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Program Description
Program Objectives
Program Structure
Academic Rules
Fees
Qualifications
Location of Research
New from 2009
Area(s) of Specialisation

Program Summary

 
Faculty: Faculty of Medicine
 
 
Contact: med.rsch@unsw.edu.au
 
 
Campus: Kensington Campus
 
 
Career: Research
 
 
Typical Duration: 3 Years
 
 
Typical UOC Per Semester: 24
 
 
Min UOC Per Semester: 3
 
 
Max UOC Per Semester: 24
 
 
Min UOC For Award: 144
 
 
Award(s):
 
 
Doctor of Medicine (Research)
 
 

Program Description

The Doctor of Medicine (MD) program is recognition of successful research experience. This degree requires an original and significant contribution to knowledge in an approved area. The degree requires the preparation of a thesis or published work.

Program Objectives and Learning Outcomes

A candidate shall be required to undertake an original investigation on a topic approved by the Committee and may also be required to undergo such examination and perform such other work as may be prescribed by the Committee. The work shall be carried out under the direction of a supervisor appointed by the Committee from the academic staff of the University.

Program Structure

Candidature
After commencement, the candidate will be reviewed by the School.
  • For a full-time student, the review will conducted six months after commencement. The review will focus on the viability of the research proposal.
  • Progress will then be reviewed within twelve months of the first review. If a candidate's progress during either review is found to be dissatisfactory, the Committee may cancel enrolment or take such other action as it considers appropriate.
Thereafter, the progress of the candidate will be reviewed annually.

Academic Rules

Enrolment Requirement
A student is only permitted to submit only after 144 units of credits (uoc) have been undertaken. A full-time load during one Session is worth 24uoc and a part-time load is worth 12uoc.

In the case of a candidate who has been awarded the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery with Honours or who has had previous research experience, the Committee may approve remission of up to two sessions for a full-time candidate and four sessions for a part-time or external candidate.

Candidates should not exceed the upper enrolment-limit of 192uoc. Financial penalties may occur as a result.

Thesis
A candidate shall
  1. submit a thesis embodying the results of the investigation.
  2. notify the Registrar in writing with an eight-week notice of intention to submit the thesis.
The thesis shall comply with the following requirements.
  1. it must be an original and meritorious contribution to knowledge of the subject;
  2. it must be written in English and reach a satisfactory standard of expression and presentation;
  3. it must consist of the candidate's own account of the research; in special cases work done conjointly with other persons may be accepted provided the Committee is satisfied about the extent of the candidate's part in the joint research.
If any work or material which has previously been submitted for a university degree or other similar award, a candidate may not submit that as the main content of the thesis but may submit any work otherwise previously published, whether or not it is related to the thesis.

The thesis shall contain a certificate signed by the candidate indicating specifically the extent to which the work embodied in the thesis is directly attributable to the candidate's own research and the extent to which the thesis has benefited from collaboration with persons other than the supervisor.

Four copies of the thesis shall be presented in a form which complies with the requirements of the University for the preparation and submission of higher degree theses.

It shall be understood that the University retains the four copies of the thesis submitted for examination and is free to allow the thesis to be consulted or borrowed. Subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act, 1968, the University may issue the thesis, in whole or in part, in photostat or microfilm or other copying medium.

Fees

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html

Qualifications

A candidate for the degree shall:
  • hold the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of New South Wales at a level acceptable to the Committee; or
  • hold the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery or a qualification considered equivalent from a university other than the University of New South Wales at a level acceptable to the Committee;

These candidates shall not submit a thesis for the degree until the lapse of five years from the date of the award of the degrees.
  • or, in exceptional cases, submit such evidence of academic and professional attainments in support of the candidature as may be approved by the Committee.

It must be noted that this program is intended for postgraduates who have medical degrees registrable in Australia and who are able to secure an appropriate appointment, salaried or otherwise, in a teaching hospital recognised by the University of New South Wales.
If the Committee is not satisfied with the qualifications submitted by an applicant, the Committee may recommend enrolment into an alternative program so that the candidate may be allowed to demonstrate the qualities required for progression to the MD by thesis.

If progression to the MD by thesis is approved, the candidate shall not submit a thesis for the degree until such period of time has elapsed as per approval of the Committee.

Location of Research

The approved applicant may undertake their enrolment with a part-time or full-time load at the University, at one of its teaching hospitals or a research facility with which the University is associated; the Committee may permit a candidate to spend a period in the field, within another institution or elsewhere away from the University if it is satisfied that this is necessary to the research program and provided that the work can be supervised in a manner satisfactory to the Committee.

If the candidate's research work is based externally, there must be a minimum acceptable level of supervision that will be determined by the Committee.

New from 2009

From April 2009, all applications for admissions into this program will be assessed by the Higher Degree Committee; in the absence of a strong case for the MD by thesis, the Higher Degree Committee reserves the right to recommend enrolment into a PhD program.
This program is currently under review by the Higher Degree Committee of the Faculty with particular reference to new enrolments.

The reasons for review are:
  1. its lack of distinction from the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) with respect to progression and examination requirements,
  2. the potential for confusion with overseas medical degrees eg MD in the USA (equivalent to the MBBS program), and
  3. the steadily declining rate of enrolments into this program (current MD by thesis enrolments are 2.4% of the total higher degree enrolments in the Faculty).

Area(s) of Specialisation

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© The University of New South Wales (CRICOS Provider No.: 00098G), 2004-2011. The information contained in this Handbook is indicative only. While every effort is made to keep this information up-to-date, the University reserves the right to discontinue or vary arrangements, programs and courses at any time without notice and at its discretion. While the University will try to avoid or minimise any inconvenience, changes may also be made to programs, courses and staff after enrolment. The University may also set limits on the number of students in a course.