No.1 in Australia

The University is ranked first in Australia and fourth in the world for graduate employability in the QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2020.

#18 in the world

We are ranked 18th in the world for medicine in the QS Subject Rankings 2020.

The Sydney Doctor of Medicine (MD) is a masters-level degree that provides students with world-class clinical and research training. On completion, graduates are eligible for registration with the Australian Medical Board as a doctor.

Our course is based on best practice in medical education, with opportunities to learn in Sydney’s premier teaching hospitals as well as in rural and international locations. Graduates leave as medical practitioners, responsive to the health needs of individuals, families and communities and committed to improving the health care system at all levels.

In 2020 a new MD curriculum and course structure will be introduced. The program will maintain the best aspects of the existing course, while enhancing learning opportunities through earlier clinical exposure, added personalisation options, new research opportunities, and immersive clinical placements in the last year of the program, preparing students for practice as a doctor.

Key program features: 

• Diverse student cohort. A biomedical science degree is not a prerequisite.
• Preparation for entry. A foundational knowledge course is available to all students on enrolment to ensure assumed knowledge in anatomy, physiology, molecular and cell biology is met.
• Opportunities to undertake research. The University has a number of leading centres of excellence, as well as options to partake in electives overseas.
• MD project and personalised pathways. The program offers dedicated time to complete a substantial research project in year three over a 14-week period. Students also have the opportunity to develop skills in specific areas (personalised pathways) through elective and selective studies.
• Graduated clinical immersion. The program increases clinical exposure and immersion throughout the degree in rural and urban settings with integration into medical teams. Students are directly supervised on wards, in clinics and in community settings by experienced clinicians and educators.
• Prepared for practice. The entire fourth-year of the program acts as a pre-internship, giving students full clinical immersion.  
• Enquiry-based, integrated, spiral curriculum. Clinical knowledge, reasoning and other skills are built on a foundation of biomedical sciences. 

Most junior doctors make their career choice during their second postgraduate year, most commonly opting for general practice or one of the specialties. Clinical training under the supervision of one of the specialist colleges (RACGP, RACP, RACS, etc) takes between three and six years in most instances. Australia is in special need of doctors for rural and remote practice, including Indigenous health care.

Other careers for Sydney medical graduates include:

• medical research,
• teaching,
• medical administration, 
• medical communication or journalism, 
• consulting and overseas aid work.

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION

The Doctor of Medicine (MD) medical program, of the University of Sydney, Sydney Medical School, has been approved by the Medical Board of Australia (AMC) as providing qualification for the purposes of registration in the medical profession.