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Do you have students considering undertaking postgraduate Medicine, Dentistry or Podiatric Medicine at UWA who aren't sure what to choose for their undergraduate degree?

Applicants for the Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD), Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) at UWA must complete an Australian undergraduate bachelor degree or equivalent (minimum of three years) before applying for postgraduate studies.

Students do not necessarily have to study a Bachelor of Science at undergraduate level. They may study any undergraduate degree, but it is recommended that they have basic knowledge of biology/human biology, chemistry and physics. As a result they may wish to consider Year 12 Physics, as well as first year university-level biology/human biology and chemistry units.

Apart from these recommendations, there are no strict guidelines as to which degree or major to select.  When assessing postgraduate Medicine applicants, only the Grade Point Average (GPA) is considered; no particular major or subject area confers an advantage to a student's application.

Students are encouraged to select an area of study that interests them as it is important to maintain a strong GPA throughout their bachelor's degree. It is recommended they use the opportunity to gain a broad education at undergraduate level as their postgraduate studies will be very focussed.

It is also important to consider alternative career opportunities their undergraduate degree may provide.

The options are endless, but some examples of major combinations are as follows:

Bachelor of Science:

• Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (degree-specific major) and Accounting (second major)
• Population Health (degree-specific major) and Anthropology and Sociology (second major)
• Biomedical Sciences (double major) - this means it is not possible to add a second major

Bachelor of Arts:

• French (degree-specific major) and Microbiology and Laboratory Medicine (second major)
• History (degree-specific major) and Aboriginal Health and Well Being (second major)

Bachelor of Commerce

• Management (degree-specific major) and Pharmacology (second major)

Bachelor of Design

• Integrated Design (degree-specific major) and Anatomy and Human Biology (second major)

Upon completion of the DMD, MD or DPM, graduates will have both an undergraduate and a postgraduate degree ensuring they have a well-rounded education as well as the specialist skills and knowledge needed in their professional career.

For further information contact:

Admissions - Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences

(+61 8) 6488 4646