Using the term “useless courses” is subjective and can mean different things to different people. But then, there are courses you will study at Nigerian Universities that may make building a successful professional career quite challenging. Courses like Pharmacy, Petroleum Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Medicine, and Computer Science are some of the top best courses that could give you a better edge and a higher chance of getting excellent job opportunities in the country.
Even parents influence their children on the course to study to avoid a long search for job opportunities or poor income. So, if you are about to take a degree course in any of the Universities or polytechnics in Nigeria that will land you a well-paying job in the future, avoid these 20 useless courses.
1. Political Science
- Course Duration: 4 years
In developed countries, graduates with a degree in political science can build their careers in the public sector, working for elected officials or government agencies, or in the private sector. Political science job titles may include policy analyst, legislative assistant, political consultant, social media manager, and market research analyst. However, in Nigeria, there is minimal demand for political scientists in the country’s political scene. Hence, building a successful career as a political scientist would be complex, making political science one of the top useless courses to study in Nigeria.
2. Botany
- Course Duration: 4 years
Botany is a discipline that involves the scientific study of plants. This course is excellent, and as a botanist, you use your biological knowledge to improve and preserve life for plants and people. In much more developed countries, your degree in Botany should earn you jobs as a Florist, Naturalist, Arborist, Forester, Biotech consultant, or even environmental scientist; however, countries like Nigeria do not appreciate it that much. The employment rate for botanists is very low, and they, therefore, struggle to get high-paying jobs.
3. Animal Science
- Course Duration: 4 years
Animal Science involves studying animals’ biology, behaviour, and roles in our society. The program covers biology, nutrition, breeding, and disease prevention. As a graduate with a degree in Animal Science, you should be able to pursue several careers, such as a veterinarian, animal nutritionist, livestock manager, wildlife biologist, or animal behaviourist. The degree is valuable for people who love animals and care about their welfare and sustainable agriculture.
However, you may not achieve so much career-wise in Nigeria because little or no attention is paid to Animal studies – except if you want to teach the course at a university. There are just a few functional zoos in the country. Hence, getting a job with a degree in Animal Science may be challenging – which is why it is considered one of the useless courses to study in Nigeria.
4. Music
- Course Duration: 4 years
Music may be your passion, but studying music at University should prepare you for a wide variety of graduate careers as well as performing or composition, from jobs in the creative industries to teaching. Music schools develop your talents and help you discover new ones. A degree in music should earn you well-paying jobs as a music therapist, television production assistant, programme researcher, editorial and marketing assistant, and private music teacher.
However, in Nigeria, this is one of the courses you may not want to spend your four years learning because it is less valued. The music market in the country might be lucrative and quite tempting, but you can find many successful music performers who never passed through a music school. The likes of 2Face Idibia, D’Banj, Chidinma Ekileh, and Don Jazzy are even University drop-outs.
5. Geography
- Course Duration: 4 years
Geography majors learn about the physical features of the Earth — including climate, soil, and topography — and how people relate to the land. A Geography career should offer opportunities to develop solutions to some of the most pressing issues for modern society, including climate change, natural disasters, overpopulation, urban expansion, and multicultural integration.
Your career path may depend on whether you have studied physical or human geography. The former is a natural science, focusing on the Earth’s physical materials and processes, while the latter is a social science, focusing on issues relating to human communities and cultures.
However, building a career in this field might be challenging in Nigerian society, where little or no attention is paid to climate and soil topography. Teaching it in colleges and higher institutions may be a better option if you are passionate about the course, but the pay may not be so encouraging.
6. Anthropology
- Course Duration: 4 years
Anthropology is a social science major which deals with the detailed study of human and societal behaviour. This course has a very low employment rate in an economically challenged country like Nigeria.
Many social science majors, such as Anthropology, are irrelevant in promoting Nigeria’s economy. Anthropology, which studies the human body system and societal behaviour, has a low employment rate in the country. Therefore, it is one of the worst majors in Nigeria you can ever study if you intend to get employment after graduating from college.
7. Soil Science
- Course Duration: 4 years
Agriculture and the environment will always be the future of every productive country. As a crop scientist, you are expected to help feed a growing world population, address climate change and sustainable agriculture, and protect water resources and the environment. A degree program in soil science would prepare you for career opportunities like Agroecology Specialist, crop advisor, Plant breeder, Agronomist, and waste management specialist. But, in Nigeria, little attention is paid to the course or its career opportunities.
8. Zoology
- Course Duration: 4 years
Zoo Keepers might be earning a decent amount of money outside Nigeria but not in Nigeria. Currently, the course is not lucrative in Nigeria, mainly because there are only a few zoos nationwide. Outside Nigeria, a degree in Zoology should earn you a job as an Ecologist, Zookeeper, Nature, Conservation Specialist, Marine Scientist, and Field Researcher.
9. Animal Husbandry
- Course Duration: 4 years
Animal husbandry is supposed to be one of the most lucrative fields of study. But unfortunately, it isn’t because the major work has already been taken over by Fulani Herdsmen in Nigeria. Also, many Nigerians are into farming, so getting into Fish, Egg, and meat production is relatively easy. The need for graduates in this field is minimal, as anyone can do the job in Nigeria. So it’s useless.
10. Social Studies
- Course Duration: 4 years
Social studies is another course we can classify under the useless courses to study in Nigeria. A degree in Social studies can teach you foundational knowledge and qualify you for various jobs in many industries. Unfortunately, this course has no place in the Nigerian economy. Almost all Social Studies graduates end up being high school teachers simply because they have low or no employment opportunities. Outside Nigeria, a social studies graduate can work as a market research analyst, Human Resource manager, or even an Urban planner.
11. Library and Information Science
- Course Duration: 4 years
Library and information science is one of the Most Useless Courses to study in Nigeria. Library and Information Science is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and other areas to libraries; the collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information resources; and the political economy of information. When you study this course in a Nigerian university, you are expected to become a Librarian, a lecturer, or a teacher, or you find another job outside your field of study because the positions are already filled up.
12. History
- Course Duration: 4 years
Teaching history in Nigerian colleges has long been a contention and has rendered studying the course at the University useless. History was removed from the Nigerian school curriculum in 2009 – supposedly because students avoided the subject, graduates did not have job prospects, and teachers were scarce. Generally, with a degree in history, you’ll have a strong understanding of the background of the issues you’re covering, which allows you to conduct high-quality investigations.
As a history graduate, you should earn jobs as a museum archivist, history professor, researcher, professional researcher, and market analyst. Unfortunately, these opportunities are scarce in the Nigerian job market.
13. Religious Studies
- Course Duration: 4 years
Studying religion in a country like Nigeria may be challenging because the problem of tribalism will not allow you to explore your career possibilities. The course enables you to study the diversity of human beliefs and religion’s role in helping humans understand different aspects of spirituality and the concepts of life and death.
Most job prospects in the discipline might be restricted to academic or research positions due to the low demand for Religious Studies graduates in Nigeria. Outside Nigeria, the course offers you job opportunities such as a Public Policy Advisor, diplomat, or a Museum Curator.
14. Horticulture
- Course Duration: 4 years
Horticulture is the study of beautiful plants, trees, and vegetables. Despite the lucrativeness of Agriculture in the country, being a horticulture graduate may land you in a continuous job search with no result. The economies of the industrialized countries worldwide, where decorative plants are particularly valued, cannot be compared to Nigeria’s.
You may want to start your flower shop, but this business idea may not thrive because Nigerians don’t really care about flowers that much. However, if you are able to travel outside the shores of Nigeria, you may earn well-paying jobs as a horticultural technician, Plant Care Worker, Nursery Staffer, Landscape Designer, Pest Manager, or horticultural Inspector.
15. Archaeology
- Course Duration: 4 years
Because no facilities enable practical training for students studying this course, getting a well-paying job with a certificate is also challenging. Archaeology is the study of history by collecting and examining ancient artifacts. For several decades, archaeological education in Nigeria has been confined to university education curricula with little or no attention paid to its practical aspect.
In better-developed countries, you can work as an environmental archaeologist, Archeological researcher, historical archaeologist, or museum director. Unfortunately, these job opportunities are rarely available in Nigeria. Hence, we classify it as one of the useless courses to study in Nigeria.
16. Physical and Health Education
- Course Duration: 4 years
Physical and Health Education (PHE) is one of those courses that is rarely recognised in Nigerian society. Although graduates of PHE may get a job as a class teacher or fitness instructor, not all schools offer the subject, and a handful of gyms can afford to pay well for the job.
17. Philosophy
- Course Duration: 4 years
Getting a degree in Philosophy may be one of your utmost desires, but certainly not to be used in Nigeria. This course which requires highly critical, analytical, and argumentative skills, often leads students to pursue legal studies, MBA programs, or seminaries. Outside Nigeria, jobs for philosophy majors can include a lawyer, systems analyst, cultural affairs officer, technical writer, and critic.
18. Home Economics
- Course Duration: 4 years
Home Economics is a major that deals with home management. Under it you can study human development and relationships, personal and family finance, wellness, food science, and nutrition. It is a good major with unique talents that can be expanded in study. Unfortunately, it is among the useless courses to study in Nigeria when the employment rate of its graduates and the economy are considered.
Home Economics is an incredible career path to take anywhere in the world; however, it does not fit into Nigeria’s current harsh economic situation. Almost all Home Economists find it hard to get employed. They mostly end up as high school teachers, or in some cases, they start their own businesses as food vendors. In better-developed countries, your degree certificate in Home Economics could get you a job in interior planning, design and decorating or as a consumer behaviour and promotion of products manager.
19. Secretarial studies
- Course Duration: 4 years
This course has to do with training people on the duties of secretaries and their jobs often include imputing data or information into the computer, editing documents and spreadsheets. But with the growing technologies, secretarial positions are no longer limited to graduates of Secretarial studies. They now compete with other graduates in other fields who have computer knowledge.
20. Sociology
- Course Duration: 4 years
Sociology is a social science major that studies social life, change, and the social reasons and outcomes of human behaviour. This major is another honourable course that has also been tagged as a useless course of study in Nigeria. The course extensively deals with comprehending humans and their social exchanges. Unfortunately, it is not profitable in countries with wounded economies like Nigeria.
Many sociology graduates always end up underemployed or unemployed after graduating from school. In a much more economically developed society, a degree in Sociology should earn you a job as a Rehabilitation Counselor, Survey Researcher, HR Manager, etc.