The American University of Nigeria (AUN) has received the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) approval to offer a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing Science. The Yola-based University has opened the enrollment portal for interested candidates, with the program set to commence in the January (Spring 2024) semester.

The approval of the national regulatory body, which was conveyed in a letter to the President of the University, is coming a few months after AUN received approval to introduce a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health. The NUC letter, dated November 13, 2023, was signed by the Acting Director of Academic Planning, Dr. Abubakar M. Girei, on behalf of the Acting Executive Secretary of the Commission, Professor Chris J. Maiyaki.

The B.Nsc. Nursing Science and the B.Sc. in Public Health programs are domiciled in the AUN School of Basic Medical and Allied Health Sciences, which plans to introduce more medical and health science courses in the near future. President of the American University of Nigeria, Dr. DeWayne Frazier, described the latest approvals as a confirmation of the NUC’s confidence in the quality of AUN’s teaching and learning facilities and international linkages.

President Frazier expressed gratitude that the NUC appreciates the dire need for quality healthcare facilities and the grooming of a new generation of globally employable healthcare professionals in Northeast Nigeria. President DeWayne Frazier noted that the strength of the AUN Nursing and Public Health programs is that they will offer a blend of American and Nigerian curricula and clinical experience, which will place graduates in a good position to practice in the United States, Nigeria, and other developing countries. “Launching a nursing program aims at sustainability solutions to address the healthcare challenges in Northeast Nigeria.

The new program will address the shortage of healthcare professionals, enhance maternal and child health, empower the local population, and build a sustainable healthcare system for the future. AUN will produce compassionate nurses who receive both the Nigerian and American learning systems for their education. The students will have a strong command of the English language, making them even more employable to NGOs and other actors working in the region. “The new program comes from the vision of our dear Founder, who is constantly looking for opportunities for the university to be even more relevant in the region and meet the needs of the people as a Development University”, President Frazier stated. The AUN Nursing and Public Health programs will benefit from ongoing and future medical research collaboration between Nigerian and U.S. scientists.

In October, a research team from the American University of Nigeria’s School of Basic Medical and Allied Health Sciences, the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital, Yola, and the University of Northern Iowa in the United States began an extensive study of Type 11 Diabetes Mellitus in some Local Governments in Adamawa State. Another research team, led by Dr. Jimmy Reyes of the University of Northern Iowa, will simultaneously study the same subject in Marshalltown, Ames, and Des Moines, all in the state of Iowa, with a plan to share information, identify and test culturally sensitive diabetes self-management interventions in Nigeria and the United States.