Getting a course you want listed at your dream university doesn’t happen overnight; it takes a formal, often lengthy approval process from Nigeria’s National Universities Commission (NUC).
One of the biggest wins in Lagos State University’s academic history came when the NUC approved a full batch of 20 new programmes for the institution, spanning both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
This article breaks down exactly what was approved, why it mattered, and what prospective students need to know if they’re considering one of these courses today.
Contents
What Exactly Happened?
In July 2023, the National Universities Commission formally approved 20 new academic programmes for Lagos State University, covering the 2023/2024 academic session and beyond.
The approval came through an official letter dated July 17, following a resource verification exercise the NUC’s expert panel had conducted at LASU earlier that April.
What made this approval stand out was that every one of the 20 programmes LASU submitted for review was approved, a 100% success rate that university officials described as unprecedented in the institution’s history.
Where the New Programmes Are Domiciled
The 20 approved programmes weren’t scattered randomly across the university.
They were concentrated within four newly established academic units:
- Faculty of Pharmacy
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences
- School of Library, Archival and Information Science
Creating these dedicated faculties and schools gave LASU the structural foundation to house specialised programmes that previously either didn’t exist at the university or were run informally within broader departments.
The Full List of Approved Programmes
Here’s the complete breakdown, grouped by level of study.
Undergraduate programmes approved:
- B.Sc. Architecture
- B.Sc. Building
- B.Sc. Estate Management
- B.Sc. Environmental Management
- B.Sc. Industrial Design
- B.Sc. Survey and Geo-Informatics
- B.Sc. Quantity Surveying
- B.Sc. Urban and Regional Planning
- B.A. Fine Arts
- B.LIS. Library and Information Science
- B.Ed. Special Education
- B.Eng. Industrial Engineering & Production
- B.Radiography and Radiation Science
- BMLS. Medical Laboratory Science
- B.A. Linguistics
- B.Eng. Civil Engineering
- B.Sc. Science Laboratory Technology
- B.Sc. Taxation
Postgraduate programmes approved:
- Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D)
- Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT)
That’s 18 undergraduate courses and 2 postgraduate courses, making a full batch of 20.
Why This Approval Mattered
For a Nigerian public university, getting an entire slate of new programmes approved in one sitting is a significant institutional milestone, for a few reasons:
It broadened LASU’s academic footprint. Programmes like Civil Engineering, Architecture, Estate Management, and Quantity Surveying gave the university a much stronger presence in the built environment and engineering space areas that were previously underrepresented in LASU’s course offerings compared to some of its peer institutions.
It opened doors in health sciences.
The introduction of Medical Laboratory Science, Radiography and Radiation Science, and postgraduate Doctor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Physiotherapy programmes positioned LASU to train more allied health professionals, a field with consistently high demand in Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
It reflected positively on institutional standards.
NUC approval isn’t automatic.
It follows a resource verification process where a panel of experts physically assesses whether a university has the staffing, infrastructure, and academic materials needed to run each proposed course responsibly.
A 100% approval rate on a batch this size signalled that LASU had made substantial investments in preparing for these programmes before ever submitting them for review.
It expanded options for prospective students.
Before this approval, students interested in courses like Urban and Regional Planning, Industrial Design, or Special Education either had to look elsewhere or settle for a related but less specific programme.
The new list gave them a direct path within LASU itself.
What This Means for You as a Prospective Student
If you’re currently considering LASU for any of these programmes, here’s what’s practically useful to know:
- These are full, NUC-recognized degree programmes, not pilot courses or temporary offerings. A degree earned in any of them carries the same national accreditation weight as LASU’s older, more established courses.
- Admission requirements follow LASU’s standard JAMB/UTME and Post-UTME processes for undergraduate entry, alongside any subject-specific O’Level requirements relevant to the course (for example, Physics and Mathematics credits are typically expected for Civil Engineering or Architecture applicants).
- Postgraduate programmes like Pharm.D and DPT generally require a relevant first degree. They will have their own specific entry criteria set by the respective faculties, so applicants should confirm current requirements directly with LASU’s postgraduate school.
More Recent NUC Approvals at LASU
This 2023 batch wasn’t a one-off event; LASU has continued to expand its programme offerings with further NUC approvals in subsequent years.
In July 2025, the university secured approval for two new education-focused undergraduate programmes: B.A. (Ed.) Music Education and B.A. (Ed.) Social Studies and Civic Education.
Later, in November 2025, the NUC approved four additional full-time undergraduate programmes within LASU’s Faculty of Computing and Information Technology, including Cyber Security, Software Engineering, and Data Science, among others.
By August 2026, LASU’s leadership had also referenced a broader set of 17 newly approved academic programmes spanning technology and education fields as part of the university’s ongoing expansion.
If you’re researching current course availability at LASU, it’s worth checking the university’s official news page for the most up-to-date list, since new approvals have continued to roll in well beyond the original 2023 batch.
How to Confirm a Programme Is Still Active
Because course offerings can be refined or restructured over time, prospective students should always verify current availability before applying.
The most reliable way is to check LASU’s official website (lasu.edu.ng) under its academic programmes or faculties section, or contact the relevant faculty office directly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Does NUC approval mean a programme is automatically fully accredited forever?
Not permanently. NUC approval confirms that a university has met the resource and staffing requirements to commence a programme.
However, universities typically still undergo periodic accreditation reviews to maintain and renew that recognition.
This depends on LASU’s internal change-of-course policies, which vary by faculty and how closely related your current programme is to the one you want to switch into.
You would need to apply directly through the relevant faculty’s academic office rather than assuming an automatic transfer.
3. Are these 20 programmes only available to new UTME applicants, or can Direct Entry candidates apply too?
Most undergraduate programmes on this list are open to both UTME and Direct Entry applicants, provided the Direct Entry candidate holds a qualifying certificate (such as an OND, HND, NCE, or A-Level result) relevant to the specific course.
4. Why were these specific four faculties and schools chosen for the new programmes?
The four units Pharmacy, Allied Health Sciences, Environmental Sciences, and Library, Archival and Information Science were newly established or restructured to formally house programmes that either didn’t have a dedicated academic home before or needed a more specialised structure to meet NUC’s resource requirements.
5. Is B.Sc. Taxation different from Accounting at LASU?
Yes. While both fall under related academic territory, Taxation as a stand alone programme focuses specifically on tax law, policy, and administration, distinguishing it from the broader scope of a general Accounting degree.
Not necessarily; they typically expand academic pathways rather than replace prior programmes.
Applicants should confirm with the relevant faculty whether older related degrees are still being run alongside the newer ones.
7. How can I find out if new programmes have been added to LASU’s list since this 2023 approval?
Since LASU has continued to receive fresh NUC approvals in recent years, including in computing and education, the most dependable approach is to check LASU’s official news page or contact the university’s Centre for Information and Public Relations directly for the latest confirmed list.
Final Thoughts
The NUC’s approval of 20 new programmes at LASU marked a genuine turning point for the university’s academic range, particularly in engineering, environmental sciences, allied health, and library and information science.
For prospective students, it means more specific, career-aligned course options within a single institution rather than needing to look elsewhere.
Since LASU has continued adding to its list of NUC-approved programmes since this milestone, always confirm the latest course offerings directly with the university before finalising your application choices.
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