The National Universities Commission (NUC) has announced the upgrade of certain medical programs in Nigerian universities from bachelor’s degrees to doctoral level. This update was shared in a statement by Mrs. Franca Chukwuonwo, the commission’s Acting Director of Public Affairs. Chukwuonwo explained that the change aims to include more clinical and practical training, improve foundational coursework, enhance clinical skills, and ensure comprehensive coverage of all specialty areas.
She emphasized that the upgrade of certain medical programs aligns with global best practices for training professionals. The initiative to elevate these programs from bachelor’s to doctoral level focuses on integrating more clinical and practical sessions, improving foundational coursework, enhancing clinical skills, and covering all specialty areas comprehensively. This move also aims to ensure that certificates from the Nigerian University System are comparable to those from similar programs internationally.
Additionally, it seeks to enhance the competitiveness and employability of Nigerian graduates and facilitate their further studies. The upgraded programs include Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D), Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT), and Doctor of Optometry.
She also mentioned that the duration of the upgraded programs has been extended from five to six years to accommodate the additional courses and clinical components in the curriculum. Furthermore, she clarified that the Doctor of Medical Laboratory Science (DMLS) program is not recognized by the NUC’s BMAS or CCMAS, and therefore, it has not been approved at any university in Nigeria.