The best science courses for female students in Nigeria include Nursing, Medicine and Surgery, Computer Science, Dentistry, and Architecture. Although there are many other courses that women can explore, these courses listed here are based on the availability of jobs and their advantages to women within and outside Nigeria, among several other advantages.
More interestingly, some of these courses can be found in many institutions and not only the university. For instance, nursing can be studied in nursing colleges. In the same manner, there are colleges of dentistry for aspiring dentists, and some polytechnics offer architecture and computer science. All of these said, here are details about the best science courses for female students and why you should consider them.
What Science Course is Best for a Female Student?
1. Nursing
This course is probably the best science course that female students in Nigeria should take. Nursing is a female-dominated course and profession, and it has been accounted that women have the inherent capacity to care for other people.
Another reason to study nursing is that, as a profession, it is the largest in the healthcare system. As such, it is easier to get a job within and outside of Nigeria than most other science courses.
Moreso, it offers more stability in terms of jobs. It also has a variety of practice scopes and specializations that one gets to explore. Some of them include orthopedic nursing, mental health nursing, pediatric, and preoperative nursing.
Apart from its modest salary, there is continues high demand of nurses across the world. It is reported that by 2030, there will be a 137,859 shortage of nurses, and the demand will automatically increase in Nigeria.
2. Medicine and Surgery
Medicine and Surgery is a male-dominated course and profession in Nigeria and globally. However, women who are into it bring many advantages to the course.
As in the case of nursing, as mentioned earlier, women have the innate ability to care for others. This is perhaps our foremost advantage on why it is a great course for women to study in Nigeria.
In the broader society, it is said that some of the advantages of being a female medical doctor are that women tend to be more patient, considerate, and dexterous. Also, they are able to injure patients less during operations as compared to men.
In another report, there are claims that the mortality rate of patients of female surgeons is about 4% lower than men. If this study is true, then the study of medicine and surgery is important for women in Nigeria as it may improve better quality of the profession.
Shifting towards the financial benefits that come with graduating in Medicine and Surgery, this course is definitely one of the most promising. It is no secret that doctors in Nigeria are probably the most employed professionals. Its average salary is mostly higher than many civil service sectors in the country.
Apart from the job opportunities in Nigeria, medical doctors find it easier to work in other countries than many other Nigerians. It is for this reason that there has been an efflux of doctors from the country. In fact, in 2022 alone, a survey conducted showed that about 2,000 doctors left Nigeria.
A different report has shown that there is a shortage of health workers, including in Nigeria, and by 2030, the country will face a shortage of 50,120 doctors. So, whether you intend to work in Nigeria or relocate to another country, medicine and surgery could be your best bet.
3. Computer Science
There are a lot fewer women in Computer Science and tech in Nigeria and the world. The course and profession is one of the fastest rising in the world, and since everything is turning towards technology, there are always going to be more jobs created for women in tech.
Forbes has pointed out some of the advantages of women in tech. They include: its diversity may create generates more revenue, and women think differently, so there will be an influx of new and probably better ideas. Other advantages are the need for new role models for younger girls within Nigeria and globally.
Moreso, it has wider job opportunities as one can work in different organizations and even freelance. Some of the jobs that one can have after studying this course include application analyst, machine learning engineer, web developer, IT project manager, AI engineer, mobile App developer, and computer hardware engineer.
4. Dentistry
The need for women to be in the health sector cannot be overemphasized, and dentistry is one course that should be explored by science female students in Nigeria.
The course comes with a truckload of advantages for women in Nigeria. Women in dentistry pointed out that “dentistry often appeals to women because it is a ‘people’ profession, that mixes both science and art”.
Other advantages of female dentists are that women in the profession take preventive measures to heart and offer more preventive tips. This is apart from empathy, are can be more attentive.
In relation to job opportunities, it is an average-paying job. Moreso, it comes with flexibility as compared to many other health jobs.
5. Architecture
Architecture is mostly considered to be a “man’s” course. So, you may be wondering why it has made it to our list as the best course for women to study in Nigeria.
Here is the thing, the industry has only about 20% of women practicing in developed worlds and even lesser in developing countries such as Nigeria. Hence, more women are needed in the sector. This is because they are perceived as creative and can redefine, stretch, and bring an entirely new dimension to designs and how the world looks.
Before you jump to want to take this course as a woman, you should note that it is considered more tedious for women, and it is also considered a huge employer of men. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why it is a good course for females in Nigeria since the country can be fascinated with women doing the “extraordinary”.
Apart from that, an excerpt from the Clinton Global Initiative’s Annual Meeting shows that this career can help empower women and girls worldwide – including Nigeria, of course!
While these courses listed here are great on their own, it is safe to say they are only the tip of the iceberg. This is because there are many other science courses to study in Nigeria.