TOP THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE UNDERGOING A MASTERS OF SCIENCE DEGREE PROGRAM IN NIGERIA

It is commonly said that once you stop learning, you start degrading. It is therefore wise for Bachelor degree graduates to consider furtherance with a post graduate – a Masters’ degree (M.Sc.) or Post graduate degree (PGD). In this article, I’ll be discussing the top things you need to know before undergoing a master’s of science degree program in Nigeria under three major headings:

• What to study
• Where to study
• Requirements for your study

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WHAT TO STUDY

The decision of what to study for your Master’s of science degree program in Nigeria is crucial as studying the same course in your Bachelor Degree may or may not be necessary for a Master’s of science degree program in Nigeria. Taking the accounting course as an illustration, if you studied accounting for your first degree, it is preferable to go for a masters in Finance, Economics or any other Management Science course to have a diversified understanding, then complement this with a professional qualification like ICAN, ACCA, CFA etc. Now this might not be applicable to other courses like Clinical Sciences, Medical Laboratory Science, Computer Science, Statistics etc. It is however important to consider a course that will widen your perspective in your area of discipline.

WHERE TO STUDY

There are several universities in Nigeria that offer post graduate studies for Master’s degree. Either federal universities, state universities or private universities provide this. Below is a list of some universities in Nigeria – this list is not exhaustive;

Federal Universities

1. University of Ibadan, Oyo state
2. University of Lagos, Lagos state
3. University of Calabar, Cross River State
4. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi State
5. Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State
6. Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State
7. Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike
8. National Open University of Nigeria, Lagos.
9. University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State
10. University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State
11. University of Jos, Plateau State
12. University of Ilorin, Kwara State
13. Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
14. University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State.
15. University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri
16. Bayero University, Kano State
17. Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State
18. Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
19. Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State
20. University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State

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Private Universities

1. Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State
2. American University of Nigeria, Yola, Adamawa State
3. Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State
4. Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State
5. Redeemer’s University, Mowe, Ogun State
6. Bowen University, Iwo
7. Caleb University, Lagos
8. Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State
9. Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State
10. African University of Science and Technology, Abuja
11. Achievers University, Owo

State Universities

• Cross River University of Technology, Calabar
• Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu
• Gombe State University, Gombe.
• Imo State University, Owerri
• Benue State University, Makurdi
• Delta State University, Abraka

As said earlier, the above lists are not exhaustive but should be sufficient to help you make your choice. However, you can refer to the National Universities Commission (NUC) for more details on this.

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REQUIREMENTS FOR YOUR STUDY

The requirements for a Master’s programme varies with university, however, there are some basic requirements that should be common in all, these are:

• Possession of a Bachelor’s Degree in the chosen course or related field, from the intended university or any other universities approved by Nigerian Universities Council (NUC).
• Some universities (like University of Lagos) accept other senate approved qualifications like ACA, ACCA etc.
• A written and/or oral interview may be required as well.
• For undergraduates, their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate may be required.
• Academic transcripts for the first degree programme (whatsoever) must be sent directly to the institution.
• Most universities provide for both part time and full time programmes. Whichever is convenient and suitable could be considered, however, part time is expensive while full time though not very expensive, requires a huge amount of time and availability.

These, however, are basic requirements; specific requirements are institution specific.

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PLANNING YOUR MASTER’S RESEARCH PROJECT

This is the last section in this article and I will be discussing a very vital part of undergoing a Master’s Degree programme in Nigeria. As a postgraduate student, your research project is sine-qua-non and an inevitable requirement for completing your programme. It is therefore necessary to start early to plan for this by submitting a proposal (being that your study is for a year and half or two years) early enough – preferably few months after admission, depending on institutional requirements.

A Masters research project (or any other postgraduate research project) is quite different for an undergraduate research project and will require the research to be more meticulous and detailed in undergoing the research project.

In order to effectively plan and execute your research project as a Master’s student in Nigeria, consider the following:

• Start early, by choosing a topic – this differs from institutions, as in some you may be required to choose from your supervisors’ options, while others may require you to submit a list of topics that will be approved. To choose a topic, test your interest on several broad research areas; narrow your scope to few specific areas; develop some research questions about your topic of interest; refer to existing literatures to confirm your research questions and probably identify more study gaps; redefine your questions and develop your topic. You can refer to my article on “Getting a research topic for your project”.
• Immediately it is approved, develop your research proposal. You can refer to my earlier article on “Research Methodology: A Step by Step Guide for Beginners”. Generally, your research proposal should be very brief, capturing all essential information. It should have at least: a title, research questions, objectives of research, a brief review of literature, proposed methodology and time schedule.
• Once your research proposal is approved, continue to the main research project. This might be executed as follows: a more comprehensive review of literature to strengthen your research questions and objectives, a detailed analysis of your methodology, a thorough data collection and analysis, deriving conclusions from analysed data and writing out your thesis (or dissertation) to describe your entire project and its findings. Master’s or other postgraduate research projects are usually written out as a dissertation or thesis.

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As said earlier, the research project is a sensitive and vital part of your Master’s programme and therefore it must be done thoroughly. It is advisable to source for consultation services from professional research writing services like https://runmyresearch.com as their services does not in any way violate the available research writing requirements or rules.

I believe this article has been helpful to you. Let us know your comments. Thank you.