The University may grant the Degree of Doctor of Medicine to graduates of the University or to graduates of any other University, or to students of advanced standing, who possess qualifications deemed by the Senate of the University to be equivalent to the Primary Degree of Medicine of the University, who shall have fulfilled all other prescribed conditions as to the manner in which such Degree of Doctor may be obtained. The College of Medicine and Health would normally only approve the presentation of an MD thesis from a non-NUI graduate if he/she were involved in research in a recognised UCC teaching institution. No retrospective approvals will be granted.
Candidates who qualify for registration for the MD degree may register in one of three ways:
1. By Thesis for work completed on-site
A candidate may present a thesis based on work completed in a UCC clinical site or laboratory or both. In this case, two years registration is required (see Fees section of the UCC website). In addition, a bench fee may be charged to cover laboratory costs if appropriate.
2. By Thesis for work completed off-site
A candidate may present a thesis based on work completed in an off-site clinical setting under supervision of a local supervisor at that site. Data collection and analysis must all have been completed off-site to the satisfaction of the proposed on-site UCC supervisor and sponsoring head of department appropriate evidence must be provided of compliance with ethical guidelines and internal procedures of the off-site institution and must be supported by written confirmation from the Chief Executive of the off-site institution. If any part of the supervision of the MD thesis is carried out by a supervisor based in UCC, or a teaching hospital of UCC, the fee appropriate to 1. above shall apply.
3. By Published Work
A candidate may compile a bound volume of published research and present it for assessment. If the work is accepted for the award of an MD Degree by Published Work, reduced fee is payable (see fees section of the UCC website).
1. MD BY THESIS FOR WORK COMPLETED ON-SITE (UCC SUPERVISION)
Admission
1.1 To be eligible for consideration to enter on a programme of study
and research for the Degree of MD, a candidate must be a graduate of
the National University of Ireland or a graduate of any other
University, or a student of advanced standing, who possesses
qualifications deemed by University College Cork to be equivalent to
the Primary Degree of Medicine of the University, who shall have
fulfilled all other prescribed conditions as to the manner in which
such Degree of Doctor may be obtained. The College of Medicine and
Health would normally only approve the presentation of an MD thesis
from a non-NUI graduate if he/she were involved in research in a
recognised UCC teaching institution.
1.2 All applications should be made to www.pac.ie
in the first instance.
1.3 All applications for admission to a programme of study and
research for the Degree of MD shall be considered by the Executive
Committee of the College of Medicine and Health, following
recommendation of the Head of Department in which the programme is to
be pursued, after consultation with the Medical School's Postgraduate
Affairs Committee, or its Chairperson.
1.4 A proposal from candidates (3-5 pages maximum) shall be required
incorporating the following:
(a) Title of Proposed Work
(b) Location where the work will be completed
(c) Supervisor(s)
(d) Overall Objectives
(e) Specific Aims
(f) Background and Significance
(g) Preliminary Data
(h) Experimental/Study Design with specific attention to:(i) feasibility of proposed study
(ii) availability and access to local expertise for successful completion of study
(iii) facilities and resources required
(i) Bibliography cited
(j) The provisional title of the thesis and a short description outlining the nature of the work must be provided to the Committee when the student is being recommended for acceptance as a candidate for the MD Degree. If the student's application is approved, he/she must register as a MD candidate for the years prescribed, as a minimum. Normally, a candidate accepted for the Degree of MD shall be registered as a postgraduate student for two years from the date of first registration for the programme before submission of the thesis for examination. No retrospective approvals will be granted.
1.5 The Academic Board is empowered to withdraw the acceptance of any candidate, following consideration of a report from the Graduate Studies Committee.
General
1.6 Under usual circumstances, an MD thesis should encompass a
substantial body of work.
1.7 It is expected that, by the time of submission of the thesis, a
part or parts of the work will already have been accepted or will have
been submitted for peer reviewed publication. Publications and
abstracts should be listed at the front of the thesis.
1.8 Upon submission of completed thesis a letter of support from
research supervisor and certification on completion of the work that
it is mainly the candidate's own work. A candidate for a MD Degree
will normally submit his/her thesis at the earliest opportunity
following the end of the prescribed period of study. Permission to
submit the thesis shall be approved by the Supervisor and Head of
Department. Candidates are allowed four years in which to complete the
degree from the date of acceptance. If candidates do not complete the
degree within four years from the date of acceptance they must
re-apply to the College, presenting justification for an extension.
Supervision
1.9 The Academic Board, on the nomination of the Head of Department
following consultation with the Medical School's Postgraduate Affairs
Committee and on the recommendation of the College, will assign a
member of staff to supervise the candidate's research. The name of the
Supervisor should be forwarded when the candidate's name is submitted
by College to the Academic Board. The Academic Board on the
recommendation of the Graduate Studies Committee, may arrange for
joint supervision of the thesis. In the case of joint supervision, one
of the Supervisors need not be a member of the University staff.
1.10 The candidate's research must be carried out, and the thesis for
the degree must be prepared, under the direction of the Supervisor.
The Supervisor should assess the progress of the candidate and, if
he/she arrives at the view that the candidate is unlikely to achieve
the degree for which he/she is registered, this should be notified to
the Head of Department who, following consultation with Medical
School's Postgraduate Affairs Committee, should communicate with the
candidate without delay.
Examination
1.11 Examination Boards for MD Degrees will involve at least two
Intern Examiners and at least one Extern Examiner approved by Academic
Board on the recommendation of College.
1.12 The Intern Examiners shall be nominated by the Head of Department
following consultation with the relevant School's Postgraduate Affairs
Committee. One of the Intern Examiners shall be the relevant
Professor, or subject to the agreement of the Head, the nominee of the
Professor. Note: The supervisor shall not act as Internal Examiner for
the candidate being supervised.
1.13 The Extern Examiner shall be nominated by the Head of Department
and the relevant Professor and the Supervisor.
1.14 The Extern Examiner shall act as Chair of the Examination Board.
1.15 In the case of a thesis being presented by a full-time/part-time
member of the University staff, one of the Intern Examiners shall be
replaced by an additional Extern Examiner.
1.16 It is the responsibility of the MD student to notify the Student
Records and Examinations Office of his/her intention to submit at
least three months prior to the proposed date of thesis submission.
Once notified, the Student Records and Examinations Office will
forward a form to the Head of Department requesting the name(s) of the
Extern(s) and Intern Examiners. The Head of Department will submit the
completed form to the College of Medicine and Health for approval at
the next College meeting. a. In the year in which the candidate's work
is due for examination, the candidate must lodge three copies of the
thesis (gum or spiral bound) together with a submission form and the
requisite fee in the Student Records and Examinations Office. Each
copy of the thesis must include a summary of the content, not
exceeding 300 words in length, submitted in CD/diskette format.
Submission of the thesis must be made at least three months in advance
of the meeting of the Graduate Studies Committee at which the
Examiners' Reports are considered. These dates will be available from
the Graduate Studies Office.
1.17 The submission form shall contain all the information required
for processing the thesis, including the final title of the thesis and
shall be signed by the Supervisor and the Head of Department. Where a
candidate considers that such signatures for entry have been withheld
unreasonably, he/she may appeal to the President of the University.
1.18 Work for which a degree of this University, or elsewhere, has
already been obtained will not be accepted as the main work for the MD
Degree. A confirmatory statement to this effect must accompany the
submission.
1.19 An oral will form part of the examination for all Higher Degrees
in Medicine, if requested by the Extern or if specifically requested
by the candidate.
1.20 Each Examiner shall prepare a written report on the thesis. Where
the Examiners are in agreement, the Extern shall submit a joint report
to the Student Records and Examinations Office for consideration by
the Graduate Studies Committee.
1.21 Where the Examiners are not in agreement, separate reports shall
be made. Copies of such reports will be submitted for consideration to
the Graduate Studies Committee with a view to a recommendation to
Academic Board on the award of the degree or otherwise. The Academic
Board, on the recommendation of the Graduate Studies Committee, shall
then appoint an additional special Extern Examiner, if necessary.
1.22 Examiners' reports must be received in the Student Records and
Examinations Office at least 10 working days prior to a meeting of the
Graduate Studies Committee. A candidate's conferring is dependent on
receipt of the Examiners' Reports. Conferring ceremonies are normally
held in June, September and December.
1.23 The Degree of MD shall be awarded in accordance with the decision
of Academic Board following receipt of the recommendation of the
Graduate Studies Committee. The Academic Board may award a lower
degree if merited on the recommendation of the Graduate Studies
Committee.
1.24 A recommendation for the award of the Degree of MD will not be
made unless the Examiners report that the work is worthy of
publication, in whole or in part, as a work of serious scholarship.
1.25 If the Graduate Studies Committee recommends that the MD Degree
be awarded, the candidate must re-submit a hard bound copy of the MD
Thesis, embodying any changes prescribed by the Examiners, where
recommended. A recommendation by the Graduate Studies Committee to
Academic Board, for the award of the degree shall not be made until
the revised thesis, incorporating the recommended changes, and
confirmed by the Supervisor, has been lodged with the Student Records
and Examinations Office.
1.26 Unless candidates indicate otherwise, a copy of the thesis will
be lodged in the University Library. Candidates will be asked to agree
that a copy of their thesis, deposited in the Library, will be
available for consultation under conditions laid down by the
University.
1.27 All theses shall remain the property of the University.
2. MD BY THESIS FOR WORK COMPLETED OFF-SITE (SUPERVISED OUTSIDE UCC)
Admission
To be eligible for consideration to enter on a programme of study and research for the Degree of MD, a candidate must normally be a UCC graduate.
2.1 All applications should be made to www.pac.ie
in the first instance.
2.2 All applications for admission to a programme of study and
research for the Degree of MD shall be considered by the Executive
Committee of the College of Medicine and Health, following
recommendation of the Head of Department in which the programme is to
be pursued, after consultation with the Medical School's Postgraduate
Affairs Committee, or its Chairperson.
2.3 The provisional title of the thesis and a short description
outlining the nature of the work must be provided to the Committee
when the student is being recommended for acceptance as a candidate
for the MD Degree. If the student's application is approved, he/she
must register as a MD candidate for the years prescribed, as a
minimum. Normally, a candidate accepted for the Degree of MD shall be
registered as a postgraduate student for two years from the date of
first registration for the programme before submission of the thesis
for examination. No retrospective approvals will be granted.
2.4 A proposal from candidates (up to 3-5 pages maximum) shall be
required incorporating the following:
(a) Title of Proposed Work.
(b) Location where the work will be completed.
(c) Name of External Supervisor(s).
(d) Overall Objectives.
(e) Specific Aims.
(f) Background and Significance.
(g) Preliminary Data.
(h) Experimental/Study Design with specific attention to:(i) feasibility of proposed study e. availability and access to local expertise for successful completion of study.
(ii) facilities and resources required.
(i) Bibliography cited.
(j) Letter of support from research supervisor and certification on completion of the work that it is mainly the candidate's own work.
2.5 The Academic Board is empowered to withdraw the acceptance of any candidate, following consideration of a report from the Graduate Studies Committee.
3. MD BY PUBLISHED WORK
For the MD by published work, at least three years must elapse from the date of obtaining the degree of Bachelor of Medicine of the University.
3.1 In the special case of a distinguished graduate of University
College Cork who wishes to submit a thesis for the degree of MD which
is based solely on published work, which must relate to a single
theme, the College of Medicine and Health may waive the requirement
concerning admission to the M.D. register and hence the normal
regulations regarding minimum time on the register before submitting a
thesis would not apply.
3.2 In order to submit an MD by published work, applicants should
apply on-line through www.pac.ie in the first instance and submit
three bound copies of their published work.
3.3 The published work must embody the results of personal
observations or their original research that, in the judgement of the
examiners, is considered worthy of recognition by such degree.
3.4 Work in the course of publication will not be examined.
3.5 The work must be freely available.
3.6 The work submitted must be of a high standard and contain original
contributions to the advancement of knowledge and learning which has
given the candidate international distinction in the field of study.
Journal publications should be in internationally refereed journals.
The publications must also embody a common theme sufficient to
indicate that the candidate has achieved a special competence in this
aspect of the subject.
3.7 If the work submitted is accepted for the award of an MD Degree by
Published Work, a reduced fee is payable (see fees section of the UCC
website).
Preliminary Procedure before an Application is accepted
The prospective candidate must lodge with the University:
(a) Four copies of each published work. Journal publications should be submitted in a bound volume.
(b) Ten copies of typed lists of titles of works presented, with publication references along with a brief resume of the general content of the papers.
(c) Statements from any co-authors: If the published work, or any part of it, appears under the names of more than one author, the candidate shall obtain a statement from the co-author(s), indicating as precisely as possible the contribution made by the candidate. Four copies of each of these original statements must also be lodged.
Where statements from co-authors cannot be obtained, the candidate should provide a statement giving a clear indication of his/her own contribution to the work. At least some of the works submitted must have been wholly written by the candidate, although in appropriate cases this requirement may be waived if so recommended by the College/Faculty of the University in which the candidate obtained the Primary Degree.
When multi-paper authors are included, the candidate will be required to include a commentary (circa 5,000 words) setting out his/her own contribution and the scientific conclusions to be drawn from the works.
(d) A Curriculum Vitae.
(e) The published work must be accompanied by a statement that the work is being submitted solely to the National University of Ireland and that it has not been used and will not be used to obtain a degree or diploma from another University or College. This provision, however, is not intended to preclude presentation of the same work at another time in part fulfilment of the requirements for another Doctorate Degree.
External Examiner and Supervisor/Advisor will be assigned in consultation with relevant Head of Department and Post Advisory Board.