Melbourne is famous for many things, not the least of which is its fine universities. One particular school is world-renowned; it consistently ranks among the Top 50 universities on every global chart. Australian rankings always list it in the Top 3, if not at the very top of the list. We'll talk about what the University of Melbourne has to offer students of medicine later in this article.
Melbourne is also home to more than five million people; roughly 19% of Australia's population. That represents a fair number of people who will seek higher education at some point. Let's also consider Melbourne's welcoming atmosphere and how this city embraces travellers - both from abroad and from across Australia. Here too, we can assume that some of this influx of people come here to study at our fine universities.
On that score, they are well served. Melbourne is home to eight public universities and five private institutions, each offering advantages and a range of curricula. But for students aspiring to a career in medicine, Melbourne's four medical schools offer some of the best medical degrees in Australia.
Medical Courses Melbourne: Deakin University
No matter the subject, when people think of higher education in Victoria, thoughts immediately jump to the state's capital city and its eponymous university. We'll talk about that school and what it has to offer to medical students towards the end of this article. For now, we present what may be Victoria's best-kept tertiary education secret.
The Deakin University Act of 1974 saw this university formally established. As you might have guessed, it took a lot of politics and manoeuvring to get the venture off the ground. Deakin absorbed several already-established campuses, most notably where the Burwood Teacher's College used to be. The university's Burwood campus honours the former institution by keeping its name.
The Deakin Medical School is on the Waurn Ponds campus, the university's first campus, located 72 kilometres southwest of Melbourne. It was established in 2008 and since then has won numerous accolades, not the least for being the first regional - and the first rural medical school in Victoria. It's also Number 1 in Victoria for student satisfaction and ranks Number 10 overall in Australia. And it ranks among the top 1% of universities worldwide (according to the school's website).
Deakin Medical School offers medicine-related undergraduate degrees. Looking through their catalogue, you'll see degree plans like Bachelor of Biomedical Science and Bachelor of Health and Medical Science. That last is an honours course; you have to already have a Bachelor's degree in a related field of study to qualify for admission into this course. To enrol in the Bachelor of Biomedical Science, you need a minimum of 72.75 Australian Tertiary Admissions Rating (ATAR).
Deakin Medical School graduate and postgraduate programs are their claim to fame. Every candidate will have to sit the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT), unlike undergraduates who study medicine at Sydney universities.
Deakin welcomes international students too, providing they have a satisfactory International English Language Testing (IELTS) score. Tuition is reasonable; around A$8000 per year and lower for online courses.
Monash Medical Courses Melbourne
Did you know that Deakin University is a pioneer of online courses in medicine in Australia? Monash is no slouch in that course delivery method, either.
Like Deakin, mostly graduate-level courses are offered online, though. You have to study for your undergraduate degree in person, on campus.
There's a good reason for that. Monash is renowned for training future doctors to be patient advocates. So along with all the medical knowledge teachers impart, they also teach communication skills and everything students need to know to deliver top-notch patient care. And unlike medical training in Canberra, Monash medical students also learn aspects of psychology and mental health techniques.
The Victoria Parliament established Monash University in 1958, making it the second oldest university in the state. From the outset, Monash had the freedom to adopt modern teaching and research approaches. The university's governing body promptly set up Australia's first scholarships and research facilities dedicated to the country's Indigenous peoples.
Monash University has kept that renegade spirit; it's present across its many campuses. Those that are located in Melbourne and its surrounding areas, as well as in China, India and other countries. But they're no renegades when it comes to quality education, especially not our country's future doctors and surgeons.
If you're just finishing your high school studies and want to jump into studying medicine, you'll find Monash's Direct Entry Medicine course intriguing. The first two years are academic; you'll learn anatomy and physiology, pharmacology and biochemistry. You'll also learn about social sciences and community engagement.
After those foundation years, your studies will be hands-on. You'll spend time in clinics throughout the community; you will also have hospital rotations to attend. Upon completion of this five-year course, you may work as a practising physician, or you could aim for a two-year graduate extension.
If studying medicine in Brisbane were so all-inclusive, Monash might have competition in attracting both native and international students.
Private University Medical Course Melbourne
The University of Notre Dame is a private Catholic institution with four campuses stretching across Australia. Whether you wanted to study medicine in Perth or Sydney, Notre Dame has a program available. They offer four different pathways into medical studies; with their General Pathway being the most accessible. To enrol in Notre Dame's graduate-level courses, you must have a Bachelor's degree in any subject.
Notre Dame considers students' entire academic profile when reviewing applications for enrolment into their graduate-level medical program. Besides having a stellar record and high academic achievement, candidates must provide a GAMSAT score to be eligible for enrolment. Entry into Notre Dame is very competitive so you can expect to undergo a few pre-enrolment steps such as an online assessment and an interview.
Being a private university, you can expect to pay higher fees than you would at any public university. That's true for native and international students. Notre Dame welcomes Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) students and supports electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (e-CAF) applications. You may also apply for scholarships the school makes available as well as other higher education scholarships and grants.
Notre Dame earns its place on this list for its student satisfaction rating and teaching quality. This university consistently ranks in the Top five for student satisfaction nationwide; in Western Australia, it claims the top spot. Notre Dame has several clinical schools in and around Melbourne so you are sure to find your place.
Study Medicine Melbourne at Victoria's Top University
Finally, we get to the school everyone clamours for. The University of Melbourne is a public research facility, the second-oldest one in Australia. Its many campuses boast state-of-the-art learning centres as well as other amenities, including dorms and recreational facilities. As mentioned above, this institution is consistently top-ranked, both across Australia and around the world.
The University of Melbourne's 11 academic units welcome indigenous, domestic and international students. But it boasts some of the most stringent admission requirements in the country. To qualify for undergraduate studies in medicine, applicants must present at least an ATAR of 96.
Note that only domestic students must provide an ATAR. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds or from rural areas may qualify for the Access Melbourne program as long as their ATAR qualifies them for enrolment. International students must present a minimum International Baccalaureate score of 38 in biomedicine. If they are not from an English-speaking country, they must also provide a satisfactory IELTS result.
Like Notre Dame, the University of Melbourne provides four pathways to graduate medical studies. Earning your undergraduate degree, sitting the GAMSAT and going through the competitive application process is the standard path. For your undergraduate studies, you may enrol in the University of Melbourne's three-year Bachelor of Biomedicine degree. Or you could earn any undergraduate degree from any university and then apply to this university's graduate Doctor of Medicine (MD) program.
The Guaranteed pathway is open to domestic students only. Applicants will take part in a multi-mini interview to assess their communication skills. Poor interview performance ends students' guaranteed entry eligibility. The other two pathways are reserved for indigenous and international students.
Course fees are quite high so this university provides bursaries and 12 different scholarship opportunities specifically for medical students. Also, the University of Melbourne medical faculty offers students support services and work placements, along with a host of other resources. You might even take a few short courses to get ahead of your coursework, particularly if you're still at the undergraduate level.
For all that the University of Melbourne has going for it, it seems odd that student satisfaction would be so low. To be fair, the school took the most recent survey just after COVID lockdowns ended. The school's satisfaction scores have improved since then.
But this university still underperforms, especially when compared to the University of Adelaide and its medical studies program.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
