Medicine at Sydney
At Sydney Medical School we offer two entry pathways for students to study medicine:
There are also options available for combining the study of Medicine with other postgraduate study programs:
Double degree Medicine pathway (Undergraduate entry)
Duration: approved undergraduate degree duration (through the relevant faculty) usually three years full-time plus four years full-time postgraduate medicine (through Sydney Medical School).
Sydney Medical School offers a series of alternate pathways into the field of Medicine. Students can combine an approved undergraduate degree with the four-year postgraduate Medical Program. See the Combine Medicine page for more information about the double degree medicine programs.
The following medicine and undergraduate degree options are available:
- Music Studies-Medicine
- Science (Advanced)-Medicine
- Medical Science-Medicine
- Commerce-Medicine
- Economics-Medicine.
Further information about the double degree programs is available on the web at:
http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/future-students/medical-program/combined/index.php
Postgraduate Medicine
Duration: four years full-time (through Sydney Medical School)
From 2014 the Sydney Medical Program is a postgraduate program leading to the award of a Doctor of Medicine (MD).
The primary change from the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) is the inclusion of compulsory research methods training and the requirement for the completion of a research or other major project in the MD. Curriculum, clinical training and assessment will remain broadly the same.
Central features of Sydney’s program, including the integration of clinical learning and teaching with basic sciences, population health concepts and the development of professionalism, will not be changed under the MD.
The MD meets the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) criteria for a level 9 Masters Degree (Extended).
Features of the award program include:
- an integrated learning curriculum including a research methodology component
- problem-based learning with online support
- clinical experience at leading hospitals from the second week
- a research or capstone project
- research opportunities at world-leading institutions
- encouragement to undertake international electives
- in-depth exposure to rural clinical practice.
The program is organised into four main curriculum themes which describe the important professional characteristics students will acquire by the completion of the program.
The four themes are:
- basic and clinical sciences
- patient and doctor
- population medicine
- personal and professional development.
The themes provide the framework for the goals of the program, the curriculum and assessment. The learning within the four themes necessarily overlaps and their program objectives should therefore be read as a single collective statement. Students are required to demonstrate satisfactory performance in all four themes.
Medicine and a Master by research
Duration: four years full-time (through Sydney Medical School)
Students wishing to pursue or continue an interest in research may be able to enrol in a combined Medicine/Master of Philosophy program.
This program will require students to undertake intensive periods of research, usually during the end of year break, over the four years of postgraduate Medicine study.
For further details see:
http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/future-students/medical-program/combined/index.php
Further information about the MPhil program can also be found under the Research tab and information about research at Sydney Medical at: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/research/index.php
Medicine and other postgraduate coursework programs
Some students combine their medical studies with a postgraduate coursework degree.
During your studies you are permitted to study up to a maximum of 12 credit points per semester in addition to your medical program studies.
Medical students have the opportunity to complete a Master of Public Health, a Master of International Public Health or a Master of Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology) in conjunction with their medical studies.
Further information about these courses can be found in the relevant postgraduate coursework area of study sections in this handbook, or on our website at:
For further details see:
http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/future-students/medical-program/combined/index.php