6 to 7 Universities Including Yonsei and Korea University Introduce Specialized Graduate School

6 to 7 universities along with Yonsei University are promoting the measures to introduce the specialized medical graduate school system from 2003 when present high school sophomores will proceed to universities.

But Seoul National University (SNU) is likely to introduce only a specialized graduate school of dentistry instead of specialized medical graduate school, maintaining the current medical college system. Hence, the specialized graduate school system is attracting attention with the question of whether it will take root or not.

The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MOE) announced on the 15th the details of the `specialized graduate school of medicine and dentistry` outlined with 4-year medical education for college graduates (bachelor`s degree), and announcing that 6 or 7 universities will introduce the specialized medical graduate school system in the 2003 school year. The universities looking into the introduction of the specialized medical graduate school in the 2003 school year are Korea, Yonsei, Jungang, Ewha women`s, and Ajou University among 41 medical colleges.

"These universities are conflicted about making a complete switchover to the specialized graduate school system, and keeping the current medical college and the specialized graduate school together. But most of them favor the latter, being worried about the side effects of new system." said MOE.

The MOE announced, "The university that will introduce the system next year should notify the MOE by February 8th. When it keeps both systems, it should allot 50 percent of the quota for current medical college."

The medical college at SNU decided not to introduce the system in the 2003 school year at a meeting of head professors on the 11th on the grounds that `it is inefficient to extend the educational period for medical education by 2 years and to distinguish between the degrees such as bachelor’s degree for the medical college graduates and master`s for the specialized graduate school graduates even though the educational period for the two is the same. And it might cause conflict to artificially divide the structure of medical education.`

But the dentistry college at SNU is considering the measure to introduce the specialized graduate school of dentistry from 2003 and run it side by side with the current dental college.

The universities that will introduce the specialized graduate school system next year will eliminate or reduce the application pool for premed from the 2003 school year, and begin selecting students for the specialized graduate school from the 2005 school year.

Applicants to the special graduate schools should have a bachelor’s degree from a 4-year college and submit the grade for preliminary subjects like chemistry, biology, and mathematics, the 4-year grade average, records of social service, certification of foreign language skill, and the medical education entrance test grade (MEET). They will be admitted after passing the college`s selection process.

Meanwhile, when one completes the 6 to 8 year`s multiplex degree course (M.D.-Ph.D.) in the specialized graduate school, he or she will receive both the master`s degree (M.D.) and the doctoral degree (Ph.D) simultaneously, and will be provided with a scholarship up to 18 million won a year per person for the duration of their attendance.

inchul@donga.com