The National Universities Commission (NUC) has upgraded some medical-related university programmes including Pharmacy, Optometry and Physiotherapy from bachelor to doctoral status.
Consequently, the duration of the affected programmes has been extended from five to six years to accommodate additional courses and clinical training.
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The Commission explained on Wednesday that the decision was driven by the need to incorporate more clinical and practical sessions, improve foundational course coverage, enhance clinical skills, and address all speciality areas comprehensively.
It added that the development is expected to boost the quality of medical education and research in the country, noting that the upgrade aligns with global best practices for training professionals in these fields.
A statement from the Commission read: “Below is the list of the programmes upgraded from Bachelors Degree to Doctor Status Bachelors Degree with clinical sessions), which are found in NUC’s Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) and Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS): Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D), Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT), Optometry (O.D., Doctor of Optometry).
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“The general public and all stakeholders are hereby informed that the Doctor of Medical Laboratory Science (DMLS) programme does not exist in the NUC’s BMAS or CCMAS and thus has not been captured as an upgraded programme. Consequently, MLSD is not an approved programme in the offerings of any Nigerian university.”
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