Specialist postgraduate courses for doctors

Carefully curated to meet the career needs of doctors working towards a medical specialty, our courses do more than just train you to be a clinician. Our specialist courses give you the skills to be a good researcher, educator, leader, and communicator. They are the perfect fit for ongoing learning and provide practical education that you can apply at the bedside.

These programs are vocationally oriented and provide education and training of great depth and breadth, not only in discipline-specific areas but also in research methods, communication and teaching methods.

How to fund your specialist postgraduate medical education

The course you have chosen and your citizenship and residency status influence your tuition fees, student contribution and the loan schemes available to you. You do not have to pay for your entire course upfront, students are charged per unit of study and invoiced each semester. 

Once you have submitted your enrolment selections you will recevie a statement of your fees. These charges include:

• tuition fees for the semester
• Student Services and Amenities (SSA) fee: Most University of Sydney coursework students are liable for this fee which was introduced by the Australian Government to fund university services and support programs. The SSA fee will be charged on 12 May for Semester 1, and 12 October for Semester 2 and will appear on your Student Financial Statement after these dates.

Find out more about funding your postgraduate education including government loan schemes to cover fees, tax benefits as well as obtaining credit for prior learning.

How will a specialist postgraduate degree benefit my career?

Our courses will help you to:

• establish a network of contacts with senior clinicians and peers
• learn essential non-technical skills such as critical thinking and communication and research skills
• gain practical education that you can apply directly to your patient-care
• obtain insights from clinical and academic leaders in your chosen fields
• acquire additional skills such as expertise in clinical communication and teaching
• develop research skills and experience, such as trial design and grant application writing
• prepare for college exams.

How will I study?

Our specialist postgraduate courses are highly flexible and have been designed with working professionals in mind. Most are delivered online, with some face-to-face teaching in intensive one- or two-day sessions, block mode, or seminars outside business hours.

You can choose your study load based on your work load and increase or decrease at any time throughout your degree. The modules are available online at any time - so you can watch them or listen via podcast in your own time and come back to them as required.

Are these courses accredited?

Many of our courses and units of study are endorsed by the relevant professional colleges to assist candidates to meet their vocational training requirements, and some can be credited towards college training requirements. Several units of study are also aimed at preparing candidates for college examinations.

Other study options

You can complete single units of study as a non-degree (non-award) student. To do this, you need to meet the entry requirements of the degree in which the unit sits and apply through Sydney Courses. If you successfully complete the unit, it may later be credited to a degree.