Best Guide to Professional Courses to Study in Nigeria
To know which of the professional courses to study in Nigeria could be a very daunting task. There are so many that it can be very confusing to figure out which one will be the best fit your career goals, and your long-term plans. The following guide highlights some of the most common professional courses available in Nigeria:
Best Guide to Professional Courses to Study in Nigeria
ACCOUNTING
Accounting is a course for professionals in Nigeria. There are several accounting bodies in Nigeria. Institute of Chartered Accountants, Accountants in Nigeria and the Association of Certified Chartered Certified Accountants are just a few accounting institutions in Nigeria.
Accounting as a course for professionals includes a variety of branches. It is crucial to remember that to be a qualified accountant, they must have training and previous experience before applying to any accounting position as either a full-time employee or an independent contractor where one is paid hourly or by the task they perform.
It is among the most prestigious professional programs in Nigeria. It is crucial to know that accounting is a professional field that includes a variety of branches and it is generally accepted that the certification of ICAN or ACCA puts you on higher level. They are also a institutions that offer training and acting as an intermediary between those who require their assistance and those performing such tasks.
You are able to take the ICAN exam while you are still in the undergraduate stage or graduate student. If you successfully pass every stage of the test, you will be chartered.
To study accounting in Nigeria, the entry conditions for UTME and direct entry candidates are listed below:
FOR UTME
Additional to meeting the University’s basic admissions requirements, students to be admitted into Accounting Degree Program through UTME must have a SSCE or GCE at the O’ level with credits in the minimum of five subject areas that must comprise English Mathematics, Language Economics, and any one of the following – Bookkeeping and accounts, Commerce or Government, which must be completed in no more than 2 times.
DIRECT ENTRY ADMISSION
Candidates who want direct entry must have five credits in the GCE or an equivalent exam at least two of them are of advanced level. Advanced stage or 4 credits at least three . They must take place at an Advanced level, provided that the subjects do not count in both the levels test. The credit passes for levels above the Ordinary Level must include English Language, Economics and Mathematics.
ESTATE MANAGEMENT
Estate management is one of the best professional courses to study in Nigeria. If you are a natural organizer and like details, estate management could be a great career choice. Estate managers oversee properties or land with large grounds (such as parks) or individual homes that come under their care. As an estate manager, you’ll likely have to check vendors that supply food, landscaping and cleaning services on a regular basis to ensure they continue upholding their standards and will have some hand in hiring employees who work on-site.
Estate managers have a primary duty of ensuring their land or property is well taken care of, but they also typically oversee a staff on-site and will sometimes be involved with payroll and creating budgets. If you’re good at organizing details, creating spreadsheets and delegating responsibilities, working as an estate manager could be a great career choice.
As an estate manager, you will likely have to check vendors that supply food, landscaping and cleaning services on a regular basis and ensure they continue upholding their standards. In addition, you may have some hand in hiring employees who work on-site. The organizational skills required for any of these tasks are important parts of working as an estate manager, especially if you don’t have a formal team to back you up. After all, running a residential property is no small task.
Many people are valuers and estate surveyors with no degree or certificate, having an education in estate administration can provide you with an advantage over the other estate managers. In addition, once you have completed your education in estate administration and administration, you may sign up with the Nigeria Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers to be a member of the Institute.
The combination of your education in estate management as well as joining the NIESV can help expand your connections and increase your career opportunities.
The UTME Requirements are five-point passes in English Mathematics, Language Geography, and one of Physics Biology Chemistry as well as Economics and Fine Technical Drawing or Arts. And the UTME Subject are English Language, Mathematics, Geography /Economics and any one of Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Fine Arts/Technical Drawing
However Direct Entry Requirements Excellent marks in JUPEB/A-level subjects: Mathematics, Geography , and any one of Chemistry Physics, Biology, Physics or Economics.
HND/ND (Distinction) in Urban and Regional Planning into 300/200 levels.
MEDICINE
Medicine is one of the best professional courses to study in Nigeria and is a very high paying course that enables students to enroll in high-paying jobs after their graduation. The demand for medical practitioners is always on a rise, as most doctors retire at an age of 60 years. Some of these professionals may start their own private practices while others look forward to working as consultants.
Medical profession as a career is highly sought after by young Nigerians who have interests and skills needed to serve humanity. Medical practitioners often work long hours and can find themselves under a lot of pressure to provide their best service and treatment.
These are some of reasons why it has been rated among some of most valuable careers people would dream of pursuing. If you’re interested in studying medicine, be sure to carefully select your choice among available schools. If you were to talk to a science student at one among the Nigerian secondary schools what they plans to study at University, it’s likely that the answer will be “I want to be a medical doctor.”
Medical education within Nigeria is the pinnacle of professionalism in the majority of Nigerian homes. Most of the time parents are extremely happy that their child has been chosen be an medical doctor.
Medical school is a six-year course at the university. However, this isn’t all. Before you’re licensed to be a medical practitioner by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria You’ll need to undergo a year of housemanship before you’re formally certified as a medical professional.
After that, you may decide to pursue a degree in any area you like. The specialties that are available in medicine are Dermatology Medicine for emergencies, General Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Gynecology, Medical research and education, oncology and Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Pathology, Public health and Radiology.
The minimum requirement for admission to Medicine is either two A level subjects in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Zoology or Botany as well as the UME requirement. English Language, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology or 5 O’ Level Credit Passes in English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
Read also: Academic Success Tips for Students in Nigeria
PHARMACY
Pharmacy is one of the best professional courses to study in Nigeria requiring years of training and hands-on experience. For those who are interested in getting a job as a pharmacist, here’s what you need to know about preparing yourself. Professional pharmacists must have earned either a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an accredited pharmacy program.
The requirements for becoming a pharmacist vary from country to country, but all require at least a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy and completion of an accredited training program. In addition, pharmacists should be licensed or registered with their national regulatory agency before they are allowed to practice as professionals.
Pharmacy is a different professional program that consists of five years of studies in the universities. After graduation after graduation, the pharmacy graduate will be able to complete an internship of one year at any of the centers that are registered with the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria (PCN). When the time spent in the internship then the PCN will recognize the intern as to be a pharmacist, and the person can work as a pharmacist anyplace in Nigeria.
The requirements for admission are A/L or higher for Chemistry, Biology, Physics or Mathematics in addition to UME requirements or a B.Sc degree in the relevant areas. Another alternative is to take 5 O’Level Credits for English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology at one time as well as UTME requirements.
LAW
The Nigerian legal system is a common law jurisdiction and based on English law. This means that if you’re a qualified lawyer in Nigeria, it’s easy to work in any other common-law country in Africa (e.g., South Africa) or even in many parts of Europe and North America; which makes it one of the most employable undergraduate degrees around.
Another reason why you should consider law as a professional course is that even if you don’t end up working as a lawyer, you will still have an advantage over other applicants by virtue of having legal training. For example, an undergraduate degree in law will help candidates qualify for most jobs (even outside of law) related to legal matters and also be able to analyze cases more effectively.
Lawyers are highly respected professionals across the United States. The path to become a lawyer begins by enrolment in an accredited law school at the university.
It takes five years to finish an law degree. After that, there’s an additional year in which the law graduate is able to spend at one of the centers at the Nigerian Law School in the country. After that, they’re called to the bar and may become an attorney. The following are the steps to follow to become a lawyer in Nigeria:
The requirements for admission include two essays that are at Advanced Level plus Credit in 5/6 other O’level subjects like English Language and literature in English. Another option is to get a first Degree that includes credits for subjects like the English Language at ‘O’ Level English Language and any three subjects in the fields of Arts or Social Science, and/or Science.
Another option is 5 “O levels of subjects in one time, or 6 “O levels subjects in two sessions, which include English Language Literature, English and any other subject from the Arts and Sciences, Sciences or Science, in addition to UTME requirements.
ENGINEERING
In addition to engineering, it is a popular subject among secondary school students seeking to get into universities.
This is because engineers are seen as a high-end profession that has many job possibilities. Engineers could work with companies that deal in oil and gas telecoms firms IT companies, or any of the well-known manufacturing firms in the nation.
A student studying engineering spends five years at the university following which he is able to continue to study professional courses to increase his credentials as a professional.
THE ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS ARE HIGHLIGHTED BELOW:
Candidates who have completed their West African School Certificate or the General Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level) are eligible to be accepted into the five-year course by taking an entrance test.
Alongside the requirements for entry into universities Candidates who want to be admitted to the Department must satisfy the prerequisites as listed below.
Admission applicants for admission via admission must have completed either or both of the West African School Certificate, Senior Secondary School Certificate or equivalent with at minimum three credits of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and English Language obtained in one or two sittings , or at least five subjects within the General Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level) that were passed in not more than two sessions.
BANKING AND FINANCE
Although banks tend to recruit graduates from every kind of discipline, banking and finance graduates definitely have an edge when applying to bank jobs.
As a graduate with the intention of charting a career in the banking industry, you can take it a step further by enrolling in the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Nigeria. Earning this certification can boost your chances of climbing up the ladder really quickly in the industry.
There are basically two modes of entry into the B.Sc programme.
Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)
Direct Entry (DE)
The two options are achieved by application to the university through the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB). Candidates must satisfy the minimum university and departmental entry requirements as contained in the choice of university senate approved entry requirements and JAMB brochure. The UTME candidates should also sit for the exam and Post-UTME and ensure that they write the required subjects for their desired course of study. The DE candidates should also sit for the interview of the university/department.
Conclusion
With so many professional course options out there, it can be a challenge to choose which career track is right for you. When considering your long-term goals, remember that a degree is just one piece of your career puzzle. Don’t get locked into an intense educational track if you aren’t sure where it will lead or if it will even fulfill your passions.