communication include Research analyst, Media Consultant (for business organisations), Information Analyst, Journalism
Reporter, Technical writer, Newspaper editor, and more.
Universities offering this course include University of Ilorin, University of Benin, University of Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Awka), Imo State University (Owerri) and more.
Computer Engineering/IT
Computer Engineering is a course of study that combines a lot of other courses like Electrical Engineering and Computer Science which are necessary to develop and design hardware and software for computers. Computer Engineers in the most case do pass through training in Electronic Engineering (Electrical Engineering), Software Design, and hardware-software integration rather than only Software Engineering or Electronic Engineering. Computer Engineers are usually engaged in many of the areas of computing involving hardware and software and this comprises the design of individual microcontrollers, microprocessors, personal computers, and supercomputers, down to circuit design.
The two major specialties in the study of Computer Engineering include Computer Hardware Engineering – which involves research, development, design and testing of computer equipments; and Computer Software Engineering – which involves design, development, and testing of computer software.
Some of the careers in this discipline include Software Engineer, Software Tester, Project Manager, Application Developer, Software Developer, Computer Lecturer, Hardware Engineer, Microprocessor Engineer, and Microprocessor Designer
Nursing/Laboratory Science
Nursing and Laboratory Science is another course of study most Nigerians like to get into. Laboratory Scientists are those who make test results from the laboratory easily accessible for diagnostic and treatment purposes so as to ensure that excellent healthcare is made available to health patients. Career opportunities in Laboratory Science can get one into clinical, veterinary, and forensic laboratories; biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries; and management, marketing, and biomedical sales. If you graduate, you can even be employed to work for agencies like NAFDAC, and Red Cross.
Nurses are those who provide assistance and aid to doctors in attending to patients especially when there are many who require immediate attention such as those who are critical emergency patients. Nurses also provide clinical assessments, treatment, diagnosis of medical conditions, assessment of emergencies, ordering diagnostic studies, prescriptions of medications, leading cardiac arrest codes, and documents of medical care. Nursing fields include Nurse Anesthetist, Public Health Nursing, Pediatrics, Orthopedics, and many more.
Chemical/Petroleum Engineering
Another course on our list we need to take a look at is both Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. These two courses were put together the same way Nursing and Laboratory Science were put together because of the way they both are related.
Chemical Engineering is a subdivision of Engineering that combines the precepts of chemistry, physics, math, and economics for the proper use, production, transformation, and transportation of chemicals, materials, and energy. Graduates who studied this course can work in oil corporations.
Petroleum Engineering on the other hand is a field of engineering that comprises all the processes that are in relation to how hydrocarbons are produced, and this could be crude oil or natural gas. The discovery and even production of both crude oil and natural gas are handled by the highest level sectors of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.
Accounting
Investopedia (2018), defines accounting as the systematic and comprehensive recording of the financial transactions pertaining to a business, and it also refers to the process of summarizing, analyzing and reporting these transactions to oversight agencies and tax collection entities. Accounting is one of the key functions for almost any business; it may be handled by a bookkeeper and accountant at small firms or by sizable finance departments with dozens of employees at large companies.
In the world of today, accounting is not used only in business but also in other establishments as well like schools, colleges, hospitals, clubs, co-operative societies and so on.
Some of the career opportunities for people who study accounting include Accounting Officer, Auditor, Procurement Officer/Manager, Chief Financial Officer, Forensic Accountant, Counter-Terrorism Financial Investigator, Financial Analyst, Accounting Clerk, Accounting Risk Analyst, Controller among others.
