Social science courses are widely offered by every Nigerian university across the federation, even extending to polytechnics and most colleges of education for teaching professions.
The concept of social sciences is mostly widely misunderstood as pertaining to whether some courses can be regarded as social science courses.
Courses like accounting, banking and finance, business management, and others related to finance fields are mostly regarded as social science courses, and in reality these courses are not social science courses.
What are truly social science courses?. A social science course is a course that deals with the study of how individuals, societies, and communities behave and their interactions with their natural and built environment.
Any courses that do not incorporate the above-mentioned definition do not justify being called social science courses. Courses related to finance, like banking and finance and business management, do not constitute being called social science courses.
Across many Nigerian universities, even extending to global universities, the list of social courses we listed here might not fall under the faculty of social science in the institution, but this does not justify that the course is not social science.
Social science courses are not numerous when compared to science courses, but there are quite a number of social science courses that can be studied for good job opportunities and to build a career. Let’s explore the list of social science courses in Nigerian universities and across the globe.
List of Social Science Courses in University
1.Economics
Economics as a course is one of the top social science courses available and is offered by most universities across the globe. It is known for its repetition in social science that the name “social science” found its way into the definition of economics.
Economics is a course that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services in a country, society, or across the globe; it also studies the interaction of economic agents and their behavior in making decisions.
“Economic agents” in economics refers to individuals, families, communities, and even international trade between countries, and that is what makes it a social science, as various behavioral traits are portrayed when commencing financial transactions.
Economics as a social science course is one of the most widely recognized finance courses to be classified as a social science course because it helps to understand the behaviors of economic agents and also brings about interactions among human beings and also the environment.
2.Psychology
Psychology is a social science course that is related to the medical science field but has found its way into social science, as it tends to incorporate the feature of learning human behavior and mental processes that came as a result of its interactions with other human beings or its immediate environment.
It’s a course that teaches how the brain and the mind interact based on various circumstances, like being exposed to situations or who might have been influenced by a particular environment scenario, and this in effect shapes its way of thinking.
Though Physiology mostly deals with exploring and dealing with how the brain and mind work. Psychology is never classified as a science field, as most of the traits that are studied by psychologists are mostly influenced by human interactions and behavior.
3.Political Science
Political science is a social science course that studies the political system, government, and political behavior across many levels of society.
Political science incorporates the features of social science, as it seems to study human behavior, structure, and processes that shape governance at the national, local, and international levels.
Political science has a strong tie to social science, as different communities and societies across the globe exhibit different kinds of behavior pertaining to politics due to interaction and the nature of their environment.
4.Sociology
Sociology is a field in social science courses that studies human society, institutions, and social relationships.
Sociology helps explain in detail how society, which includes the family, religion, education, and government, shapes behavior and how societal values are formed and shaped across generations and ages.
Sociology as a social science helps understand social issues plaguing society at large, extending and ranging from crime, poverty, and societal crises, and thus improve public policies and better welfarism.
Sociology incorporates social science philosophy as it explains how human behavior and interaction can be used to better society and improve welfarism.
5 Best Universities to Study Sociology Courses in Nigeria
126 Commercial Course Without Mathematics to Study in Nigeria
7 Cheapest University in Nigeria for 2025/2026 Academic Session
5. Criminology
Human society at large is plagued by various kinds of crimes across the local, subnational, and international levels, and this stems from behavior erected and portrayed by the individual who commits the crime.
Criminology as a course and field in social science is introduced to study the causes, effects, and prevention of crime across various levels of society.
Criminology as a field studies the causes of crime, which might include physiological, biological, and sociological factors, and how these might result in various crimes like violent crime, organized crime, and other sorts of crime.
Criminology as a field is considered a security or legal course, as some of the graduates of this certificate later get to work in a law firm or work in the police force, and they are good and experienced in tackling crime, as they are able to predict behavior that results in such crime.
6.History and International Relations
While both are separate courses, most Nigerian universities across the federation usually offer them both combined together as a course.
History and International Relations is a course of social science that helps to understand various past events that occur in society that pertain to various events, which might include cultural trends, migrations, and development.
History and International Relations helps Studies various past events that shaped the current global relation. It encompasses the study of historical events with diplomacy, international affairs, and global issues.
History and International Relations is considered a social science course due to its nature in studying human behavior in order to foster relationships among different countries.
Top 9 Universities That Accept Second Choice
7 Best Courses With High Job opportunities in Nigeria
7.Geography
Geography is a course in social science that studies the environment and human interaction with it and the effects that occur as a result of this interaction.
Geography tends to explore the behavior of human relationships with the physical environment and the resulting effects that occur.
Geography also involves the study of places, the physical properties of the earth, and how human societies are spread across it, and it involves how human cultures interact with the physical and the resulting effect that this environment has on the people.
Geography is all about behavior, and that is why it found itself in the field of social science. While some consider it a science, though various science equipment are used when carrying out studies, the end result is to ascertain the behavior and the response of the environment and people due to their interaction.
For example, a continuous building of high tower buildings in a physical environment is good for society in order to reduce the land needed for housing, but the response by the land on which the building is built might be an earthquake or landslide.
Frequently asked questions(FAQS)
1. How do I choose the right social science courses?
Choosing the right social science course should not be hard. Consider your interest, your academic background, and the financial stability, as some social science courses are expensive to pursue a career in.
2. Which subjects are included under social science courses in Nigerian universities?
Social science courses available in Nigerian universities include economics, psychology, sociology, geography, and criminology.
3. Which career can I pursue after completing a social science degree?
The career that can be pursued after competing in social science courses depends on the course you study. Among many careers in social science are financial analysts, statisticians, criminologists, physiologists, and a lot more.
Conclusion
Social science courses vary across various societies and countries, but they have a benchmark that a course is a social science course, and the benchmark is that the course must study human behavior.
Some of the courses mentioned above are sometimes listed in the faculty of arts for some of the universities, but these are fully social science courses, as they imbed the properties of social science.
