STUDENTS will have a second chance of getting into Melbourne University's medicine and law courses under a new American-European-style degree system.
The system, dubbed the Melbourne Model and to be launched in 2008, would also help reduce pressure faced by the state's brightest year 12 students, according to the architect of the new model, deputy vice-chancellor (academic) Peter McPhee.
Under the model, the university will offer a three-year generalist degree after which students can elect to do a specialist degree. It would mean that the year 12 equivalent national tertiary entrance rank (ENTER) would become less relevant in selecting students to study law and medicine.
The Melbourne Model will enable students who do well in an undergraduate course in an unrelated area to still be eligible for law or medicine. Graduates from other universities could also be accepted to study some of Melbourne's high ENTER score degrees.
