Humanitas University has 180 places on offer for its degree course in Medicine and Surgery – a 6-year course taught in English, with international students from all over the world: 130 places are allocated to European students and 50 to non-Europeans.
The HUMAT entrance test: structure and new features for 2023
Admission to the degree course is subject to passing the online entrance test, which, as from next year, will be increased to two tests; the first in February (16-17 February 2023) and the second in March (9-10 March 2023). The tests are open not only to pupils in the final year of secondary school, but also to those in their penultimate year.
Only the best result from the two tests will be considered for the final ranking for admission to the 2023/2024 academic year. The best result for 4th-year students, however, will be frozen until the following year when they will be able to take the two tests again, and the best result out of all four tests will enter the ranking list for admission to the 2024/2025 academic year.
In The HUMAT entrance test candidates have 120 minutes in which to answer 60 questions, 30 about Scientific Thinking and 30 on Academic Literacy. The test was developed by Humanitas University together with experts from Cambridge University, Imperial College, the University of Oxford Medical School and Leeds Medical School. The aim is to identify talented students, irrespective of their educational background, with scientific and critical thinking skills as well as an ability to analyse and understand academic texts.
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Preparation and induction weeks
In order to prepare for the test in the best way, Humanitas University offers an opportunity to participate in a Preparation Week: an intensive one-week course designed to help students become familiar with all the sections of the test, to do practice tests and receive training feedback from professors within the university. The next Preparation Week will be held online from 19 to 26 November, for a total of 35 hours of lessons for the week.
“Before the start of the first year, first-year students are offered a programme of Induction Weeks,” explains Prof. Isabella Cinzia Barajon, President of the Degree Course in Medicine and Surgery. “During these four weeks we help students fill any gaps they might have in their education, sometimes due to different study programmes between countries, particularly non-EU countries. In addition we try to help them to familiarise themselves with the campus, to start feeling more at home as well as to resolve any bureaucratic issues. In addition, a 40-hour Italian language course is planned for all foreign students. Knowing Italian is fundamental not only for student integration, but above all because Medicine and Surgery is a vocational course and students will need to be proficient in the language by the beginning of the third year, when they start their internship at the hospital and will have contact with patients.”
Scholarships available
All students, regardless of their country of origin, have access throughout their studies to scholarships covering part or all of their university fees. In the first year, the criteria for allocation are adjusted according to the study programmes of the different countries.
Humanitas: University, Hospital, Research and Simulation Centre
One of the strengths of Humanitas University is its strong integration with the IRCCS Istituto Clinico Humanitas hospital, ranked first in Italy by Newsweek’s World’s Best Smart Hospitals 2023. Vocational activities are given the utmost importance: starting from the third year when students begin putting into practice the theory learned in the classroom, such as learning how to take a case history, examining a patient, and taking part in the discussion of clinical cases under the supervision of a tutor. In addition, Humanitas University is home to the Mario Luzzatto Simulation Centre, one of the largest simulation centres in Europe with over 2,000 square metres of operating theatres, multimedia control rooms and surgeries where students can practise in absolute safety and contribute to their professional training.
As of two years ago a degree in medicine in Italy qualifies graduates to begin practising immediately, so it is essential that young doctors be prepared for the job. For this reason between the fifth and sixth year, students are required to undergo three months of practice: one month in general medicine, one in surgery and the last in another medical area.
Extra-curricular activities
“Third-year students interested in biomedical research have the opportunity to participate in the Virgilio Program,” Prof. Barajon explains, its objective being to develop knowledge and understanding about the link between basic and clinical research, as well as to acquire the skills to combine patient care with research. In addition, they will be able to carry out research activities in order to complete an experimental thesis at one of the partner universities’.
Another opportunity for students wishing to acquire additional knowledge, skills and competences in a specific clinical area is the Honors Track: an intensive programme for fourth-year students with lectures, seminars and hands-on activities at the university’s Simulation Centre and Anatomy Lab. The annual call for applications offers five macro-areas: surgery, oncology, orthopaedics, allergology and emergency medicine.
And finally for those interested in practising medicine in the United States, Hunimed prepares students for the USMLE by providing a curriculum in line with the required educational standards in collaboration with the US National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME®).
For more information visit hunimed.eu.