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Doctor of Medicine (MD)

    Overview

    The Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree is primarily for Otago medical graduates who have completed published original research in any branch of medical science. The academic standard is equivalent to Doctor of Science (DSc).

    For more about studying medicine at Otago:

    Information for new applicants

    The MD is an unsupervised degree based on published original contributions of special excellence in a branch of medical science. It is a higher doctoral degree similar to the Doctor of Science (DSc), Doctor of Dental Science (DDSc) and Doctor of Laws (LLD) degrees. Medical graduates who do not have experience of research and/or who require supervision are advised to consider a supervised degree such as Master of Medical Science (MMedSc) or PhD.

    To be eligible to apply for admission to the Otago MD the applicant must be:

    • a medical graduate from the University of Otago, or
    • a medical graduate from another University who has completed a substantial proportion of the work to be presented while working in a department of the University, and
    • have held their medical degree for at least five years.

    Applicants are advised to contact the Manager to confirm their eligibility for admission.

    The collection of works to be included in the submission for the degree must consist of material that reports original research contributions by the candidate and is based on the candidate's own observations, activities, experiments and investigations. The candidate must give evidence that he or she has carried out independent research that makes an original contribution to knowledge. Compilation from the work of others will not be accepted. In this regard, candidates are required to sign a statutory declaration identifying the submitted work as original and their own. Where co-authored work is submitted, those parts which are a candidate's own work are required to be identified clearly, and the contribution provided by the candidate must be stated specifically.

    Similarly to the University's other higher doctoral degrees (eg: DSc, DDSc and LLD), the work presented for the MD is expected to be of special excellence.

    The amount of research work upon which the thesis is based is not fixed but it is expected that there will be several publications on work undertaken over a number of years. For example:

    a) Normally 25 or more publications in peer reviewed journals of significant international standard.

    b) on occasion the number of publications may be less than 25 but will still be in international journals of high standing.

    c) there may be other bodies of work in addition to publications in significant international journals.

    Please note that publications which have been included as part of the requirements for another degree or diploma cannot be submitted again for the MD.

    The presentation of the thesis should:

    • have a cohesive theme
    • include an introduction
    • include publications
    • include discussion, with an emphasis on the linking theme(s) to the body of work presented and the contribution to knowledge in the field.

    Prior to submitting a collection of works, prospective applicants are required to apply for admission to the degree by submitting the following:

    • their current CV;
    • an abstract and/or brief description of the work, including a list of the published original contributions upon which the application is based indicating the contribution by the applicant; and
    • a statutory declaration identifying the submitted work as original and stating that it has not previously been accepted for another university qualification.

    Applications should be submitted to the Director, Graduate Research Services whereupon they will be advised whether a case for the award of the degree exists. Prospective candidates should note that successful admission to the degree (i.e. that candidates may submit their collection of works for examination) does not pre-suppose a favourable result from the examiners.

    When approval has been granted for candidates to submit their collection of works, three soft-bound copies are required for examination purposes. When a candidate is ready to submit a thesis he or she should contact the Director, Graduate Research Services.

    The process of appointing examiners, receiving their reports, and reaching a recommendation for the award of the degree, will take several months. Every effort is taken to keep this time to a minimum but it is a time consuming process and the sooner it can be started the better.


    Contact

    Email otagomedicalschool@otago.ac.nz

    Dean, Graduate Research
    Research Division, University of Otago
    PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
    Tel +64 3 479 5655
    Email gradresearch@otago.ac.nz



    Regulations for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine (MD)

    1. Eligibility

      1. A degree shall be awarded for published original contributions of special excellence in the appropriate discipline.  An individual shall only ever be entitled to be awarded one Higher Doctorate from the University of Otago – applications for multiple Higher Doctorates are not permitted.
      2. Every candidate for a Higher Doctoral degree must have held a degree for at least five years before applying for admission to the degree.
      3. A candidate for the degree shall normally be a graduate of the University of Otago, or shall have completed a substantial proportion of the work to be presented while working in an academic or research unit of the University.

    2. Application

      1. A candidate must apply for admission1 to the degree by submitting the following in the first instance:
        1. a curriculum vitae;
        2. an abstract and/or brief description of the work including a list of the published original contributions upon which the application is based; and
        3. a statutory declaration identifying the submitted work as original and stating that it has not previously been accepted for another qualification at any university or equivalent institution.  Where co-authored work is submitted those parts which are a candidate’s own work should be identified, whereupon the University will review and advise if a case for the award of the degree exists.
      2. Where the case for an award exists, every candidate shall submit a digital copy of the work2 upon which the application is based together with a narrative summary of the body of work of 5000-10000 words, which clearly describes the impact of the work or contribution to the relevant discipline or area of practice, and the required entry fee.
      3. In exceptional circumstances, and with the prior approval of the Senate, unpublished material may be submitted as part of the work.
      4. Additional work, published or unpublished, may be submitted as appendices in support of the application.

      Notes:
      (1) The application shall be forwarded to the Dean, Graduate Research School.
      (2) Permanently bound copies are acceptable if the work is already in that format.

    3. Examination

      1. The submitted work shall be assessed by three examiners, appointed by the Senate on the recommendation of the appropriate Pro-Vice-Chancellor, at least one of whom shall be an overseas authority.
      2. Resubmission of work shall not be an outcome of the examination.
      3. Where the examiners cannot agree on a result, they should so report to the appropriate Pro-Vice-Chancellor, who shall nominate a referee to advise the Senate.
      4. Upon the successful completion of the examination process and award of the degree, a final digital copy of the work shall be deposited in the University’s online repository.

    4. Variations

      Notwithstanding anything in these regulations, the Senate shall have the discretion to vary any provision set down if, in its opinion, special or unusual circumstances warrant such variation.

      Note:
      The Senate has delegated authority over the Higher Doctoral degrees to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Enterprise).

      For queries regarding the application process email higher.doctorates@otago.ac.nz
    5. Appendix

      A Doctor of Medicine is awarded only to individuals who have achieved special excellence in their original contributions to medicine, or to health sciences.

      To be eligible to apply for admission to the Otago Doctor of Medicine, the applicant must be a medical graduate of the University of Otago, or a medical graduate from another University who has completed a substantial proportion of the work to be presented while working in a department of the University.


    This information must be read subject to the statement on our Copyright & Disclaimer page.

    Regulations on this page are taken from the 2024 Calendar and supplementary material.

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