Educational outcome and career objectives
- To expand and underpin the student knowledge in Plastic & Reconstructive surgery treatment and enhance their appreciation of continued education
- Develop the students’ proficiency in Plastic & Reconstructive healthcare, through proper diagnosis, treatment planning, clinical management of various types of disease processes, and interdisciplinary care, based on integrating the available evidence in individual treatment
- Develop the students’ research skills and related communication of results
- Demonstrate commitment among residents to community service, by providing a curriculum embedded in the needs of the vast majority of patients in the region
This MS program is aimed at surgeons (holding an MD degree) who are either:
- About to embark on a residency program in plastic surgery after two foundation years in general surgery
or
- Currently enrolled in a residency program in plastic surgery
or
- Have completed residency training in plastic surgery
Therefore, attaining an MS in Plastic Surgery is NOT and cannot be a license to practice Plastic Surgery in any country and is not intended to be.
Admission requirements
The application process will follow that presently used at AUB and AUBMC for the Master of Science degrees. Final acceptance in the MS program will be through the Graduate Committee (M.Sc. requirements) and then through the institutional process.
The specific prerequisites for acceptance in the M.Sc. program include, in addition to the AUBMC general conditions for admission in a M.Sc. program:
- Only applicants possessing the MD or its equivalent from a recognized institution will be accepted.
- For full-time students: The applicant should have completed basic surgical training and should have completed or would be intending to apply to a residency program in Plastic Surgery.
For part-time students: The applicant must be enrolled in a Plastic Surgery residency program. - Evidence of proficiency in English (refer to the requirements listed in the “graduate studies” section of the graduate AUB catalogue, p. 36): pass the English Language Proficiency Requirement or its equivalent (TOEFL, etc.)
- Applicants will also be interviewed.
Description of program and curriculum
The specialty program lasts two years for full-time and four years for part -time students. The total number of credits required for the proposed M.Sc. in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery is be 30 credits for completion of a thesis degree and 32 credits for a non-thesis degree. The program comprises 10 possible courses plus a dissertation. Courses PLRS 301-307 are mandatory. Courses PLRS 308, 309 and 310 are optional.
- Course PLRS301 is the only mandatory course that is only worth 2 credits
- PLRS 302 through 307 are mandatory courses worth 3 credits each (18 credits total)
- PLRS 308, 309 and 310 are elective optional courses (2 credits each). All students are required to take at least 2 of the three, which is equivalent to a total of 4 elective credits.
- The research component (PLRS 399) can be performed under one of two possible tracks:
- Thesis track (Path 1): Writing an original research thesis (6 credits, graded P or F)
- Non-thesis track (path 2): Writing a narrative review on a chosen topic, to be submitted for publication by the time of graduation (6 credits, graded P or F) plus taking the third of the optional elective courses (2 cr) (P or F in this case)
Successful completion of all mandatory courses, in addition to path (1) OR (2) described above will qualify the student for the M.Sc. Degree.
Every student will be coupled to a research advisor as of the first semester (multiple students can be coupled to one advisor). The thesis/review article topic should be identified during the second semester. The fourth and last semester of the full time schedule will allow more time and dedication to research and writing. Thesis Defense course PLRS- 399 and the comprehensive examination course PLRS 395A/395B will be held during that last semester.