The National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved 13 new degree programmes for Nigerian universities to enhance academic relevance and align higher education with global standards.
The commission announced the addition of these programmes to the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) in a circular addressed to all vice-chancellors.
The circular, released by the NUC spokesperson and signed by the Executive Secretary, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, confirmed the development.
According to the commission, experts from the Nigerian university system participated in formulating 70 per cent of the national component of the new programmes in March 2025.
Universities are to design the remaining 30 per cent institutional component in line with the CCMAS framework.
The newly approved programmes include Artificial Intelligence, Classical Christian Education, Human Kinetics with a focus on Sport Management, Geomatics Engineering, Community Health Science, Intelligence and Security Studies, Islamic Economics and Finance, Parasitology and Entomology, Telecommunication Science, Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Cooperative Economics and Management, Nuclear Science, and Nuclear Engineering.
The commission advised universities intending to run any of the new programmes to commence implementation in the 2025/2026 academic session, following a successful resource assessment visit.
Vice-chancellors were also directed to circulate the approved CCMAS documents to relevant faculties, departments, and academic planning units.
