The American University of Nigeria (AUN) has received the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) approval to introduce a B.Sc. in Public Health under the newly established School of Basic Medical Sciences.

AUNs Executive Director, Communications, Mr. Daniel Okereke made to known in a press statement made available to this platform on Thursday.

According to the statement, the NUC also approved AUN to offer B.Eng. in Civil Engineering. It added that the new programs will begin in the fall 2023 session, which opens in August.

The NUC approvals were conveyed in a letter to the President of the University dated July 26, 2023, and signed by Abubakar M. Girei on behalf of the Executive Secretary of the Commission.

President of the American University of Nigeria, Dr. DeWayne Frazier, described the latest approvals as a confirmation of the NUC’s trust in the quality of AUN’s teaching and learning facilities and international linkages.

“First and foremost, I would like to say thank you to one of our most important partners, the National University Commission (NUC). The NUC moved quite expeditiously to assist us in launching this important program as they understand the dire need for quality healthcare, especially in the Northeast Zone of Nigeria. These new public health and civil engineering programs aim to improve the quality of life for the people of the region and educate the next generation of healthcare professionals and engineers to impact the country.

“As you would expect from AUN, the programs we are introducing from August will not only be Nigerian in curriculum but also uniquely American. The university will be partnering with numerous top level American universities with these programs to leverage the best of both countries”, said Dr. Frazier.

The AUN Public Health program grew from a rich history of institutional collaborations in healthcare and livelihood support in the northeast region. As a Development University, The American University of Nigeria’s commitment to humanitarian and development initiatives addressing health emergencies, improved health, and community well-being

Since 2018, the AUN School of Law has hosted the United Nations Development Program (UNDP’s) Gender-based Violence in Emergencies (GBViE) course for healthcare professionals, which recently graduated participants from the 8th cohort. In the area of public health, AUN has partnered with state, national and international partners to address health issues including reproductive maternal neonatal child health (RMNCH), dental and nutritional health issues, impacts of conflict on health.

While AUN and UNICEF are partnering to offer a Master’s degree course in Communication for Behavior Change in the Department of Communication and Multimedia Design (CMD), the AUN-Atiku Center for Leadership and Development has implemented numerous education, reproductive health and livelihood support interventions for USAID, GIZ and DFID.

AUN Provost/Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academics, Professor Attahir Yusuf, welcomed the latest NUC approvals.

“The Public Health program is housed in our brand-new School of Basic Medical Sciences. It is supported by an up-to-date infrastructure, operated by both expatriate and home faculty members. The plan is to introduce allied programs such as Nursing Sciences by the beginning of the Spring Semester in January, and by Fall next year introduce Laboratory Technology, Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology and Biotechnology. We have partnerships and collaboration with international organizations and Universities in Europe and the United States to ensure we provide our students with the opportunity for overseas learning and to build their capacity to the highest international Standard”.

The AUN Civil Engineering program will be offered with a Water Resources and Environmental management specialization. The AUN School of Engineering presently offers Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Telecommunication Engineering. During the 2023 spring semester, Electrical/Electronics and Computer Engineering programs introduced brand-new innovative Artificial Intelligence, Renewable Energy, and Robotics courses.