Studying Medicine in Australia for Undergraduate and Postgraduate programs: What you need to know (Part 1)
Studying medicine in Australia has become a thought-provoking choice for students around the world.
According to QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019, there are 4 Australian universities in the Top 50 Life Sciences and Medicine universities in the world. These are the University of Melbourne (#21), the University of Sydney (#23), the University of Queensland (#33) and Monash University (#34).
Why study Medicine in Australia?
Medical training programs in Australia have tough entry requirements. Besides, the learning environment is also full of pressure and great competition. In return, the practice environment in Australia is very attractive. Hospitals often have high salaries, ideal working conditions, and decent benefits and compensation.
Hospital working environment in Australia
Facilities, equipment and working facilities at Australian hospitals are modern and always up-to-date with new technology.
Hospital staff in Australia are rated as very friendly, caring and professional. The dynamic working environment allows initiatives to flourish. This is the result of a policy that promotes leadership and commitment in Australian hospitals. They always aim to build a safe working environment for their medical team.
Policies and procedures in Australian hospitals are always clear. Policies on communication, work quality management, behavior in occupational situations, health and safety at work, hazard identification, reporting, crisis management … are always announced and specifically trained.
Salary and benefits
The average salary of doctors in Australia is around 100,000 – 120,000 AUD/year.
Top plastic surgeons can earn $300,000/year. And this number can be up to 600,000 AUD/year with Neurosurgeons.
A general practitioner in Australia has an expected salary of around 200,000 – 300,000 AUD/year. If they work overtime, they can receive 400,000 AUD/year.
It is these advantages of the hospital working environment in Australia as well as attractive benefits that have made this country a destination for many good doctors and nurses around the world.
You may be interested in: The medical training system in Australia and in the US are quite different from each other
In Australia, you can study Medicine as soon as you finish High School. This means that Medicine is a undergraduate program.
While in the US, medicine is only trained at the graduate level. This means that in the US students must complete an undergraduate degree in 4 years before studying medicine. And students must choose Medicine-related majors such as Biology or Chemistry.
Medical students in Australia graduate with two Bachelor’s degrees – B.M and B.S (Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery). Meanwhile, their American colleagues graduated with an M.D. (Doctor of Medicine).
In Australia, you can continue your studies to a Ph.D (in 4 years) or an M.D (2 – 3 years) program. While the Ph.D program in Australia produces professional scientists, the M.D program is geared towards training doctors – clinical experts. Therefore, an Australian M.D (clinical science) is not equivalent to an American M.D (basic science).
Practicing Medicine in Australia
In Australia, when you complete a Bachelor of Medicine, you will be able to practice as a Doctor.
The most popular Bachelor of Medicine programs are Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.
You can also study a number of other Bachelor’s programs in the field of Medicine – Health to continue studying to M.D – Doctor of Medicine. For example, a Bachelor of Medical Science or a Bachelor of Health Sciences.
Register to practice as a Doctor
After completing the M.D – Doctor of Medicine program, you need to obtain a provisional license to practice. By submitting an application to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). You also need a 12-month internship before being officially licensed to practice medicine in Australia.
Licensed practitioners work in specific fields such as surgery, obstetrics, anesthesia, resuscitation, emergency… In addition, they can also work as a research scientist, inventing knowledge, and techniques of the future medical profession.
Things you may not know
In addition to the usual entry requirements such as GPA, English proficiency, etc. Some medical training programs will require you to obtain additional certificates to determine if your thinking and skills are suitable to study medicine or not. It is ISAT certificate (for international students), UCAT (for Australian students) for undergraduate level. Or GAMSAT (for both international and Australian students) for postgraduate level.
From 2019, candidates who take exams in the fields of Medicine, Dentistry, Health Sciences … in Australia will take the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) certificate instead of UMAT (Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test). This certificate is an entry requirement for institutions that are part of the UCAT Consortium (formerly UMAT Consortium) members.
Studying Medicine in Australia: Which universities to choose?
The University of Melbourne
According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019, the University of Melbourne is ranked #1 in Australia and #21 worldwide for Life Sciences and Medicine.
Melbourne Medical School, part of the University of Melbourne, is rich in medical training and research achievements. This is the oldest medical school in Australia.
The school has 7 campuses in Melbourne. Located in Parkville, Southbank, Burnley, Creswick, Dookie, Werribee, Shepparton.
Levels of education
• Bachelor. At the undergraduate level, the Melbourne Medical School has the following main programs:
o Bachelor of Medical Science
o Bachelor of BioMedicine (Degree with Honours)
o Bachelor of Science (Degree with Honours)
These programs provide a foundation in Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, and General Health Sciences. This is an important first step for future doctors to study and become M.D – Doctor of Medicine, O.D – Doctor of Optometry… later on.
• Graduate Certificate
• Graduate Diploma
• Master
• Professional/ Specialist Certificate
• Doctor of Medicine (M.D)
• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)
Majors and specialisations
• Biomedical Sciences
o Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
o Biotechnology
o Genetics
o Immunology
o Pathology
o Pharmacology
o Physiology
• Medical Science
o Clinical Research/ Education/ Leadership
o Surgical Science
o Psychiatry
o Neuroscience
o Primary Health Care
o Adolescent Health and Wellbeing
o Youth Mental Health
o Genomics and Health
• Dentistry
o Clinical Dentistry
o Dental Surgery
o Dental Therapy
• Opthometry & Vision Sciences
o Clinical Opthometry
o Glaucoma and Retinal Disease
o Paediatric Orthopaedic Physiotherapy
o Eye Banking
• Health Sciences
o Physiotherapy
o Rehabilitation Science
o Epidemiology
o Sports Medicine
o Speech Pathology
o Bioinformatics
• Nursing
o Primary Care Nursing
o Nursing Practive – Emergency
o Nursing Practice – Neonatal Intensive Care
o Nursing Practice – Paediatric Intensive Care
o Nursing Practice – Cancer & Palliative Care
Information on tuition fees, study period
• Professional/Expert Certificate: 4,000 – 7,000 AUD/ 3-month course. Mostly part-time online learning.
• Undergraduate: 126,000 – 196,000 AUD/ 3-year Bachelor of Science/ Health program;
41,000 – 43,000 AUD/ 1 year Bachelor’s Degree with Honors program.
• M.D: About 160,000 – 370,000 AUD/ 4-year program. The highest tuition is in Dentistry, then Medicine.
• Postgraduate Certificate: About 9,500 – 24,000 AUD/ 6-month course.
• Postgraduate Diploma: About 9,500 – 65,600 AUD/ 6 – 15-month course. Most Postgraduate Diploma courses last 1 year. The most difficult, the highest tuition fees and the longest study period are in Dentistry, Psychology and Genetics.
• Master (Classroom study): 25,000 – 104,000 AUD/ 1–2-year program.
• Master (Research): 65,000 – 122,000 AUD/ 1.5–2-year program.
• Ph.D: About 150,000 – 257,000 AUD/ 4-year program.
Entry requirements
• Graduated from High School/ University/ Graduate School;
• IELTS 6.5 – No band below 6.0;
• Apply through VTAC – College Admissions Centre, University of Victoria;
• Meet the university’s entry requirements for ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) scores for Undergraduate level;
• GAMSAT / MCAT certificate (Medical College Admission Test of the US – certificate equivalent to GAMSAT) when studying M.D for international students.
The University of Sydney
According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019, the University of Sydney is ranked #2 in Australia and #23 worldwide for Life Sciences and Medicine.
The university also has strengths in medical research and putting results into clinical practice. M.D – The University of Sydney Doctor or Medicine undergoes a comprehensive training program in leadership, clinical treatment and skills to work with patients.
University of Sydney students practice in hundreds of hospitals and clinical practice facilities.
Campuses
The University of Sydney has many campuses throughout New South Wales:
• Sydney Dental School
• Sydney Medical School
• School of Medical Sciences
• Sydney Nursing School
• Sydney Pharmacy School
• Sydney School of Public Health
• Faculty of Health Sciences
. Especially some Schools teaching clinical and practical treatment such as:
• Central Clinical School
• Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School
• Concord Clinical School
• Nepean Clinical School
• Westmead Clinical School
• Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health
• School of Rural Health in Dubbo/ Orange
• University Centre of Rural Health
• Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery
Levels of education
• Bachelor of Science (Medical Science)
• Bachelor of Applied Science, Bachelor of Arts – Bachelor of Science in Biomedical and Health Sciences.
• Doctor of Medicine (M.D) and Dental Doctor of Medicine (DMD – Doctor of Dental Medicine)
• Graduate Certificate
• Graduate Diploma
• Master
• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)
Majors and specializations
• Dentistry
o Oral Health
o Dental Medicine
o Oral Medicine
o Clinical Dentistry
o Oral Surgery
o Surgical Dentistry
o Orthodontics
o Paediatric Dentistry
o Periodontics
o Prosthodontics
• Public Health
o Bioethics
o Biostatistics
o Clinical Epidemiology
o Global Health
o Health Policy
o Indegenious Health Promotion
o Public Health
• Health Sciences
o Diagnostic Radiography
o Exercise and Sport Science
o Exercise and Physiology
o Occupational Therapy
o Physiotheraphy
o Speech Pathodology
• Medicine
o Brain and Mind Sciences
o Breast Surgery
o Cataract and Refractive Surgery
o Child and Adolescent Health
o Clinical Neurophysiology
o Clinical Trials Research
o Critical Care Medicine
o General Practice and Primary Health Care
o Infection and Immunity
o Internal Medicine
o Metabolic Health
o Ophthalmology
o Pain Management
o Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Development
o Psychiatry
o Trauma-Informed Psychotherapy
o Sexual and Reproductive Health
o Sleep Medicine
o Surgery
o Surgical Anatomy
• Nursing
o Clinical Nursing
o Cancer and Haematology Nursing
o Emergency Nursing
o Intensive Care Nursing
o Nurse Practitioner
o Mental Health Nursing
o Primary Healthcare Nursing
• Pharmacy
Information on tuition fees, study period
• Bachelor’s degree programs last 4–5 years; M.D for 7 years; Postgraduate Certificate for 6 months; Postgraduate Diploma for 1–1.5 years; Master for 2 years; Ph.D. for 3–4 years.
• Tuition fees: About 30,000 – 37,000 AUD/year for Nursing; 46,500 – 51,000 AUD/year for Medicine; 67,000 – 78,000 AUD/year for Dentistry.
Entry requirements
• Graduated from High School/ University/ Graduate School;
• Most programs require IELTS 6.5 – No band below 6.0. Some programs require IELTS 7.0 – No band below 7.0;
• Meet the school’s entry requirements for ATAR scores for Undergraduate level;
• Certificate of GAMSAT/ MCAT (Medical College Admission Test of the US – certificate equivalent to GAMSAT) when studying in M.D program;
• Certificate of DAT (US Dental Admission Test) and CDAT (Canadian Dental Aptitude Test) when studying in DMD program.
The University of Queensland
According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019, the University of Queensland is ranked #3 in Australia and #33 worldwide for Life Sciences and Medicin.
The university has strengths in Medical research and Health Sciences, contributing to the advancements of world medicine through research on Climate Change and Cancer.
The University has campuses in St Lucia, Herston and Gatton, outside of Brisbane. In particular, the Herston campus is dedicated to medical training with specialized facilities such as:
• Oral Health Center;
• University of Queensland Center for Clinical Research;
• Child Health Research Center;
• Herston Imaging Research Facility.
Levels of education
• Bachelor of Science for majors in the fields of Medicine, Biomedical;
Bachelor and Bachelor Honours for Health Sciences
• Graduate Certificate
• Graduate Diploma
• Doctor of Medicine – M.D
• Master / Master of Philosophy
• Doctor of Philosophy
Main majors
Including majors/specializations such as:
• Biomedical Science
o Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
o Ecology
o Genetics
o Immunology
o Neuroscience
o Psychology
o Nanotechnology
• Medicine
o Cancer
• Audio and Speech Pathology;
o Speech Pathology
o Audio Studies
• Health Sciences
o Biostatistics
o Epidemiology
o Health Promotion
o Public Health
o Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Studies
o Environmental Health Sciences
o Psychology
• Dentistry;
o Dental Science
o Oral Health
o Clinical Dentistry
• Exercise, Sport and Nutrition
o Clinical Exercise Physiology
o Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
o Food Science and Nutrition
o Sport Coaching/ Medicine
• Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
o Midwifery
o Advanced Nursing
o Mental Health Nursing
o Nursing Studies
• Occupational Therapy & Physiotherapy
o Occupational Therapy
o Physiotherapy
• Pharmacy
o Drug Design and Development
o Pharmacology
o Clinical Pharmacy
o Pharmaceutical Industry Practice
Information on tuition fees, study period
• Bachelor/Bachelor Dual Degree Program lasting 3–4 years; Master for 1.5–2 years; M.D for 3–4 years; Postgraduate Certificate for 6 months; Postgraduate Diploma for 1–1.5 years. Particularly, the Bachelor of Honors in Dentistry lasts 5 years.
• About 35,000 AUD/year for Nursing – Midwifery
• Around 32,000 – 45,000 AUD/year for Biomedicine and Health Sciences majors
• About 70,000 – 80,000 AUD/year for Dentistry
• Around 67,000 – 81,000 AUD for a 4-year M.D program
Entry requirements
• Graduated from High School/ University/ Graduate School;
• Most programs require IELTS 7.0 – No band below 7.0. Some programs require IELTS 7.5 with Listening, Speaking not below 8.0 and Reading and Writing not below 7.0.
• Meet the school’s entry requirements for ATAR scores for Undergraduate level;
• ISAT / GAMSAT certificate when studying in M.D and graduate programs in Medicine.
Monash University
According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019, Monash University is ranked #4 in Australia and #34 worldwide for Life Sciences and Medicine.
As a large but dynamic university, teachers and students at Monash University come from all over the world. Their training disciplines are also geared towards the global medical environment.
The special feature of the Medical program at Monash is that you can earn a dual degree combining two degrees in the field of Medicine, or a Medical degree and a degree in another field such as Education, Engineering, Law…
The university has campuses in Clayton, Peninsula, Caufield, Parkville, and central Melbourne.
Levels of education
o Bachelor and Bachelor Honours
o Doctor of Medicine (M.D)
o Graduate Diploma
o Research/ Expert Master
o Doctorate/ Ph.D
Majors and specializations
• Biomedical Science
o Nutrition Science
o Biotechnology
• Medical Sciences and Medicine
o Psychology
o Aviation Medicine
o Clinical Embryology
o Clinical Research
o Clinical Medicine
o Clinical Neuropsychology
o Clinical Psychology
o Mental Health Science
o Surgery
o Forensic Medicine
• Health Sciences
o Physiotherapy
o Occupational Therapy
o Occupational and Environmental Health
o Emergency Health
o Paramedicine
o Medical Ultrasound
o Radiography and Medical Imaging
o Radiation Therapy
o Health Management
o Public Health
o Healthcare Practice
o Biostatistics
o Dietetics
• Nursing
Information on tuition fees, study period
• 33,000 – 39,900 AUD/year for 3-year Bachelor’s degree program
• Bachelor with Honors 1 year – 37,000 AUD/year for those who already have a Bachelor’s degree in another discipline.
• About 40,000 – 77,000 AUD/year for dual degree programs, Bachelor – Bachelor / Master;
• 37,000 – 42,000 AUD/year for a Postgraduate Diploma equivalent to 1 year full-time;
• 33,000 – 44,000 AUD/year for a 1.5–2 year Master’s program;
• 40,500 – 44,000 AUD/year for a 3–4 year Ph.D. program.
Entry requirements
• Graduated from High School/ University/ Graduate School;
• Most programs require IELTS 6.5 – No band below 6.0. Some Master’s programs require a minimum of 6.5 for Listening and Reading skills – Minimum of 6.0 for Speaking and Writing skills. Honors and dual degree programs require IETLS 7.0 and no skill below 6.5.
• Apply through VTAC – College Admissions Centre, University of Victoria;
• Meet the university’s entry requirements for ATAR scores for Undergraduate level;
• ISAT certificate for Bachelor’s program.
• The GAMSAT certificate is no longer a requirement for the Graduate program.
The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney)
According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019, UNSW Sydney University is ranked #5 in Australia and #68 worldwide for Life Sciences and Medicine.
The university has strengths in medical research. The university is a world leader in Cancer, Neuroscience, Mental Health, Substances and Infectious Diseases research.
The university has campuses in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Levels of education
• Bachelor
• Graduate Certificate
• Graduate Diploma
• Doctor of Medicine – M.D
• Master / Master of Philosophy
• Doctor of Philosophy
Majors and Specializations
• Medical Sciences
o Pharmaceutical Medicine
o Medical Education
o Reproductive Medicine
o Children’s Cancer
• Exercise Physiology
• International Public Health
o Health Data Science
o Forensic Mental Health
o Public Health and Community Medicine
o Women’s and Children’s Health
Information on tuition fees, study period
• Bachelor’s program lasts 3–4 years; M.D for 6–8 years; Master for 1.5–2 years; Ph.D. for 4 years.
• Around 25,000 – 50,000AUD/year for Bachelor’s program; 79,000 AUD/year for M.D programs; 41,000 – 51,000 AUD/year for Master and Ph.D. programs.
Entry requirements
• Graduated from High School/ University/ Graduate School;
• IELTS 7.0 – No band below 6.0 for Bachelor’s program. IELTS 6.5 – No band below 6.0 for Master’s and Ph.D. programs.
• Apply through UAC – University Admissions Center;
• Meet the university’s entry requirements for ATAR/study results/research;
• ISAT Certificate for Undergraduate level;
• GAMSAT Certificate for Graduate level.
(To be continued… – SET Education)
