By Ayomide Otitoju
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has announced the upgrade of select medical-related programmes in Nigerian universities from Bachelor’s degree to doctoral status.
This development was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday by the Acting Director of Public Affairs, Franca Chukwuonwo, who highlighted the rationale behind the decision. According to her, the upgrade was necessitated by the need to integrate more clinical and practical sessions, enhance foundational course coverage, improve clinical skills, and comprehensively address all specialty areas.
The commission explained that the reform aligns with global best practices for training healthcare professionals, ensuring they meet the highest standards of expertise and competence in their respective fields.
As part of the changes, the duration of the affected programmes has been extended from five to six years. This extension accommodates the introduction of additional courses and clinical training necessary for the enhanced curriculum.
The upgraded programmes, now incorporated into the NUC’s Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) and Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS), include the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT), and Doctor of Optometry (OD).
The NUC emphasized that this move is part of its broader commitment to advancing higher education in Nigeria and producing world-class professionals capable of addressing local and global healthcare challenges.
