Combined Science-Medicine

The Faculty of Science and Sydney Medical School offer students the opportunity to combine either the Bachelor of Science (Advanced) or the Bachelor of Medical Science with the University’s prestigious four-year graduate medicine program.

• Degree Profile
• Career opportunities with this degree
• What are other options for studying medicine?
• ATAR, Assumed Knowledge & Intake
• Information for International Students
• Additional Selection Criteria

Degree Profile

The combination of science and medicine degrees offers students the opportunity to develop a strong background in the sciences, with some flexibility for students in the BSc (Advanced) to study subjects from other faculties (including Arts, Economics & Business, Engineering and Sydney College of the Arts). The medical curriculum emphasises practical delivery with much of the program using problem-based learning with contextually relevant medical issues as the foundation of the degree.

In the first three years of study students will undertake studies in science or medical science. A unique feature of the program is the completion of compulsory zero-credit point subjects that include written communication tasks. These tasks will allow the student’s comprehension and reasoning in social sciences and humanities and written expression to be assessed.

Combined BSc (Advanced)/MBBS and BMedSc/MBBS students must also complete the Bachelor of Science (Advanced) or Bachelor of Medical Science in minimum time and maintain a minimum Credit average in the BSc (Advanced) or BMedSc in order to remain in the combined program.

Clinical placements

Contact with patients and observation of the physical aspects of disease commences in the first year of the MBBS and continues to final year.

Professional Recognition

Graduates are eligible for registration by medical boards in all Australian states and territories and in New Zealand.

Career Opportunities

A career in medicine could include general practice or specialisation. Following one year's compulsory internship, a doctor may enter private practice but most doctors undertake further hospital experience before commencing independent practice.

Further experience and study under the supervision of one of the specialist colleges is required before specialist qualifications or vocational registration as a general practitioner can be obtained.

Other careers for graduates would include medical research, teaching, medical administration, medical communication or journalism.

What are other options for studying medicine?

In addition to the combined program, the University offers graduate-entry Medicine to graduates from any discipline. This means that to be eligible to apply for the graduate medicine program, you must first complete an undergraduate degree, from any discipline. For more information visit the Sydney Medical School website.

ATAR, Intake & Assumed Knowledge

International Students

The Faculty of Science will consider international applicants for these programs who achieve an ATAR of at least 99.95*, and who completed one of the following:

1. An Australian Year 12 qualification in 2009
2. An International Baccalaureate (IB) in 2009
3. A New Zealand National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 3 in New Zealand in 2009
4. The University of Sydney Foundation Program in 2009

Qualifications other than those mentioned above will not be considered.

*Additional Selection Criteria

Short-listed applicants will be interviewed. For more information about the interview process, visit the Sydney Medical School interview information.