Entry Requirements
The following information was provided by the Faculty of Medicine, Higher Degree Committee
1.1 Admission To PhD, or Masters by Research
| (a) | Candidates with an Honours degree (at least class 2 division 1) in a relevant discipline, or with an MBBS from an Australian or New Zealand university, are in general considered eligible for admission to a PhD program. |
| (b) | Candidates with Honours below class 2 division 1, or who have not been awarded an Honours degree, need to demonstrate appropriate research experience and are in general considered eligible for admission to a PhD program if able to provide evidence of first authorship on at least one refereed paper in a journal of sufficient standing. However, first authorship on a publication is not an absolute prerequisite and the eligibility of all such candidates is determined on a case-by-case basis. |
| (c) | Candidates with an MBBS or other medical degree from another country are in the first instance considered to be eligible to enrol for a research Masters program, with later upgrade to a PhD if appropriate. Direct enrolment for a PhD may be approved on the basis of strong support from the proposed supervisor and the relevant Head of School. |
| (d) | Candidates with a Bachelor's degree (not an Honours degree) and relevant experience, but no first author publications in refereed journals of sufficient standing, may be eligible to enrol in a research Masters program on the basis of support from the proposed supervisor and the relevant Head of School, with later upgrade to a PhD if appropriate. Uncommonly, direct enrolment for a PhD may be approved on the basis of strong support from the proposed supervisor and the relevant Head of School. |
1.2 Admission To MD, MS
For candidates with an MBBS from an Australian or New Zealand university, authority to admit to an MD by thesis is delegated to the Head of School (or the Postgraduate Co-ordinator of the School as nominee), the Faculty Co-ordinator of Postgraduate Studies, and the Registrar.
1.3 Admission To Masters By Coursework, Graduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate
| (a) | For Masters by coursework and graduate diplomas requiring a medical degree (MMed, MSportsMed, MPsycholMed, graduate diplomas in Sports Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Paediatrics), a candidate for the degree shall have been awarded a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of New South Wales or a qualification considered equivalent from another university or tertiary institution at a level acceptable to the Higher Degree Committee of the Faculty of Medicine AND shall have had at least one year's full-time experience in the practice of medicine. Additional prerequisites may be specified by the program authority. |
| (b) | For other Masters by coursework and graduate diploma programs, a candidate for the degree shall have been awarded an appropriate degree of Bachelor of four full-time years duration (or the part-time equivalent) from the University of New South Wales or a qualification considered equivalent from another university or tertiary institution at a level acceptable to the Higher Degree Committee of the Faculty of Medicine OR shall have been awarded an appropriate degree of Bachelor of three full-time years duration (or the part-time equivalent) and have had at least three years' relevant experience. Additional prerequisites may be specified by the program authority. |
| (c) | For graduate certificates requiring a medical degree (Sports Medicine and Geriatric Medicine), a candidate for the degree shall have been awarded a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of New South Wales or a qualification considered equivalent from another university or tertiary institution at a level acceptable to the Higher Degree Committee of the Faculty of Medicine. Additional prerequisites may be specified by the program authority. |
| (d) | For other graduate certificate programs, a candidate for the degree shall have been awarded an appropriate degree of Bachelor of three full-time years duration (or the part-time equivalent) from the University of New South Wales or a qualification considered equivalent from another university or tertiary institution at a level acceptable to the Higher Degree Committee of the Faculty of Medicine. Additional prerequisites may be specified by the program authority. |
| (e) | For newly established programs, admissions are dealt with by the Higher Degree Committee, so that members are informed about the number of candidates seeking to enrol and their background in terms of prior education and experience. |
| (f) | For all coursework Masters, graduate diploma and graduate certificate programs that have been in operation for over 12 months, authority for admission of candidates who satisfy the above requirements is delegated to the Head of School (or the Program Co ordinator as nominee) and the Registrar, while authority for admission of other candidates is delegated to Head of School (or the Program Co ordinator as nominee), the Faculty Co ordinator of Postgraduate Studies, and the Registrar. |
1.4 English Language Requirements
All applicants for admission to UNSW postgraduate programs whose first language is not English must provide evidence that their English language ability meets the University's requirements for admission. A potential supervisor who has confidence in the ability of a candidate to communicate at an appropriate level in English, both orally and for the purposes of scientific writing, may write to the Higher Degree Committee and seek to have the language requirements waived, but ONLY for students from countries designated Assessment Level 1 or 2, other than for government-sponsored students. The supervisor then takes full responsibility for the candidate in this regard.
2.1 Advanced Standing
For research higher degrees, admission with advanced standing is usually granted when a candidate is transferring from another Australian university because the principal supervisor has accepted an appointment at UNSW and will continue to supervise the candidate. Except in such cases, however, advanced standing is usually not approved e.g. on the basis of research completed prior to enrolment. Instead, candidates are advised to seek remission of one or more sessions at the time of submission of the thesis, if this should prove to be earlier than the minimum duration of enrolment for the degree.
For coursework Masters programs, standard University-wide rules apply.