Doctor of Medicine

Apply to the Doctor of Medicine with any undergraduate degree, and set yourself up for a range of rewarding careers, from general practice to pathology, paediatrics to surgery.

The course has a unique focus on rural and regional medicine, Indigenous Health and patient-centred communication skills.Want a medicine degree that enables you to enhance community health and wellbeing?

The first two years of the MD are based at Waurn Ponds (Geelong), where students learn in simulated clinical environments and dedicated medical sciences teaching spaces, along with small-group learning sessions. Students will also be exposed to clinical experiences from early in the course, through placements with healthcare providers.

During years three and four students will undergo intensive clinical training within health services attached to one of five clinical schools, in Geelong, Warrnambool, Ballarat or Melbourne, or with the RCCS. Students will conduct their learning and assessment in the clinical environment, guided by experienced staff associated with the clinical schools.

The course concludes in year four with two five week rotations - an elective that can be taken in Australia or overseas and a pre-internship hospital rotation in which the student experiences the day to day life of an intern.

To complete the Doctor of Medicine students must attain 32 credit points. All units are core units (these are compulsory). Students must pass all units including all components of units in the course.

All commencing Faculty of Health Undergraduate and Postgraduate course work students are required to complete HAI010 Academic Integrity in their first semester of study (0 credit point compulsory unit).

The course is only available on a full-time basis.

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements. Click here for more information.

Entry requirements

Entry information

Deakin University offers admission to postgraduate courses through a number of Admission categories.

All applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements.

Please note that meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee selection, which is based on merit, likelihood of success and availability of places in the course.

For more information on the Admission Criteria and Selection (Higher Education Courses) Policy visit the Deakin Policy Library

The application process for Admission to the Doctor of Medicine (MD) is administered by the Graduate Entry Medical School Admissions System (GEMSAS).

In 2020, our student intake had an average GPA of 6.71 and an average GAMSAT of 64.9.

The application process for Admission to the Doctor of Medicine (MD) is administered by the Graduate Entry Medical School Admissions System (GEMSAS).

Academic requirements

Entry requirements include:

• A Bachelor qualification completed no more than 10 years before the course commencement date (Applicants whose undergraduate degree was completed outside the 10 year period will only be considered if they've completed the equivalent of one year of tertiary study at Honours or Graduate Diploma level or higher at an Australian tertiary institution. The institution must be recognised by the Australian Qualifications Framework (or equivalent overseas institution determined by Deakin).
• A final GPA (weighted) of 5.0 or greater, and
• A minimum score of 50 in each of the three sections of the Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admission Test (GAMSAT), and an overall score of 50 or greater. The score on the GAMSAT must have been obtained no more than two years before the course commencement date.
• Interview performance.

Further details can be found in the Medicine GEMSAS Admissions Guide

Course transfer applications from other Medical Schools are not accepted due to places in the course being capped.

Adjustment (bonus) information

Applicants may be eligible for the following adjustments (bonuses) which will count towards your aggregate score for interview consideration. For detailed information on the adjustments (bonuses) please refer to the Admissions Guide on the GEMSAS website.

Rural/Regional residency Applicants who meet defined rural and regional residency criteria have additional points added to the combined grade point average (GPA) and Graduate Australian Medical School Admission Test (GAMSAT) score. To qualify for an adjustment for rural/regional residency, applicants must have lived for at least 10 years cumulatively or any 5 years consecutively after birth in a place classified by the ASGC-RA system as level 205 or the City of Greater Geelong. Residence in:

• ASGC-RA 2 or the City of Greater Geelong: an adjustment of 4% of the combined GPA and GAMSAT score
• ASGC-RA 3-5: an adjustment of 8% of the combined GPA and GAMSAT score.

Prior Clinical Experience

Applicants who have completed one year (12 months) of full-time clinical practice as an AHPRA registered health professional, or in speech pathology or dietetics may have a 4% adjustment added to the combined GPA and GAMSAT score.

Applicants with international clinical practice and registration that aligns with the professions listed on the AHPRA website including speech pathology and dietetics, may also be eligible to receive this adjustment (bonus).

Applicants who claim the Work Experience adjustment (below) are not eligible to apply for this adjustment.

Financial Disadvantage

Applicants who can demonstrate financial disadvantage which may have impacted on academic performance during their undergraduate degree may qualify for an adjustment. The following benefits are recognised as providing eligibility for the adjustment:

• Centrelink income payments
• Department of Veteran’s Affairs income payments.

Other Australian Federal or State Government income payments of similar amounts may be considered.

StudyLink benefits (exclusive of StudyLink loans) apply for applicants from New Zealand.

Applicants who are able to demonstrate that they have been in receipt of an approved Centrelink/StudyLink benefit for at least 12 months during their undergraduate degree, may have a 2% adjustment added to the combined GPA and GAMSAT scores.

Deakin Graduate

Applicants who have graduated from Deakin University with a bachelor degree of at least 3 years duration may have a 4% adjustment added to the combined GPA and GAMSAT score. Applicants must have completed a minimum of 16 credit points of their course requirements at Deakin in order to be eligible for consideration.

Work Experience

Applicants who can demonstrate that they have gained a minimum of 2 years full-time employment experience in any area of work (consecutively or cumulatively over 4 years) may have a 2% adjustment added to the combined GPA and GAMSAT score. Applicants who claim the Prior Clinical Experience adjustment (see 4.2 above) are not eligible to apply for this adjustment.

Interview Process

Eligible applicants are invited to attend a Multi-Mini Interview (MMI) which consists of 10 five-minute stations addressing:

• Communication Skills
• Commitment to Rural and Regional Practice
• Teamwork
• Professionalism
• Motivation for a Career in Medicine
• Evidence-based Practice
• Social Justice
• Health Promotion
• Effective Use of Resources

Interviews will be conducted at the Waurn Ponds campus - dates available soon.

Indigenous Entry Stream

The Doctor of Medicine offers an Indigenous Entry Stream. For more information go to https://www.deakin.edu.au/medicine/study-opportunities/indigenous-entry-stream-doctor-of-medicine.

Inherent requirements

Applications are accepted from students who possess the skills and prerequisites required to complete the course, gain professional certification and practise safely. The inherent requirements of the course are listed here: Doctor of Medicine Inherent Requirements (pdf 258kb)

Deakin's graduate learning outcomes describe the knowledge and capabilities graduates can demonstrate at the completion of their course. These outcomes mean that regardless of the Deakin course you undertake, you can rest assured your degree will teach you the skills and professional attributes that employers value. They'll set you up to learn and work effectively in the future.