MMed Chemical Pathology

Master of Medicine in the field of Chemical Pathology

Overview

Chemical Pathology or clinical biochemistry is a branch of pathology that deals with the basis o f disease and the use of laboratory tests to diagnose and manage medical conditions. It bridges the gap between laboratory medicine and clinical medicine assisting  clinicians to make informed decisions using biochemical data.

Chemical Pathology is one of the departments in the School of Pathology and staff enjoy joint status as an academic in the University of the Witwatersrand and laboratory services within the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS).

Career Opportunities

1. Hospital and Clinical Practice as a pathologist

  • Interpreting lab results and advising clinicians
  • Leading laboratory teams and managing test quality
  • Developing diagnostic strategies for diseases (e.g., diabetes, kidney/liver dysfunction)
  • Participating in multidisciplinary teams for patient care
  • Laboratory director

2. Research and Academia

  • Lecturing medical students and training registrars
  • Teaching and training laboratory staff
  • Supervising postgraduate students for higher degrees
  • Publishing research on disease biomarkers, diagnostics, or personalised medicine
  • Biomedical and translational research

Curriculum

The MMed programme is is a four year full time degree designed to train registrars for specialisation as a pathologist. The degree consists of 1 written exam and a research component that requires the submission of a dissertation or thesis at end of the programme.

The programme is split into 4 parts. Part 1 is a written exam at the end of the first year, followed by part II and part III. Part IV (final exam) is written at the end of the training period (4years). In addition, registrars are expected to write the FCPath part 1 after 12 months, and FCPath part 2 after 42 months that is line with The College of Medicine.

Entry Requirements

  1. Registered as a medical practitioner with the Health Profession Council of South Africa (HPCSA) or a qualification from another university that would allow the candidate to register as a medical practitioner or in the case of foreign graduates wishing to train as a supernumerary registrar or;
  2. Is a holder of a training post in one of the teaching hospitals attached to the Faculty of Health Senate and the HPCSA subject to the provisions of specific rule for specialities and sub specialities or;
  3. Is the holder of a minimum of two years standing, of the degree Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Medicine of this University or any other University or;
  4. S/he accepts the condition that, whether as a Registrar or Supernumerary Registrar, s/he may be subject to a period of probation of a maximum of one year and that at the end of this period, the department or division concerned may advise the Senate that the registration of the candidate be cancelled.

University Application Process

  • Applications are handled centrally by the Student Enrolment Centre (SEnC). Once your application is complete in terms of requested documentation, your application will be referred to the relevant School for assessment. Click here to see an overview of the Wits applications process. Refer to Wits Postgraduate Online Applications Guide for detailed guidelines. 
  • Please apply online. Upload your supporting documents at the time of application, or via the Self Service Portal.
  • Applicants can monitor the progress of their applications via the Self Service Portal.
  • Selections for programmes that have a limited intake but attract a large number of applications may only finalise the application at the end of the application cycle.

Please note that the Entry Requirements are a guide. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee a place. Final selection is made subject to the availability of places, academic results and other entry requirements where applicable.

International students, please check this section.

For more information, contact the Student Call Centre +27 (0)11 717 1888, or log a query at www.wits.ac.za/askwits.

University Fees and Funding

Click here to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees site also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.

For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, click here. The University's Postgraduate Funding portal is a database of scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities available to Wits postgraduate students. Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities. NRF bursaries: The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies. External bursaries portal: The Bursaries South Africa website provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.