Top Questions About Postgraduate Study in Nigeria

A lot of questions bother prospective Masters and PhD students, but there aren’t always correct answers. Postgraduate Nigeria gives answers to questions some Nigerians ask about postgraduate study. It is a kind of FAQS. Feel free to drop more questions, and we will gladly answer.

Top Questions About Postgraduate Study

1. Must I have a Masters degree?      Well…. YES or No, the choice is yours. You simply need a minimum tertiary education for a good head start in career. But if you desire something extra in the career path, you may need a Masters degree. Though this is not absolute.
2. Is it only prospective lecturers that study for a PhD?                         No. Though teaching staff or lecturers in universities and other tertiary institutions are expected to have a PhD, lecturing is not the exclusive career path for Doctorate degree holder. They can work in research institutes, world bodies, government and so on.
3. Every body is doing Masters, does it help to get job?                                                      A Master degree does not help in getting entry level jobs. It’s a sad reality of the Nigerian situation, with many unemployed people. Many graduates just keep busy by enrolling for a Masters degree; at least, it prevents the brain from atrophy.
4. Can a third class graduate do a Master degree?                                                            No. To study for a Masters degree, a third class graduate would need to have a Postgraduate diploma (PGD) in the desired course.  In some rare cases, a third class graduate with many years of experience can be admitted for professional masters like MBA.
5. Please, which one is M.Phil again?                                                                M.Phil is Master of Philosophy. It is an intermediate Masters degree for those who don’t meet the requirement for direct admission into a PhD. In many cases, it is non terminal, so the student continues straight in the PhD after meeting a pass mark.
6. How do Medical doctors become professors, without Masters?                      It depends on the area of specialization. Some Medical Doctors study for a Masters and PhD especially in the Preclinicals. Also, residency is a kind of Masters, a rigorous training for years with exams at the end. I believe at some point, they will choose between becoming a Consultant with pure hospital duties or they follow the academic line and become a professor.
7. What is the fastest time to do a Masters or PhD?                                               Fastest is relative. In the Nigerian context, the fastest time within which a Master degree can be gotten is 1 year, but it is safe to say 18 months considering factors like proposal, external defence, e.t.c. The fastest time to bag a PhD in Nigeria is 3 years. Even if all work has been completed, the student isn’t allowed to graduate till the third session.     In the U.K, a Masters degree can be gotten within 9-12 months.
8. Are Nigerian certificates accepted abroad for Masters and PhD?                             Yes. As long as the university is approved by the NUC. Beyond the certificates, the transcript is more important for admission decision.
9. I need cheap Nigerian universities to earn a Masters degree                          Cheap…….! In terms of quality or cost. If it’s in terms of quality, that would be a terrible mistake, as your it would mean raising a high academic tower without structure. It terms of cost, Federal universities are cheaper to study for a Masters. In addition, universities in the North are very cheap because postgraduate education demand is low. In general, Postgraduate studies (Masters, PhD etal) is cheap in Nigeria, compared to many other countries.

1. Why do people prefer Federal Universities for Postgraduate study?            For reason stated above, i.e cost. In addition, Federal universities are more funded and better staffed than state and private ones. There is also the advantage of access to international network to foreign research organizations and grants. Finally, many Federal universities have research institutes in their vicinity that aid academic research work.
2. What does M.B.A mean?                                 Master of Business Administration. It is a professional Master degree.
3. Any difference between professional and academic Masters degree?      Yes. Professional Master is focused on career workers, who need to update their knowledge within the field of their work. It is mainly course based, with assignment, term papers and case studies as significant part of its curriculum. Academic Masters is for those who would be lecturers and research staff. It combines course work and thesis, with thesis having the highest weight. Academic Masters degree holders proceed directly to PhD.
4. What is a PGDE?                                                 Post Graduate Diploma in Education. Read more on pgde
5. Why are some M.B.A called executive M.B.A?                                                                     It’s a terminology, used majorly by University of Lagos. Executive MBA is reordered to suit the top level working class. So this MBA holds in the evenings of week days from 6pm or at weekends.
6. Bring on more questions.

Thank you.