Welcome to Premedroadmap!

This site was created by a medical student (now resident!) to help premed students by clearing the confusion about medical school admissions. The Faculty of Medicine in larger universities and medical schools out there offer undergraduate, advanced and doctoral level education. To be admitted to a program at the undergraduate level, you must have completed a high school education or equivalent. In order to be admitted to studies at an advanced level, you must have completed university studies at the undergraduate level. You can also take courses at both undergraduate and advanced levels.

Below you can see an outline of educational programs:

  • Basic level (beginner program)
  • Courses
  • Second level (continuation program)
  • Postgraduate education (doctoral student)

Those admitted to postgraduate education must have supervision and study funding for the entire program already clarified in connection with the admission so that it can be completed after four years of full-time studies or eight years of half-time studies. The majority of full-time doctoral students at the Faculty of Medicine are employed as doctoral students. To be accepted as a doctoral student, one must first and foremost fulfill the general and special eligibility requirements. Furthermore, there is also an admission system that governs the process of admission.

All full-time places in postgraduate education are vacant and the application for the places must be in open competition. Admission to postgraduate education is as a rule ongoing throughout the year in all schools. The supervisor who has a vacant doctoral position first writes a project plan for the intended doctoral project. The project will then be approved by the Postgraduate Education Board, which makes an assessment of funding, supervision and feasibility. Following this assessment, the doctoral student project is announced on the school’s website, and most schools will also notify you by letter.

In most cases, doctoral students with employment in medical care are accepted for part-time postgraduate education. According to the Higher Education Ordinance, only one applicant who has any other form of study funding can be accepted if the assessment is made that the applicant can devote so much of his or her time to the education that it can be completed within four years for the licentiate degree or artistic licentiate degree and eight years for doctorate or artistic doctorate. This means that postgraduate studies must be conducted at least 50% for part-time doctoral students.

Some admission schemes offer the possibility of adopting doctoral students who have “other study funding”. At the faculty, you can be accepted in the context of an employment with an employer other than the school you are seeking to be admitted to; many doctorate program students I know are engaged in helping with researches for the healthcare; Canadian Pharmacy for one has a great employing policy for young talents. In practice, this often means that a doctor or nurse who has an employment in the medical profession conducts his postgraduate education part-time in parallel with their work. The employment in the healthcare sector guarantees the financing of the education and you are not hired as a doctoral student but are accepted into the education.

Use the navigation above to find your path to medical school.