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Ubaka et al
Table 2. Admission Requirements for Schools of Pharmacy at the University of Nigeria and The Ohio State University.
Index
Admission
Admission requirements

Professional degree required
to practice pharmacy
Duration of education
Language of instruction
Method of teaching
Licensure

University of Nigeria

The Ohio State University

Minimum of 5 credits in Secondary School
Examinations
Competitive score on JAMB Exam
Competitive score on UNN-Post JAMB exam
Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm)

Bachelor's Degree and/or completion of
prerequisite coursework
Competitive score on PCAT exam

5 years
4 years (as DE)
English
Didactic, laboratory, experiential
One year required internship
One year required National Youth Service
Corps

8 years

Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)

English
Didactic, laboratory, experiential
Successful completion of NAPLEX and MPJE
exams

Note. JAMB = Joint Admission and Matriculation Board; UNN = University of Nigeria, Nsukka; DE = direct entry; NAPLEX = North American Pharmacist
Licensure Examination; MPJE = Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination; PCAT= Pharmacy College Admission Test.

Bello University started the formal training of pharmacists in
1968, and since then nearly 30 pharmacy schools are operational with 17 of them fully accredited and others are at some
stage of obtaining full accreditation. The curriculum has
largely been the same for a student to obtain the Bachelors of
Pharmacy in Nigeria.
The legal inclusion of the Doctor of Pharmacy degree into
the training and practice of pharmacy in Nigeria has been
met with severe opposition both from nonclinical pharmacybased pharmacists and the allied health professions. A common ground for disagreement in the training of pharmacists
in Nigeria has been on whether to follow a clinical-oriented
or an industrial/research-oriented training model. No one
wants either training model separated and existing as a selfentity. However, in July 2016, the National Universities
Commission made an announcement of the legal backing of
the Doctor of Pharmacy in Nigerian schools of pharmacy.
That news was greeted with excitement but also with many
questions on how prepared the schools of pharmacy are to
switch to this new program.
Pharmacy education at the University of Nigeria (like
other schools of pharmacy in Nigeria) commences with a
prospective candidates' successful completion of 3 entry
examinations after the secondary school (an equivalent of
high school in the United States). The average scores from
the second and third (Joint Admission and Matriculation
Board, [JAMB] and University) examinations form the basis
for consideration for admission to study pharmacy at the
University of Nigeria. With an estimated average of 3000
applicants qualifying to write the University entrance examination, only about 200 are admitted.
Another means of admission to study pharmacy is
through the "Direct Entry Examination" which is also regulated by JAMB but administered through individual schools
of pharmacy. Candidate would have possessed a related
science-based university or technical degree to qualify for

selection. An examination is written and only a maximum of
20 successful candidates are selected. This method of admission is less competitive (due to smaller numbers of competing candidates) and eventual accepted candidates are only
about 5% to 10% of all candidates annually. For both methods of admissions, no face-to-face interviews or proposals
are requested. Table 2 compares the admission requirements
for OSU and University of Nigeria. A notable difference in
the programs is Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences
(IPPE) is not introduced in Nigeria's curriculum until year 3
of pharmacy school.
At the University of Nigeria, the professional pharmacy
degree currently is the Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) and
it is completed in 5 years (4 years for direct entry students).
At the commencement of the program, pharmacy students
take classes with students studying medicine, nursing, or
physiotherapy, where they are taught advanced foundation
courses. These courses include chemistry, biology, physics,
and social sciences. This is the only point where interprofessional education is seen.
In the second year of study, students are required to take
supportive classes (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and
statistics) and are combined with introductory pharmacy
courses such as dispensing and pharmacognosy. It is in this
study year that students begin to take courses at the school of
pharmacy.
From the third until the final year of study, "professional"
pharmacy courses range from subjects in the fields of pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacognosy, pharmaceutics, pharmacology, pharmaceutical technology, and clinical pharmacy.
In the final year at the University of Nigeria, the clinical
pharmacy course incorporates a 12-week clinical clerkship
program. Students make hospital rounds with pharmacist
preceptors at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital
and the Bishop Shanahan Hospital, a rural missionary
hospital.

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