General Studies (GST) Courses Offered In Nigeria For All Levels

Have you ever thought of General Studies (GST) and other Courses offered in Nigerian Universities from year One to final year? Worry no more. I am here to guide you on the courses you’re expected to offer after you gain admission to study in Nigeria.

As the name implies, General Studies (GST) are courses offered by everyone irrespective of Course, Department and Faculty. Most General courses were introduced by the Federal Government of Nigeria. This article is to guide you on General Studies Courses and Other 100 Level, 300L, 400 or 500 level courses in Nigeria.

The beauty of gaining admission is that you would no longer be offering subjects, but courses. No more teachers but lecturers….. Instead of classes, you will now be receiving lectures in lecture theatres. Isn’t it interesting?

Now, every hundred level student wants to know about University life and how the school he or she is admitted to (UNILAG, AAU, UI, UNIBEN, OAU, UNILORIN, LASU, etc) set Exam Questions. Of course, this is a very intelligent query. It is good to know how the University looks like and the courses they offer before you finally resume lectures.

Recommended: Reasons to stay in the school hostel and why you shouldn’t

100 Level General Studies Courses (GST) In Nigeria

In the University, you have the freedom to do whatever you want (whether to pass or fail, to attend classes or not, etc). Your parents won’t be there to chastise you anymore… However, the law of cause and effect would always catch up with you.

Back to the topic, General Studies And Other Courses Offered In Hundred Level. In every University, there are general courses, while others are optional. General Studies are courses offered by everyone in the University; irrespective of your study course.

Philosophy and Logic is a general course offered by almost every (if not all) Universities in Nigeria. Another general study course in hundred level is English and Use of Library. Then we have the Philosophy of science and Technology and Nigerian People and Culture. In summary, hundred level general courses are:

• Philosophy and Logic
• English and Use of Library
• Philosophy of Science and Technology
• Nigerian People and Culture
• Peace and Conflict Resolution

You would likely do more than 4 General courses in your hundred level. One thing about general studies courses is that you won’t graduate until you pass all. Your best bet is to fall in love with all your GST course.

For Uniben, AAU and many other Universities, they offer five GST courses in year one; two GST in the first semester and three in the second semester. There are other general courses like CED in higher level. Their general studies courses are:

• Philosophy and logic.
• English and Use of Library.
• Nigeria People and Culture.
• Peace and conflict resolution.
• A course on Science and Technology.

Recommended: Philosophy and Logic Questions

GST courses don’t carry much credit like other major courses; usually two credit load or less. However, you must pass all your GST before you can graduate. They are very easy to pass if you are serious. I had 4 As and a B in the 5 GSTs I offered in UNIBEN 100L.

You may be wondering, is it only GST? what about other courses offered in year one? We are getting there gradually…

Other courses offered in 100L are similar to what you did in secondary school. The only difference is that they are advance form and with new names. For example, Mathematics would be abbreviated and referred to as MTH, and Physics would be abbreviated as PHY. They would be given funny names. Another thing is that you would be exposed to practicals in the science field.

Common names of courses you would hear in 100L are ECO, BUS, MTH, PBB, AEB, PHY, CHE and so on.

The Number of courses offered in year one range from 6 to 14. Don’t be afraid of the number. Most times, a subject would be divided into two parts and given different names and credits. E.g, you could do MTH111 and MTH112 in the same semester.

How does hundred level look like? It is all about stress and fun. Trust me, life in the University is fun and would teach you a whole lot of things. The only problem is that mistakes made in 100L go a long way to affect your entire stay in the University. The articles below would guide you throughout your 100L in the University.

• Life in University and mistakes to avoid in 100L
• Characters you should let go as University student.
• How to boost your GPA in year one.

 

Do you Still want to know More? HIGHER EDUCATION AND GENERAL STUDIES IN NIGERIA By Charles C. Nweke & Chukwugozie D. Nwoye will show you more about GSTs in Nigeria…

The Aims Of GST in Nigerian Universities

a). To better the language and communication skills of all students and to assist them build enough fitness in the use of English as an instrument for their now and would be occupation.

b). To aid students to grow and develop the knowledge of their social, cultural and physical milieu which automatically will equip them to operate actively in their society.

c). To socialize the Nigerian students to cultivate acceptable behaviours, attitudes, patriotism, nationalism and value the status of the constitution as well as create the awareness in students about the roles and obligations of Government at all levels.

An insight into some of the courses offered at General Studies Programme will aid us more in this discussion.

Use of English (GST)

GST: USE OF ENGLISH: This course was ushered into Nigerian Universities and other tertiary institutions due to incessant complaints by lecturers and employers of labour that many undergraduates and even graduates themselves lacked the ability to express themselves competently in the English language.

It was rather shameful and actually disheartening that Nigerian graduates could not even write common application letters for employment in a language considered a national language. Hence, the use of English was brought in as a finishing course in Nigerian Universities with the following main objectives:

a). To offer students in all departments a sound foundation and functional mastery of the English Language in its various uses.
b). To breed able and inspiring users of English who can assert themselves as expected.
c). To enable students understand adequate approaches of organizing time; taking, organizing and developing notes. d). To enable students understand how to utilize the library adequately.

Philosophy And Logic (GST)

GST: PHILOSOPHY AND LOGIC: Among the aims and objective of this course, it is geared towards investigating numerous areas through which students on graduation, would have been greatly prepared with requisite potentialities for the most responsively active citizenship.

This is obtainable via its inherent ability for interrogating other areas of study like religion, education, Mathematics, Science, Literature, Social Sciences, History, Language, and even newly opened area of Oil and Gas.

This is the brain behind the description of philosophy as a second-order discipline. Philosophy as such targets developing a complete knowledge of the Universe by means of investigation of the facts of our knowledge.

This dovetails well with Bertrand Russells stand that the target of philosophy is to explore knowledge emanating from a critical and understanding investigation of the basis of our conviction and equally to free our minds from the unquestionable and elements of redundancy in traditions and customs.

This aim of philosophy has merited for it the approval of the Federal Government of Nigeria via the agency of NUC which instructs all Nigerian Universities to teach students its fundamentals and methods so as to inculcate in students the values of positive and moral character and the custom of rational enquiry which are prerequisite for the struggles of life in a post-tertiary society.

Nigerian People And Culture (GST)

GST: NIGERIAN PEOPLES AND CULTURE: Establishing the indubitability of culture as the fundament of Nigerias national policies, whether economic, education, politics, religious or social lives, this course, as such, is needful in order to assist students understand and accordingly be able at the completion of the course content, build and promote the cultural heritage of the indigenous Nigerian and African, cum other world traditions.

This Course hopes to instill in students, the knowledge of the plurality of Nigerian culture and equally the likelihood of establishing a melting pot of this pluralism into one Nigerian (National) culture in the African and other world cultures. Ultimately, the course will adequately engender Nigeria unity with stress on the common ties that bind Nigerians in diversity and homogeneity out of the heterogeneity of cultures.

“Finally, it will enable the students to know that the University exists to serve Nigeria as a whole, and each student has an important role to play in fostering national unity, which is the basic pre-condition for growth and development.”

History And Philosophy of Science And Technology

GST: HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE: is targeted at familiarizing the students with primary knowledge of the humble beginning of science and technology while keeping them informed of contemporary happenings and improvements in different areas of science and technology.

Emphasis is placed on how different avenues in these different areas of study directly touch the society, the environment, the individual, the nation and the world in general. The cardinal function of science and technology in sustainable national development is made abundantly clear while emphasizing the feats of some scientific establishments in Nigeria.

Nigerias national policy on science and technology is laid bare. The students are then required to welcome scientific reasoning, employ technology accurately and become trustworthy agents of positive change in the society.

Peace And Conflict Resolution Studies

GST: PEACE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION STUDIES: Among other things, this course is fashioned to open students up to Peace and Conflict Resolution as necessary recipes for national development. Making use of case studies from within Nigeria, Africa and other parts of the world, the course targets at awakening in students consciousness the desire for peace and the hunger for working towards it at both the individual and collective levels of human existence, most importantly in their immediate societies.

The core areas of interest for this Course are Basic concepts of Peace Studies, Conflict, Violence, Peace, Mediation, Ceasefire, Peacemaking, Peace Enforcement, Peace-building, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Terrorism, etc.

300 And 400 Level General Studies Courses

ENTREPRENEURSHIP STUDIES: The ideal for creating this curriculum is to breed graduates with some added values beyond their particular area of study for the sole aim of self-reliance. Its focus is to re-channel education/training for relevance and quality by building in the undergraduate/graduate an entrepreneurial frame of mind and furnishing each with the skills requisite to begin and manage a business successfully.

SKILLS IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP: The Centre for Entrepreneurship is furnished with a Lab/workshop/Resource room to interface skills acquisition hands-on testing of prototypes for interested students from all areas of study on the academic offerings in the University. This is based on a demand/pull criterion to form economical class sizes. Skills requisitions are in 3 categories, A, B, and C. They are listed below:

Feel free to ask me any question regarding life at the University. I will be very glad to answer you. I wish you the very best…