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 - 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-Medicine
- Science (Advanced)-Medicine
- Medical Science-Medicine
- Commerce-Medicine
- Economics-Medicine.
Further information about the double degree programs is available on the Combined Medicine page.
Graduate Medicine
Duration: four years full-time (through Sydney Medical School)
Sydney Medical School is proposing to change from awarding MBBS to MD or Doctor of Medicine. The change to MD has not yet been finalised - it requires approval from the University of Sydney Academic Board and from the Australian Medical Council. However, it is likely that students coming into the program in 2014 will undertake the MD although if there are delays, it may be that the new program will commence in 2015.
If there is a delay with the approval process, students who commence their studies in 2014, will enrol in the MBBS but will graduate with the MD. Students who are already enrolled (in 2013 and previously) in the SMP will continue to graduate with an MBBS.
The primary change between the MD and MBBS programs will be the inclusion of compulsory research methods training and the completion of a research or other major project. 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.
Information about the change will be posted on the website as soon as it is available.
The MD will meet the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) criteria for a level 9 Masters Degree (Extended).
Features of the award program include:
- an integrated learning curriculum
- 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 practices.
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 graduate-entry Medicine study.
For more details see the Combined Medicine page.
Find out about our research on our Research at Sydney Medical page.
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.
For more details see the Combined Medicine page.