Program Overview

Certificate in Foundation Studies in Medical and Dental Sciences

The Certificate in Foundation Studies in Medical and Dental Sciences will provide students with the knowledge, personal and inter-personal skills, and organisational framework to base their future undergraduate medical, dental, or allied health studies. The primary aim of the course is to provide students with the knowledge base, transferable skills, linguistic skills, and general competence to progress successfully onto the University of Malta's undergraduate Medicine and Surgery and Master of Dentistry courses.

Course Overview

The course offers specific training and support in core health science and English areas where students require further assistance. The course will provide teaching in the subject areas of human biology, biological chemistry, human anatomy, genetics, cell biology, as well as Medical English and Maltese.

Course Structure

The course is divided into two semesters, with compulsory units in each semester. The units include:

• Human Biology 1 and 2
• Cell Biology and Fundamentals of Genetics
• Introduction to Clinical Biochemistry 1 and 2
• Introduction to Anatomy
• Medical and Academic English Reading, Listening, and Writing
• Grammar and Medical Terminology
• An Introduction to Dentistry (for pre-dental students)
• Medical Maltese

Admission Criteria

The course is open to all applicants who:

• Present a secondary and/or high school certificate issued abroad and studied within an educational system not comparable to the Maltese educational system
• Satisfy the University's English language requirement
• Are in possession of qualifications allowing access to an undergraduate course in the selected discipline in the country where such qualifications originate
• Are deemed to require further study to be admitted to undergraduate degree courses at the University of Malta

Tuition Fees

The total tuition fees for non-EU applicants are Eur 16,000.

Career Opportunities

Upon successfully completing the course, students will be eligible to enrol in any course provided by the Department of Medical and Dental Sciences, preparing them for a career in the field.

Course Outcomes

The course will provide students with:

• A sound scientific knowledge of human biology, biological chemistry, anatomy, genetics, and cell biology
• The reading, writing, listening, and critical thinking skills necessary to function effectively as a student of Medicine or Dentistry
• Training to apply scientific reasoning and analytic skills
• Grounding in the use of grammar and logic to precisely understand questions in English and differentiate between similar statements and ideas
• An understanding of how to apply formal logic to scientific problems
• Opportunities to think and reason more effectively in the abstract

Assessment and Evaluation

The course will include continuous assessments to build up a realistic profile of students' abilities. Tutors will assess students periodically, and student performance will be monitored continuously by the area coordinator, with feedback provided through course tutors.