The National Universities Commission (NUC) has upgraded several medical-related programmes in Nigerian universities from bachelor’s degree to doctoral status.
This was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday by NUC’s Acting Director of Public Affairs, Franca Chukwuonwo. The commission explained that the decision was aimed at incorporating more clinical and practical sessions, improving foundational course coverage, enhancing clinical skills, and addressing all specialty areas comprehensively.
According to the NUC, the upgrade aligns with global best practices for training professionals in these fields. As part of the changes, the duration of the affected programmes has been extended from five to six years to accommodate additional courses and clinical training.
The statement further listed the upgraded programmes as Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D), Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT), and Doctor of Optometry (O.D), as outlined in the NUC’s Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) and Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS).
