Program Overview
Programme: MBChB
The MBChB programme is a six-year undergraduate degree that aims to produce competent medical professionals. The programme consists of theoretical blocks, special activities, and clinical rotations.
Programme Information
Each student in Medicine must apply to the Registrar of the Health Professions Council of South Africa for registration as a student in Medicine, immediately after admission to the first year of study. After obtaining the degree, a student must register with the Health Professions Council of South Africa as an intern and complete at least one year of training at an institution approved by the Council.
Admission Requirements
The admission requirements apply to students who apply for admission to the University of Pretoria with a National Senior Certificate (NSC) and Independent Examination Board (IEB) qualifications. Applicants with qualifications other than the abovementioned should refer to the relevant brochure or website.
- The following persons will be considered for admission: a candidate who is in possession of a certificate that is deemed by the University to be equivalent to the required National Senior Certificate (NSC) with university endorsement; a candidate who is a graduate from another tertiary institution or has been granted the status of a graduate of such an institution; a candidate who is a graduate of another Faculty at the University of Pretoria; and a candidate who is currently studying at a university.
- Admission to Health Sciences programmes is subject to a selection process.
- Grade 11 final examination results will be used for the conditional selection of prospective students.
- For selection purposes, the sum of the results in six subjects, including English, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences, is calculated.
- Life Orientation is excluded in the calculation of the Admission Point Score (APS).
- All modules will be presented in English, as English is the language of tuition, communication, and correspondence.
Minimum Requirements
- Achievement level: English Home Language or English First Additional Language: 5
- Mathematics: 6
- Physical Sciences: 5
- APS: 35
Additional Requirements
The Faculty can accommodate 300 first-year MBChB students. Applicants for MBChB I are evaluated according to different categories, with the minimum admission requirements set according to the categories in question.
- In terms of the selection procedure, candidates must pass English, Mathematics, and Physical Science with at least a 5 rating code (60%-69%), and achieve an APS of at least 35, in order to be considered for selection and/or admission.
- It is not possible for candidates to complete the first year of study for this study programme at another South African university.
- A candidate who has passed a full academic year at another university, with at least four first-year subjects, will be considered for selection, but only for admission to MBChB I.
- Admission of foreign candidates is limited. Preference will be given to students from SADC countries.
Examinations and Pass Requirements
- A block mark is calculated from the end of the block assessment and the continuous evaluation opportunities during the course of the presentation of the block or special activity in question.
- Students may exercise the option to have the block mark at the end of the year validated as the final block mark for the block in question.
- A block examination is granted to all registered students regardless of the block mark.
- The final block mark is calculated from the block examination mark and the block mark (continuous evaluation) in a 50:50 or 60:40 ratio, depending on the year of study and/or block-specific regulations.
Promotion to Next Study Year
- A student must pass all the modules prescribed for the first year of study before admission to the second year of study.
- A student who fails any given block (i.e., examination modules), fails and will be required to repeat the third year of study.
Pass with Distinction
The degree is conferred with distinction on a student who has obtained an average of at least 75% (not rounded) in the Student Intern Complex rotations.
General Information
Students who will comply with all the requirements for the MBChB degree by 28 February will receive the degree in question officially during the Autumn graduation ceremonies in April of the particular year. Students who will only comply with all the requirements for the MBChB degree during or after March will receive the degree in question officially during the Spring graduation ceremonies in September of the particular year.
Core Modules
The programme consists of various core modules, including:
- BOK 121: Molecule to organism
- CMY 151: Chemistry
- FIL 155: Introduction to the philosophy of medicine
- GNK 120: Orientation
- GNK 127: People and their environment
- GNK 128: Introduction to clinical pharmacotherapy
- LCP 180: Longitudinal clinic attachment programme
- MLB 111: Molecular and cell biology
- MTL 180: Medical terminology
- PHY 131: Physics for biology students
- SMO 121: Special study module
Student Intern Complex (SIC)
The SIC commences at the beginning of the second semester of the fifth year of study. The SIC extends over 18 months, with rotations taking place over a period of 63 weeks in three semesters. The semester rotations are divided into:
- SIC Semester (a): Surgery and related disciplines and Family Medicine
- SIC Semester (b): Internal medicine and related sub-disciplines and psychiatry
- SIC Semester (c): Women's and children's health and community-based education
Rotation(s) Failed or Not Promoted In
A student intern who fails a seven-week rotation or rotations for the first time (i.e., the end-of-rotation evaluation) or is not promoted in the rotation(s) in question, sits the end-of-semester examination in the rotation(s) in question. If successful in the second examination, he or she continues with the rotations of the following semester. If unsuccessful, the relevant rotation(s) must be repeated at the first opportunity in the next semester.