The National Universities Commission (NUC) has upgraded some 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.

She said the decision was driven by the need to incorporate more clinical and practical sessions, improve foundational course coverage, enhance clinical skills, and address all specialty areas comprehensively.

The commission stated that the upgrade aligns with global best practices for training professionals in these fields.

The statement further noted that, 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.

According to the statement, 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) are Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D), Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT) and Optometry (O.D Doctor of Optometry). (Channels TV)