Considering your university options in Nigeria? You need to steer clear of useless degrees in Nigeria; it’s wise to look beyond the classroom and into the job market.

While every degree has its merits, some fields may offer limited career prospects and a tougher path to employment.

Before investing your time and resources, take a moment to check courses that may not align well with today’s evolving job landscape.

Philosophy

Philosophy hones critical thinking and ethics, but Nigerian employers rarely recruit pure philosophy graduates. Without a complementary skill, like programming, counselling or business philosophy, majors struggle to find stable, well-paid roles.

Library and Information Science

In our digital era, traditional libraries are shrinking. Graduates in Library and Information Science confront a shortage of positions in both public and private sectors, as organisations digitise records and tap IT specialists instead.

Religious Studies

Religious Studies promotes cultural literacy and interfaith dialogue, but it lacks a clear vocational pathway. Unless you add education or social-work credentials, most grads compete for scarce NGO or academic posts.

Anthropology

Anthropology offers deep insights into human cultures, yet Nigeria employs few professional anthropologists. Limited museum roles and sparse field-research grants force many to retrain in more practical disciplines.

Social Studies covers governance, civics and community development, but it doesn’t equip you for specialised careers. Employers favour graduates with technical or management training over generalist social studies backgrounds.

Environmental Management

Environmental Management matters for sustainability, but federal and state agencies hire sparingly. Graduates who want steady work often pivot into energy-sector certifications or waste-to-wealth engineering.

Home Economics

Home Economics teaches cooking, nutrition and household management—valuable life skills, but few direct career paths. Most graduates must venture into catering, hospitality or nutrition diplomas to earn decent incomes.

Linguistics

Linguistics trains you in language analysis, yet pure linguists find limited demand. To land gigs in translation, content strategy or computational linguistics, you’ll need additional certifications or technical know-how.

Horticulture

Horticulture supports plant science and landscaping, but it competes with broader agricultural and agribusiness programs. Employers in large-scale farming and agro-processing prefer agronomy or agribusiness specialists.

Sociology

Sociology develops research and data-analysis skills, but it offers no guaranteed career track. Graduates often chase roles in research firms or NGOs, and only succeed after earning specialised policy-analysis or analytics credentials.

Why avoid these useless degrees in Nigeria

Employers consistently report that holders of these degrees in Nigeria require extensive retraining before they can make practical contributions

High graduate numbers flood entry-level roles, weak industry partnerships leave students unprepared, and narrow career paths limit growth.

To maximise your return on investment, choose programs linked to booming sectors, such as data science, software engineering, or healthcare technology, that offer clear job ladders and strong employer demand.