The National Universities Commission (NUC) has asked the general public to disregard the Doctor of Medical Laboratory Science (DMLS) programme at any university in the country, saying it is not approved.
The commission disclosed this in a statement yesterday signed by its acting director of public affairs, Mrs Franca Elochi Chukwuonwo.
It said DMLS is not contained in the commission’s Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) or Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS).
The statement revealed that the commission had upgraded some medical-related programmes in Nigerian universities from Bachelor’s degrees to doctoral status.
It said the upgrade’s 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.
The commission also noted that the upgrade aligns with global best practices for training professionals in these fields.
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.
The statement, titled ‘Clarification on Nomenclature Change and Upgraded Programmes from Bachelor’s Degree to Doctor Status in Nigerian Universities,’ reads in full: “The National Universities Commission, cognizant of the need to keep abreast with global perspectives on programmes and course delivery in the university education space, had carried out some nomenclature change and upgraded Programmes from Bachelor’s Degree to Doctor (Bachelor’s Degree with clinical sessions) status in Nigerian Universities.
“This quest to upgrade the status of some medical-related programmes from Bachelor’s Degree to Doctor (Bachelor’s Degree with clinical sessions) was borne out of the desire to incorporate more clinical/ practical sessions, provide sufficient coverage of foundation courses, improve on clinical skills and cover all speciality areas.
“The trend also seeks to align with global best practices applicable to the training of professionals in these medical-related programmes. Furthermore, the certificates obtained from the Nigerian University System can be at par with those obtained in similar programmes from other climes.
“This will ensure the requisite harmonisation, mutuality and global competitiveness of Nigerian graduates in terms of certificates evaluation, employability and further studies in the relevant disciplines.”