Humanitas University and Politecnico di Milano together for a pioneering degree programme
Humanitas University, dedicated to the Life Sciences, closely integrated with Humanitas Hospital and Research Centre, together with the Politecnico di Milano, one of the most prestigious technological Universities in the world, will give life to a globally unique degree programme in Medicine, the MEDTEC School, taught entirely in English.
The new degree programme will create a new professional figure that will combine the skills of a medical doctor with those of an engineer. Such skills are necessary for future medical doctors to be able to apply new technologies (precision medicine, artificial intelligence, neuro-robotics, big data, etc..), which in recent decades have played a key role in the pathway of patient care and increased life expectancy.
The new MEDTEC Degree Programme
The new degree programme, held in English, provides a six-year training course taught by academic teaching staff from both Humanitas University and Politecnico di Milano. Interactive methodologies will be at the forefront of teaching and learning activities.
During the first three years of the degree programme, course attendance will alternate between the two Universities, while the modules over the final three years of the programme will be held by academic teaching staff from Politecnico di Milano at Humanitas University, guaranteeing full integration between medical and engineering skills during the period of clinical training. During some of the professionalising activities, students will also be followed by tutors from Politecnico di Milano.
On completion of the degree programme, graduates in Medicine can also apply to Politecnico di Milano for a Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering, and then depending on their vocational choices, either enter into Medical Specialty Schools, Medical Research and Engineering with technical PhDs or join industry directly.
The reason for the new educational and training proposal
Humanitas President Gianfelice Rocca explains: “In the field of Life Sciences, great challenges are on the horizon: the ageing population, the impact of innovation, accessibility and sustainability of national systems of healthcare and assistance. In a social context of increasing complexity, MEDTEC School was created to respond to these challenges by training professionals able of managing and exploiting technology for the benefit of an increasingly more humane, innovative and sustainable medicine.
The President then emphasized how Milan and Lombardy are the driving forces behind an avant-garde health system that is accessible to all.
Professor Marco Montorsi, Rector of Humanitas University, is also of the same opinion and points out that: “It is essential to develop new skills to deal with situations of increasing complexity that may redesign the role of the doctor – patient relationship, supported by technology. An innovative didactic approach combined with field training, is possible thanks to the close proximity of Humanitas Hospital, and the international character of our University, making this course unique in a European and global panorama”.
A new building
The integration between Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, the focus of the new degree programme, has made it necessary to create an ad hoc space that meets the particular organizational needs. A new hi-tech and ecologically sustainable building will be located on Humanitas University Campus alongside one of the most advanced Simulation Centers in Europe, built thanks to a major private donation. The new building will have open and modular laboratories to connect with the teaching activity areas, in order to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and communication between students and teachers from different disciplines.
From the very beginning of their training, MEDTEC School undergraduates will be able to take advantage of Humanitas Research Laboratories and gain experience in a highly specialised hospital, considered one of the most technologically advanced in Europe.
The admissions test
Access to the new MEDTEC School Medical Degree for the academic year 2019/2020 will be regulated by an admissions test in English, scheduled for September 6th, 2019, to obtain one of the 50 places available.
The test is designed to capture the aptitude and propensity of candidates to study both Medicine and Engineering science.