Why study internal medicine?

Practical and clinically focused curriculum

Our Internal Medicine units of study are case-based and clinically-focused. They are designed to improve your ability to diagnose, investigate and manage common and important diseases in adults. They are readily integrated into your daily clinical work and will guide your care of patients.

Prepare for RACP exams

The Internal Medicine coursework will help you acquire the knowledge and clinical skills tested in the Royal Australasian College of Physicians Adult Medicine Basic Training examinations.

Learn from experts at Australia’s leading medical schools

The Internal Medicine program is taught by content experts. The collaboration between the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne provides a unique breadth of teaching and clinical expertise.

The course founders and coordinators are:

• Associate Professor Leo Davies, a neurologist with clinical and research interests in clinical neurophysiology, stroke and movement disorders. He has an extensive background in medical education and assessment. He is the past Chairman of the RACP Examinations and Clinical Examinations Committees and a past member of the RACP Written Examination Committee.
• Professor Geoff McColl, a rheumatologist who is Head of the Melbourne Medical School and Professor of Medical Education and Training at the University of Melbourne.  He is a member of the Therapeutic Goods Administration Advisory Committee on Medicines and a past member of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee and Chair of the Drug Utilisation Subcommittee.
• Associate Professor Sharon Van Doornum, a rheumatologist at Royal Melbourne Hospital with a clinical and research interest in rheumatoid arthritis, particularly its impact on women and pregnancy.

Flexible postgraduate study modes

The core Internal Medicine units of study are delivered entirely online except for the capstone unit. The capstone unit is a week-long, intensive, face-to-face course that will consolidate and reinforce your knowledge, refine your skills and provide opportunities to interact with senior clinicians and fellow trainees. The online content can be accessed at your convenience. Some elective units of study available for Internal Medicine students may have a short intensive face-to-face teaching session but are taught predominantly online.

You can tailor your course load to meet your professional demands. The course is designed to be undertaken while you are working full-time and an appropriate course load is in the range of 6 to 12 credit points per semester. The course can be completed in two years or over a longer period as best suits your needs. 

The coursework can be undertaken at graduate certificate, graduate diploma, master’s and advanced master’s level and you can upgrade or downgrade the level of the degree undertaken provided the degree resolutions are met.

Coursework offered at basic and advanced levels

You will have the opportunity to take units at a basic or advanced level in most of the medical disciplines, and you can tailor your degree to suit your needs and interests. The basic units cover the essential aspects of common conditions and the advanced units provide an opportunity to develop your management skills in one or more disciplines.

Opportunity to broaden your career

There is a broad range of electives available and these include clinical teaching, and research focused units such as biostatistics, systematic reviews and grant writing.