The Management Committe of the National Universities Commission (NUC) has issued requiste approvals in a bid to resolve the PH.D/ Fellowhip Controversy.

 

In a memo dated 26th July 2016 and directed to the registrar of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), the managment committee of the NUC issue the following apporvals:

 

1. Lecturers in the Clinical aspects of Medical education who have attained the Professorial rank do not require the Ph.D degree for their activities in the Universities. 

 

2. Only Clinical teachers who by 30 September, 2016, have completed the Fellowship Part II Programme. would be exempted from the requirement of the possession of Ph.D degree for careermedicalworldnigeria.com progression in the Universities. 

 

3. Medical and Dental doctors who have passed the Part 1 Fellowship Examinations can register for the Ph.D degree without the necessity of possessing the M.Sc degree. 

 

4. The Fellowship programme would subsequently have an integrated Ph.D programme, such that only candidates who are registered in a Residency programme recognized by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, would be admissible into the Ph.D programme in the Clinical discipline in a University. 

 

Also, the Postgraduate programme arrangement for Clinical Medical education will be applicable to equivalent Postgraduate Medical Colleges offering specialist training. 

 

5. Candidates registering for the Ph.D degree while on the Fellowship programme are expected to choose research topics that are acceptable to both the Postgraduate College and the University. 

 

6. Consequently, in view of the fact that holders of the Ph.D degree in the Clinical areas are extremely few in Nigeria at the moment, supervision of the Fellowship/Ph.D degree shall be by those in the Professorial Cadre in the cognate disciplines for the next ten (10) years. By the year 2026, only those with the Ph.D degree will join the Professors in the supervision of the Ph.D programmes in the Clinical specialisation. 

 

7. The Curricula of the NPMCN in the 15 specialty areas will undergo the due process of NUC on Curriculum development.