The Arts/Medicine program is an alternative program of study, in which, over a seven year program a student may complete the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with the degrees Bachelor of Science(Medicine), Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. The Arts/Medicine program is intended for those students who wish to continue their interest and studies in the Arts during their medical studies.

Over a period of seven years, students will be required to fulfil the requirements of the BSc(Med) MB BS degree program as well as 60 units of credit in courses offered by the Schools/Departments/Programs within the Faculty of Arts (including an approved major sequence).

Students who have completed the combined Arts/Medicine degree program are eligible for the award of Honours in the BSc(Med) MB BS degree program, based on weighted performance in courses (excluding those courses not in the normal Medicine program ) throughout the combined program. The award of Honours shall be determined on the basis of a weighted aggregate mark, calculated as the sum of weighted aggregate marks obtained in the medical component of the program in accordance with the rules applying to the Medicine program 3801.

Program objectives are addressed under the entry for the Medicine program 3801.

Students are required to undertake all BSc(Med) MB BS courses plus 60 units of credit from the Faculty of Arts (including a major sequence) during Years 1 to 3. A major sequence equals 42 units of credit (usually 12 at Level 1 and 30 at upper level).

For details of available Faculty of Arts specialisations and courses, please refer to the entry for the Bachelor of Arts program 3400. A direct link is given below:

Bachelor of Arts 3400

Ranking for the Award of Honours (Program Codes 3801 and 3840)

Students are ranked on the basis of their performance throughout the undergraduate Medicine program. An overall program mark is calculated for each student using the following procedure:

1. A weighted average mark for each year of the program is determined. This year mark is obtained by weighting each of the courses in the year, according to the units of credit. The course weights for each of the years of the program are shown in Table 1 below.

2. The overall program mark is determined by applying the year weightings listed in Table 2 to the weighted year marks.

3. If a student were required to sit for a supplementary assessment (other than for medical reasons or other exceptional circumstances) the course mark used is that awarded for the original assessment.

4. If a student were required to repeat a year (other than for medical reasons or other exceptional circumstances), the weighted year mark used is that obtained at the first attempt.

5. In the calculation of the average weighted program mark for BSc MB BS students, the aggregate mark for the Science component is calculated as a weighted aggregate of all courses counted towards the Science degree. The course weights are as follows:

Level I courses weighted by a factor equal to 0.0625 per course, except General Mathematics, Fundamental of Physics and Life Science Physics (0.05 per course) and Higher Chemistry and Higher Mathematics (0.07 per course).

Level II courses weighted by 0.1875 per course.

Level III courses weighted by 0.25 per course.

Level IV courses (Honours) not counted.

The three years of BSc component of the BSc MB BS program are treated as equivalent to the first two years of the MB BS program and therefore have a total year weight of 6 relative to the MB BS year weightings.

There is a limit set of 50 for the best possible score in the first year of the BSc component to put all students, whether or not they undertake Higher Mathematics or Physics, on the same footing. Only the best 144 units of credit in the BSc component are considered in calculating the ranked score.

6. Honours calculation for students undertaking the BA BSc(Med) MB BS program is the same as for the BSc(Med) MB BS program, i.e. the courses in the BA component are not counted.

7. Provision is made for students admitted with advanced standing and/or exemptions in certain courses not to be penalised in the calculation of rankings.

Award of Honours

1. The Faculty Year 6 Assessment Committee considers the ranked list of students and their marks and decides the cut-off marks for the award of Honours at the various levels.

2. Neither the percentage of the students obtaining Honours at the various levels nor the cut-off marks are predetermined, and the Committee makes its own assessment of the level of academic attainment indicated by the overall program mark.

3. As a guide, the distribution of the awards of Honours in 2006 was:

Class I Honours

Program Mark: 75.83% - 82.95%

Number of Awards: 20

Percent of graduands: 10.3%

Class II Div. I

Program Mark: 72.8% - 75.63%

Number of Awards: 26

Percent of graduands: 13.3%

Class II Div. II

Program Mark: 70.13% - 72.72%

Number of Awards: 34

Percent of graduands: 17.4%

Table 1. Course Weights Within Years (Six Year Program)

Year 1

Anatomy 12
Introductory Clinical and Behavioural Studies 8
Biology for Medical Students 4
Biochemistry for Medical Students 12

Year 2

Medical Biochemistry and Genetics 8
Anatomy 2 14
Medical Physiology 1 16
Human Behaviour 6

Year 3

Microbiology for Medical Students 8
Pathology 10
Medical Physiology 2 8
Medical Pharmacology 10
Clinical Studies 3 8
Medical Ethics and Health Law 4

Year 4

Integrated Clinical and Community Studies 48

Year 5

Obstetrics & Gynaecology 12
Paediatrics 12
Psychiatry 12
Geriatrics/General Practice/Subspecialties 12

Year 6

Integrated Clinical Studies 6 44

Table 2. Year Weights

Year 1 2
Year 2 4
Year 3 4
Year 4 6
Year 5 4
Year 6 6

Please consult Faculty or refer to the printed Handbook relevant to your year of commencement of study.

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