Early Medical Programmes and Degrees Conferred in Singapore and Malaysia 1905-1960

Information to construct the following table on the early medical programmes and degrees conferred by Singapore and Malaysia were obtained by interviewing two KE VII medical graduates, Tan Sri Dr Raja Ahmad Noordin bin Raja Shahbuddin (Class of 1956) and Tan Sri Dr Abdul Majid bin Ismail (Class of 1950). The interviews were held separately in May 2007. Tan Sri Dr Raja Ahmad Noordin was interviewed at home in Petaling Jaya while Tan Sri Dr Abdul Majid was interviewed in his office in Jalan Damai, Kuala Lumpur.

Early Medical Programmes and Degrees Conferred in Singapore and Malaysia 1905-1960

Year	Name of Medical School / Event	Duration of Study	Degree Conferred
1905	Straits Settlement and Federated Malay States Government Medical School	5 years	LMS
1913	King Edward VII Medical School (KE VII Medical School)	5 years	LMS
1921	King Edward VII College of Medicine (KE VII College of Medicine)	5 years	LMS
1923	King Edward VII College of Medicine (KE VII College of Medicine)	6 years	LMS
1939	Merger of King Edward VII College of Medicine with Raffles College of Arts and Science into a university college	6 years	LMS
1942	College of Medicine ceased operation due to Japanese Occupation during WWII	ceased
1943	Marei Ika Daigaku or Syonan Medical College operated in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Medium of instruction was Japanese.	resumed
1944	Syonan Medical College operated in Malacca General Hospital (ended in 1945). Medium of instruction was Japanese.	shifted
1946	King Edward VII College of Medicine reopened in postwar Singapore	resumed as normal
1949	Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya was established in Singapore	faculty-based teaching
1950	First batch of postwar graduands attended convocation without their pre-ordered graduation gowns due to late delivery. First batch to receive MBBS instead of LMS. Still in Singapore.	10 years (lost 5 years to war)	MBBS UM (S’pore)
1951	Second batch of postwar graduands attended convocation with their graduation gowns,  the first time the gowns were used	5 years	MBBS UM (S’pore)
1960	Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya operated in KL campus	5 years	MBBS UM (KL)

 LMS = Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery; KE VII = King Edward VII


Citation: Early Medical Programmes and Degrees Conferred in Singapore and Malaysia 1905-1960. The Early Malay Doctors, 2011, Faridah Abdul Rashid, online blog