The Professional Master’s Degree Authorization Point in Clinical Medicine at South China University of Technology (SCUT) was officially approved in 2022. In September 2014, SCUT signed a cooperative education agreement with the Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, formally establishing the “ South China University of Technology School of Medicine,” the “South China University of Technology Institute for Life Sciences ,” and the “Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences,” while simultaneously inaugurating “The First Clinical College of South China University of Technology.” In 2017, SCUT entered into a deep collaboration with Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, signing an agreement to establish a directly affiliated hospital and founding “The Second Affiliated Hospital of South China University of Technology.” In the same year, the Clinical Medicine discipline entered the top 1% of the global ESI rankings, marking a major breakthrough in disciplinary development.

Both affiliated hospitals have long-standing traditions in clinical education, having conducted postgraduate training since 1978 and 1996, respectively. During the evaluation period, a comprehensive “undergraduate–master’s–postgraduate education” integrated training system was established. By the time of evaluation, a total of ten cohorts of undergraduate clinical medicine students had been trained, with more than five cohorts completing the full training cycle, reflecting a strong foundation in teaching and education. As the core clinical teaching hospitals of this degree program and national standardized resident training bases, these hospitals fully participate in the cultivation of high-level clinical medical professionals.

In addition, the program continuously expands high-quality clinical teaching resources by establishing strategic cooperation with the General Hospital of the Southern Theater Command, as well as forming a deeply coordinated education system with the Sixth Affiliated Hospital and the Zhuhai Women and Children’s Hospital. By integrating the distinctive specialties and teaching resources of multiple hospitals, a diversified and multi-level clinical practice platform has been established, covering comprehensive medical care, maternal and child health specialties, and military hospitals. This complementary and resource-sharing clinical teaching network provides diversified and systematic support for clinical rotations and specialty training of professional master’s students.

Relying on three core strengths—national-level key clinical specialty clusters, high-level scientific research platform clusters, and a top-tier faculty team—the program adheres to the educational philosophy of equal emphasis on clinical practice and scientific innovation, parallel development of medical–engineering integration and interdisciplinary collaboration, and the cultivation of composite competencies encompassing technology, humanities, and management. Closely aligned with major national strategic needs, the program is committed to becoming a major base for cultivating high-level applied medical talents and advancing scientific and technological innovation in southern China. According to the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) released by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) in 2017, SCUT’s Clinical Medicine discipline has entered the global top 1%, demonstrating its comprehensive strength in clinical care, scientific innovation, and educational quality. Subsequently, characteristic disciplines such as molecular genetics and immunology have also entered the global top 1% of ESI rankings.

With distinctive disciplinary features, robust research platforms, and an open international cooperation network, the School of Medicine has forged an innovative path of “characteristic, research-oriented, and internationalized” development. It provides undergraduate students with broad opportunities to engage in cutting-edge international research and academic exchange, fostering the growth of high-quality medical professionals with both national commitment and global vision. All key indicators consistently exceed the national baseline requirements for degree authorization points, laying a solid foundation for cultivating outstanding medical talents who support high-quality development of the healthcare system and serve public health needs.