The National Universities Commission (NUC) has announced that certain medical-related courses in Nigerian universities have been upgraded from bachelor’s degrees to doctoral programmes.
This change affects degrees in Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, and Optometry, now offering Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D), Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT), and Doctor of Optometry.
The decision aims to improve the clinical experience of students by adding more practical sessions and foundational courses.
READ ALSO: Tinubu gets a Federal Polytechnic in Abuja
This will allow students to gain better clinical skills and cover all specialty areas comprehensively.
The programmes have also been extended from five years to six to accommodate the new curriculum.
NUC emphasized that this move aligns with international standards for medical training, ensuring Nigerian degrees are competitive globally in terms of employability and further studies.
However, the Doctor of Medical Laboratory Science (DMLS) programme has not been approved for upgrading and remains unavailable in Nigerian universities.
