Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
Degree resolutions
Sydney Medical School resolutions and the printed handbook are the official statement of faculty policy. If a conflict is perceived between the content of the printed handbook and information available elsewhere, Sydney Medical School resolutions and the information available in the handbook online shall always take precedence.
See the Policy Online website: sydney.edu.au/policy, for copies of University policies.
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
These resolutions must be read in conjunction with applicable University By-laws, Rules and policies including (but not limited to) the University of Sydney (Coursework) Rule 2014 (the 'Coursework Rule'), the Coursework Policy 2014, the Resolutions of the Faculty, the University of Sydney (Student Appeals against Academic Decisions) Rule 2006 (as amended) and the Academic Board policies on Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism. Up to date versions of all such documents are available from the Policy Register: http://www.sydney.edu.au/policies.
Course resolutions
1 Course codes
| Code | Course title |
|---|---|
| BGMEDSUR-01 | Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery |
2 Attendance pattern
(2)
The attendance pattern for this course is normally full time for Stage 3 however this stage may be undertaken part-time with the Dean's approval.
3 Admission to candidature
(1)
Available places will be offered to qualified applicants based on merit, according to the following admission criteria.
(a)
completion of a bachelor degree comprising at least three full-time equivalent years of study from either:
(i)
an Australian university or self-accrediting higher education institution listed in the Australian Qualifications Framework;
(b)
demonstrated sustained academic performance to a standard considered satisfactory by the Dean or Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. In assessing sustained academic performance the Dean or Deputy Dean may, at his or her discretion, consider performance in the Bachelor's degree(s) and/or performance in any graduate diploma, master or doctoral degree (or equivalent);
(c)
performance in an admissions test approved by the Dean or Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medicine to a standard considered satisfactory by the Faculty;
(d)
performance in an interview to a standard considered satisfactory by the Dean or Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.
(3)
If the bachelor's degree was completed more than 10 years before 1 January of the year for which the applicant is seeking enrolment, the applicant must, in addition, have completed within this 10 year period a postgraduate degree or postgraduate diploma (or equivalent), from either:
(a)
an Australian university or self-accrediting higher education institution listed in the Australian Qualifications Framework; or
(4)
An applicant will not be admitted to candidature for the MBBS unless he or she has completed a bachelor degree prior to 1 January of the year in which the applicant intends to commence the MBBS.
(5)
The official results listed on an applicant’s transcript, and his or her admission test results, will be taken as the awarding and testing authorities’ assessment of the academic standards reached by the applicant, taking due account of illness and misadventure according to the authorities’ policies.
(6)
A person who has commenced the MBBS in a fee-paying or bonded place at the University will not be eligible for admission or transfer to a Commonwealth supported or non-bonded place in the MBBS.
(7)
The Dean may, in exceptional circumstances, admit to the MBBS an applicant who has commenced studies in medicine at another University, provided that the applicant:
(a)
has not previously applied unsuccessfully for admission to the MBBS at the University of Sydney;
(b)
would have met the requirements for admission to the MBBS that were in place at the time the applicant was admitted to his or her previous course in medicine; and
(8)
Prior to admitting an applicant to the MBBS in accordance with subclause 3(7), the Dean will consider:
(b)
whether the curriculum undertaken by the applicant in his or her previous course in medicine is comparable to the MBBS;
(9)
The Dean may, prior to admitting an applicant to the MBBS in accordance with subclause 3(7), require the applicant to undertake a barrier examination that permits entry into the relevant year.
(10)
Subject to the approval of the Academic Board, the Faculty of Medicine may establish special admission schemes for defined classes of applicant, including:
(11)
The Faculty of Medicine may establish a maximum quota for the number of applicants for admission as candidates for the MBBS within a special admission scheme.
(12)
The Faculty of Medicine will publish details of any special admission schemes approved by the Academic Board.
(13)
A committee consisting of the Dean, Deputy Deans and Head of the Medical Program may confirm or withdraw any offer of admission that is not in accordance with the resolutions relating to admissions current at the time. This committee may seek advice in reaching its decision.
4 Deferment
(1)
Deferral of enrolment following the offer of a place in the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery is permitted only in the following circumstances:
(c)
for completion of "professional years" where awarding of a bachelor's degree is dependent upon such completion only.
(2)
Deferral will only be granted one year at a time and will not be expected to last longer than two years.
5 Requirements for award
(1)
The units of study that may be taken for the course are set out in the Table of Undergraduate Units of Study for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.
(2)
To qualify for the award of the pass degree, a candidate must successfully complete 192 credit points of core units of study in the order prescribed by the faculty.
6 Progression rules
(1)
Candidates in Stage 1 must pass all units of study designated for that year before proceeding to Stage 2. Candidates in Stage 2 must pass all units of study designated for that year before proceeding to Stage 3. Failure in any single unit of study in Stages 1 or 2 will result in a failure of the year and will require the candidate to re-enrol and successfully complete the units designated for the entire year, without credit or exemption for work previously completed.
(2)
Candidates in Stage 3 who fail one unit of study, may be permitted to proceed to units designated for the subsequent year of study providing that the failed unit of study is repeated before commencement of the PrInt (pre-internship) Term. Candidates who fail more than one unit of study and/or their barrier (summative) examination will be required to repeat the whole year, without credit or exemption for work previously completed.
7 Requirements for the honours degree
(1)
Honours is available to meritorious candidates who complete an alternative set of units of study in the final year of the program. Candidates enrolled in the degree part-time are not eligible to enrol in Honours.
(2)
To qualify for admission to the honours program a candidate should, without repeating a Stage, achieve:
(3)
To qualify for the award of the honours degree a candidate must successfully complete the requirements for the degree in the minimum standard full time duration and:
(a)
complete the 12 credit point research unit of study described in the table of units for the degree with a minimum mark of 70; and
8 Honours weighted average mark (HWAM)
(1)
The HWAM in the Faculty of Medicine is calculated from the results in the 80 credit points of core units of study in Stage 3, plus the honours mark which will be given double weighting.
HWAM = |
sum(Wc x Mc) | ||
| sum(Wc) |
0.
Where Wc is the Stage 3 unit of study credit points x the Stage 3 unit weighting and Mc is the mark achieved for the Stage 3 unit. The mark used for units with a grade AF is zero.
9 Award of the degree
(1)
The Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery is awarded as either Pass or Honours. The honours degree is awarded in classes ranging from First Class to Second Class, Division Two. The class of honours is awarded on the basis of a student's HWAM as below:
|
Description |
HWAM Range |
|---|---|
|
Honours Class I |
80 >= HWAM |
|
Honours Class II (Division 1) |
75 <= HWAM < 80 |
|
Honours Class II (Division 2) |
70 <= HWAM < 75 |
|
Honours not awarded |
HWAM < 70 |
(2)
An honours candidate who obtains a mark of less than 70 in a research unit of study, or a HWAM of less than 70, will not be awarded honours and will be awarded the pass degree.
(3)
An honours candidate who fails the research unit of study will be required to undertake the elective unit of study at the end of the program as an additional unit in order to achieve the correct number of credit points required for the award of the pass degree.
10 University medal
0.
A student with an HWAM of 90 or above may be awarded a university medal. The medal is awarded at the discretion of the faculty to the highest achieving students who in the opinion of the faculty have an outstanding academic record.
11 Time Limits
(1)
Subject to sub-clause 11(2), a candidate for the MBBS must complete the requirements for the degree within five calendar years.
(2)
The Dean may, in exceptional circumstances, extend the time limit for completing the requirements for the MBBS to a maximum of 10 years.