There are universities in Malaysia that offer excellent programs in Medicine. Before applying to a medical school, students need to complete at least one-year Foundation in Science course or pre-university courses, such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math. English proficiency is also a vital prerequisite since most universities offer Medicine in the English language.
The Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery or MBBS degree lasts for five years, followed by a two-year internship at an affiliated hospital or clinic. At the end of the internship, students become qualified medical officers. They may choose to be specialists, which takes another four to eight years of postgraduate studies and supervised training.
Becoming a doctor in Malaysia requires at least eight years of medical training. Thus it is crucial to choose an institution that offers high-quality education. In this article, we will talk about the best medical schools in Malaysia.
Can Foreigners Study in Medical Schools in Malaysia?
Yes, medical schools in Malaysia accept foreign applicants. One of the country’s medical schools is Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences of Monash University. It offers the Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine degree program to international applicants. This international degree provides the opportunity to qualify as a medical practitioner in Malaysia, New Zealand, and Australia. Interested applicants need to meet the admission qualifications and achieve at least 159 overall scores in the International Student Admission Test.
What is the most prestigious medical school in Malaysia?
The University of Malaya is the most prestigious medical school in Malaysia. Dedicated to providing medical education to aspiring doctors, the university is among the top 200 in QS Top University Rankings in 2021 for Life Sciences and Medicine subject after landing on the 179th spot. Moreover, Times Higher Education ranking for Clinical and Health subject for 2021 placed the university between 176th to 200th. In both ranking institutions, the University of Malaya ranked first place among all other universities in Malaysia.
Best Medical Schools in Malaysia
1. University of Malaya – Faculty of Medicine
The Faculty of Medicine, established in 1962 as the first medical school in Malaysia, had roots tracing back to the merging of King Edward VII College of Medicine and Raffles College in 1949 to provide education to Singapore and the Federation of Malaya. From the first batch of 40 pre-medical students in 1963, the faculty has come a long way to delivering medical education, biomedical research, clinical care. Its dedicated teaching hospital, the University of Malaya Medical Center, has 1,000 beds fully equipped to provide health care and medical training. The University of Malaya is the best medical school in Malaysia.
The faculty offers its five-year Medicine program, known as the University of Malaya Medical Programme or UMMP, which confers the MBBS degree after successful completion. Aside from UMMP, the faculty also offers undergraduate courses in Nursing and Biomedical Science. Moreover, the faculty has 22 Clinical Master’s degree programs for medical officers to choose from to become a specialist.
2. Universiti Putra Malaysia – Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
The Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), established in 1996, emerged from the Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Science Biomedical Department and the Faculty of Human Ecology Nutrition and Community Health Department. This top medical school in Malaysia enrolls over 1800 full-time students and boasts of a faculty complex with outstanding facilities and four blocks of students’ hostel, with available accommodation to 2,000 students, a food court, a student center, and a mosque.
The faculty offers the Doctor of Medicine program for aspiring medical doctors, consisting of five years integrated curriculum that centers on student learning. It also has five other undergraduate programs, including the Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental and Occupational Health and Bachelor’s of Science in Dietetics.
3. The Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia – Faculty of Medicine
The Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Faculty of Medicine, established in 1972, is one of the best medical schools in Malaysia. In 1974, the faculty moved to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital Complex, which later became the university’s Medical Faculty Teaching Hospital. More initiatives in the faculty over the years led to the founding of Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM). In 2008, the Faculty of Medicine and HUKM merged to form the UKM Medical Center, later renamed Hospital Chancellor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM).
The Doctor of Medicine degree offered in UKM is also a five-year program, consisting of two years preclinical phase, one-year junior clinical clerkship, and two years senior medical clerkship. The faculty also confers the Bachelor of Science degree in Emergency Medicine and Bachelor of Nursing.
4. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) – School of Medical Sciences
Established in 1979, the Universiti Sains Malaysia School of Medical Sciences is one of Malaysia’s best medical schools. Located at the Kelantan campus, currently known as the Health campus of USM, it sits close to the USM Teaching Hospital, effectively consolidating its academic, research, and clinical service activities.
The Medical Doctor (MD) program is the only available undergraduate degree in the school. It is a five-year program divided into two phases, with Phase One covering the first two years in the program and consisting of introductory medical courses. Meanwhile, Phase Two takes the remaining three years of the program, targeting a satisfactory clinical competencies standard for medical doctors.
5. Universiti Teknologi Mara – Faculty of Medicine
The Malaysian Ministry of Education established the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Faculty of Medicine in 2002. From its former location in the principal UiTM Shah Alam campus to Selayang campus, the faculty finally built its own Sungai Buloh campus in 2002, conveniently close to Hospital Sungai Buloh. Through the years, the faculty added more clinics and teaching facilities, such as the UiTM Medical Specialist Center and the Institute of Medical Molecular Biotechnology.
The MBBS 240 undergraduate program of the faculty is a five-year medical degree consisting of preclinical and clinical studies. Meanwhile, the faculty’s postgraduate programs include Masters and Ph.D. degrees in various research fields such as Neuroscience and Molecular Medicine. Its clinical postgraduate programs allow medical officers to become specialists in Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, and Family Medicine. This top medical university in Malaysia is the only institution in the country that offers Medical Ethics and Jurisprudence programs.
I hope that this article on the best medical schools in Malaysia was helpful. If you are interested, visit the Medical School Category!
