The Faculty of Multidisciplinary Studies was established in 2022 from the defunct Institute of Peace, Security and Governance and Centre for Gender and Development Studies. The Pioneer Dean of the Faculty is Professor Isaac Abiodun Ajayi, a Professor of Educational Management.

The Faculty consists of three major Departments viz Peace and Security Studies which has Four Programmes under it.  These programmes are Peace and Conflict Studies, Intelligence and Security Studies, International Relations and Public Administration.  Other Departments in the Faculty are Mass Communication and Department of Gender and Development Studies.

PROGRAMMES IN THE DEPARTMENT 

1. B.Sc. Peace and Conflict Studies

 PHILOSOPHY, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

In consonance with the University’s vision of making education accessible, affordable and flexible, the B.Sc. Peace and Conflict Studies programme is designed to equip prospective students with knowledge and skills; provide an understanding of the major theories, theme and practices of Peace and Conflict Studies; equip students with a practical understanding of the contemporary issues in Peace and Conflict Studies globally; challenge the students into innovating peace initiatives even in emergencies; become responsive citizens and promoters of the culture of peace; and have knowledge of human security, and its relation to stability, security, and development at national, sub-regional and international levels.

Aims

The B.Sc. Peace and Conflict Studies Programme aims at equipping the undergraduate students with a broad- based knowledge in the major theories, concept and themes of Peace and Conflicts, causes of conflicts, stages of conflicts, conflicts analysis, conflict mapping, early warning mechanism, arms control, methods and processes of peace making and conflict resolution. To instill in students a sound knowledge of Peace and Conflict Studies, an appreciation of its applications in different socio-cultural contexts and to involve the students in an intellectually stimulating and satisfying experiences of learning and studying.

 Objectives:

The B.Sc. Peace and Conflict Studies Programme is meant to give students a broad-based knowledge of peace and conflict resolution. Specifically, upon successful completion of the programme, graduates should be able to:

• analyse the basic concepts, theories, themes and issues in peace studies and conflict resolutions;
• acquire specific context of the sources, causes and processes of conflicts;
• acquire basic understanding of various approaches to conflict mapping and conflict analysis;
• identify various methods of conflict management and acquire necessary skills for application in practical situations ;
• demonstrate basic understanding and competent skills in evaluating and interpreting conflict situations.

2. B.Sc. Public Administration

PHILOSOPHY

The philosophy of Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration derives from the general philosophy of the University—to achieve high quality education. The specific philosophy of the Programme underscores the mission and vision of the university. The Programme aims to contribute its own quota towards positioning the university as a Centre of Excellence, and a World Class university with the training and production of graduates that are well equipped with knowledge and skills necessary to enable them become useful in all sectors of the economy. It also aims at producing graduates who are beneficial to themselves in terms of ability and capacity to create entrepreneurship sprit and employment-generating opportunities. In addition, the programme will inculcate into its students the intellectual capacity to engage in cutting-edge researches for the advancement of human development. To achieve these aims, it provides high standard educational programmes through high quality teaching, seminars, tests, examinations and research projects that cut across the spectrum of the administration and the Social Sciences towards molding graduates into articulate, useful and skilled professionals.

Aims/Objectives

The objectives/goals of the programme are to:

1. produce articulate and well-focused graduates in the various spheres of Public Administration.
2. equip students with in-depth knowledge and skills in both Public Administration and institutional governance for understanding, analyzing and solving problems involving social and administrative at organizational, local, state, national and international levels.
3. train students who will take up careers in the fields of Public Administration, International Relations and Diplomacy, Business Administration, International Law, International Organizations, Public Analysis and Local Government Administration, among others.
4. train students who will be innovative, creative and be able to administer their own private activities and businesses as entrepreneurs at graduation.
5. expose students to mainstream administrative principles, thoughts, interpretations, concepts, analysis and methodology in the discipline.
6. produce graduates who are highly instilled with competence and skills to make their contributions to the sustainable development of Nigeria, Africa and the world communities as a whole.

The vision and mission of the programme therefore, are cumulatively to facilitate the training and development of students admitted into the Department so that they can acquire the right type of values and attitude as well as skills that would make them to be useful to themselves and their societies at large after graduation.

 RATIONALE/JUSTIFICATION

1. Fit with university philosophy and mission: the bachelors programme is designed to contribute to the realization of the mission of the institutional which is to achieve high quality education that is relevant to society’s development needs.
2. Relevance to national needs: The acquisition of requisite managerial skills needed to ensure an efficient public sector, as well as the development of intellectual capital capable of ensuring effective education on Nigeria’s growing education sector are high in the priority list of the National Manpower Board. The bachelor’s degree in Public Administration will help in achieving these priorities by contributing to the training of field personnel in the public service and in the production of graduates that are well equipped with knowledge and skills necessary to enable them become useful in all sectors of the economy. It also aims at producing graduates who are beneficial to themselves in terms of ability and capacity to create entrepreneurship sprit and employment-generating opportunities. In addition, the programme will inculcate into its students the intellectual capacity to engage in cutting-edge researches for the advancement of human development. To achieve these aims, it provides high standard educational programmes through high quality teaching, seminars, tests, examinations and research projects that cut across the spectrum of the administration and the Social Sciences towards moulding graduates into articulate, useful and skilled professionals.

3. B.Sc.  Programme in Intelligence And Security Studies

Philosophy of the Programme:

The philosophy of Intelligence and Security Studies as a programme derives from the general philosophy of the University which is to achieve high quality education. The specific philosophy of the programme, which underscores its mission and vision, is to contribute its own quota to the positioning of the university as a Centre of Excellence and a World Class university with the training and production of graduates that are well equipped with knowledge and skills that would enable them to be useful in all sectors. To achieve this, the programme aims at providing adequate theoretical and problem –solving academic orientations in Intelligence gathering and handling techniques, during the course of study and practical training. The academic study is aimed at the analyses of defence policies and strategies, and peace support operations across the country and globally. The overall purpose is to evolve a stable polity around the world.

Mission

Specifically, the mission of the Programme includes to:

1. imbue our graduates with sound and relevant knowledge of Intelligence and Security studies that would prepare them to appraise and understand the challenges of a developing nation like Nigeria and to contribute effectively to its overall development.
2. Instilling in our graduates the ability to apply basic knowledge of the programme in intellectually stimulating and satisfying experience of learning that could lead to the acquiring of the skills and principles in the various spheres of the Social Sciences and their applications in solving national and international problems.
3. providing the opportunity for students to develop a critical outlook on questions relating to the theory and practice of issues concerning Intelligence and Security even at the level of international society as well as develop strategic political and economic related matters on such issues.
4. employing both its multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary in subject and approach so as to develop in our graduates useful competencies in public, private, global or self-employment, and
5. Equipping our graduates with the skills required for further studies in any desired area of specialization in Intelligence and Security and cognate disciplines.

Objectives

Arising from the above fundamental philosophy, and in consonance with our philosophy and mission, the basic objectives/goals of the Programme are to:

1. instill in students adequate knowledge of Intelligence and Security Studies in both theoretical and practical terms with a view to making them researched-based agents of social transformation within the context of contemporary international best practices for Intelligence and Security analysis.
2. Providing the students with a broad and well balanced theories and methods in Intelligence and Security Studies in different socio-cultural contexts and political setting.
3. inculcating in students the basic skills and ability required for proactively managing conflict at interpersonal, inter-group and international levels.
4. providing the students with basic knowledge and skills in Intelligence and Security Studies required to proceed to further studies in Intelligence and Security Studies and other related areas in social sciences and humanities.
5. instilling in students an appreciation of the importance of Intelligence gathering and handling in contemporary national and global affairs.

The vision and mission of the Programme, therefore, are geared towards facilitating the training and development of students admitted so that they can acquire the right type of values and attitude as well as skills that would make them useful to themselves and their societies at large after graduation.

4. B.Sc. International Relations

Mission

To provide a high quality educational experience shaped by outstanding teaching and research that benefit cultures, societies   and economies.

Philosophy

The philosophy of International Relations as a programme derives from the general philosophy of the University, which is to achieve high quality education.  The specific philosophy of the programme, which underscores its mission and vision, is to contribute its own quota to the positioning of the University as a Centre of Excellence and a World Class University with the training and production of graduates that are well equipped with knowledge and skills that would enable them to be useful in all sectors.  To achieve this, the programme aims at providing a sustained and in-depth academic study and analyses of world politics, international economic relations and other aspects of the complex exchanges and intercourse between states and peoples, at the vertical and horizontal levels, with the fundamental aim of fostering peace and understanding across nations and cultures, through the prevention or minimization of the factors that propel nations towards war.

The capacity to make war was, until the contemporary era, the basic and ultimate defining characteristics of the state as an actor in the world politics.  Regretably, devastating wars have been caused by suspicious between sovereigns arising from poor understanding of world affairs.  This palpable ignorance of the world in its totality was demonstrated by the plenipotentiaries who caused both the First and Second World Wars, and which caused humanity so much destruction in modern times, there is need to study the cause of war, how wars could be avoided as much as  possible in the increasingly complex contemporary international system, especially among the nuclear great powers, to preserve human civilization.  To do that, we need a corps of experts with specialized competence in all facets of international relations to man the various diplomatic missions and advise modern governments on the complex political, diplomatic, economic, social-cultural and technical relations which have become too complicated to be left to political office holders, decision-makers and governments alone.

Nigeria, an independent and sovereign state, and a major player on the continental and global stages, can only be relevant and effective in the complex and inter-dependent world when its foreign policy and external relations are guided by individuals with expert   knowledge of world politics, which only the discipline of international relations provides.  It is against this background that the study of International Relations at Ekiti State University evolved, so that scholars, through the training of high-level manpower and research output, can make informed and effective contribution to the conceptualization, formulation and implementation of Nigeria’s foreign policy and the overall conduct of its external relations.

Arising from the institution’s philosophy, and in consonance with our philosophy and mission, the basic objectives/goals of the Programme are to:

1. Produce articulate and well-focused graduates in the various spheres of International Relations.
2. Equip students with inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary in-depth knowledge and skills in for understanding, analyzing and solving problems involving social and political issues at organizational, local, state, national and international levels.
3. Train students who will take up careers in the fields of international relations and diplomacy, public administration, business administration, international law, international organizations, public analysis and local government administration, among others;
4. Train students who will be innovative, creative and be able to administer their own private activities and businesses as entrepreneurs at graduation;
5. Expose students to the mainstream of international political thought, interpretations, concepts, analysis and methodology in the discipline; and
6. Produce graduates who are instilled with competence and skills to make their contributions to the sustainable development of Nigeria, Africa and the world communities as a whole.

The vision and mission of the Programme, therefore, are cumulatively to facilitate the training and development of students admitted into so that they can acquire the right type of values  and attitudes as well as skills that would make them to be useful to themselves and their societies at large after graduation.

RATIONALE/JUSTIFICATION

Fit with the University Philosophy and Mission: To achieve high quality education that is relevant to society’s development needs.

Relevance to national needs: In an increasingly complex and interconnected global village, nuanced understanding of the workings of the international system, as well as a technical exposure to the strategies for harnessing its opportunities for national interest are important to national development.  International relation is therefore an important field of study that bears great relevance to national development.  Besides preparing students for a diplomatic career paths, it also provides the foundation for a research career in related disciplines, particularly to ensuring effective teaching of International Relations in the academia.