| St. George's University | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Think Beyond |
| Established | 1976 |
| Type | For-profit[1] |
| Chancellor | Charles R. Modica |
| Academic staff | 850+ |
| Students | 5000+ |
| Postgraduates | 8000+ |
| Location | St. George's, St. George, Grenada |
| Campus | True Blue Bay |
| Sports | SGU Knights |
| Mascot | Knights |
| Website | sgu.edu |
St. George’s University is an independent international university in Grenada, West Indies, offering degrees in medicine, veterinary medicine, public health, the health sciences, nursing, arts and sciences, and business.
St. George's University was established by an act of Grenada's parliament on July 23, 1976. Classes in the School of Medicine began January 17, 1977. In 1993, the University added graduate and undergraduate programs. In 1996, it was granted a charter for the School of Arts and Sciences and a Graduate Studies Program. In 1997, undergraduate courses in international business, life sciences, medical sciences, pre-medical and pre-veterinary medicine were added. The School of Veterinary Medicine was established in 1999. In 2008, the School of Nursing opened.
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St. George's University was founded on July 23, 1976 by an act of Grenada's Parliament. The name is taken from the capital city of Grenada. The original founders were Charles Modica, Louis Modica, Edward McGowan, and Patrick F. Adams. Classes at St. George’s School of Medicine began on January 17, 1977. Almost all of the founding faculty members had been educated either in the United States or Europe.
A Marxist coup forcibly overturned the Gairy government of Grenada in 1979, as the school was in its infancy with a student enrollment of 630. There were nearly 1000 Americans on the island (including students, faculty, families, etc.). The U.S. government launched Operation Urgent Fury in 1983 as a result. Students were evacuated and classes were moved to Long Island, New York; New Jersey, and Barbados temporarily until 1984.[2]
The reason given by the U.S. Administration of Ronald Reagan to justify the October 1983 invasion of Grenada was to rescue American medical students at St. George’s University from the danger posed to them by the violent coup that had overthrown Grenada’s Prime Minister Maurice Bishop.[3][4] Bishop, a number of members of his government and several dozen civilians were killed in the coup and the island had been placed under a 24-hour curfew.[5] During the days immediately after the coup, the only independent information coming out of Grenada was from a ham radio operated by a St. George’s student.[6][7] In his memoir, President Reagan recounted the return to the U.S. of the St. George’s students as an event that affected him deeply. “I was among many in our country whose eyes got a little misty when I watched their arrival in the United States on television and saw some of them lean down and kiss American soil the moment that they stepped off the airplanes that brought them home."[8]
In 1987, St. George's University obtained approval to conduct medical training in New York and New Jersey, making the University the first non-US medical school to gain approval in both states. The British Medical Council granted the School limited recognition in 1988, an act that opened doors to wide acceptance in the British Commonwealth countries. Today, nearly 8,000 graduates of the University practice medicine worldwide.
The Doctor of Medicine (MD) Program at St. George’s University School of Medicine has been accredited and/or approved by multiple external bodies:[9]
St. George’s School of Medicine has been reviewed and approved by the following bodies internationally:
St. George’s University graduates have also gained registration with medical licensing authorities in the following countries: Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Dutch Antilles, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Grenada, Hong Kong, Iceland, Israel, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malaysia, Nigeria, Mali, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St. Vincent (island), Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vietnam, Zimbabwe [9][25]
In 1996, the U.S. Department of Education reviewed the standards of medical education in 30 countries for the purpose of conferring student loans. Grenada was one of four countries approved during the initial review; the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada were the other three. Other countries have subsequently been approved.[9]
St. George's University School of Medicine is listed in the FAIMER International Medical Education Directory (IMED)[26] and in the AVICENNA Directory for medicine.[27]
The School of Veterinary Medicine is fully authorized by the government of Grenada to confer the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree upon those candidates who successfully complete its academic requirements.[9]
The school received full accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education on September 19, 2011.[28]
In 2008, Grenada was ranked #1 in USMLE Step One and Step Two/CK in the Caribbean for the highest first time pass rate among all countries with medical schools in the Caribbean over the past 15 years. Grenada – with St. George’s University School of Medicine as the only medical school in Grenada – had an 84.4% pass rate in Step One, outperforming the other countries that had an average pass rate of 49.9% during the same 15-year time period.[29][30]
Students wishing to achieve the Doctor of Medicine degree may enter during the premedical program during one of the three premedical sciences years, or the four-year medical program beginning with the first year of Basic Sciences, which is when most students from North America begin.[31]
Students who begin the medical program in the premedical sciences years must meet the program’s academic standards to be promoted into the first year of the four-year medical program. Students pursuing the Doctor of Medicine degree begin study in Grenada or in the UK at the Keith B. Taylor Global Scholars Program. The latter offers medical students the option of spending the first year of the four-year MD degree program on the campus of Northumbria University in the United Kingdom. They continue into the second year of the four-year program in Grenada. All medical students complete clinical training in one of 60+ affiliated centers in the United States, the United Kingdom or Canada.[32]
The Keith B. Taylor Global Scholars Program (KBTGSP) is a one year program that offers first year medical students the opportunity to study in Newcastle, England. The program is only offered to new matriculates and they have the option of either doing their first year of studies in the Grenada campus or in the KTBGSP program. KTBGSP combines the St. George’s University School of Medicine MD program with a one-year experience of medical education on the Northumbria University (NU) campus in Newcastle, United Kingdom. The KBTGSP program follows the same curriculum offered in Grenada and students have the experience of being immersed in UK urban culture for a year. Everything except the location is essentially the same: the curriculum, academic calendar, services, fees and access to campus student life facilities (gyms, dining halls, libraries, playing fields, etc.). Northumbria University (NU) campus in Newcastle, United Kingdom.
In order to maintain their status with licensing boards around the world, the chairs of each department and the course directors oversee both the Grenada and UK programs. This assures that SGU offers the same program in both locations. The KBTGSP program is taught by professors from the UK and visiting professors from Grenada. The textbooks, exams and academic schedule are all the same as is offered in Grenada.
This partnership gives students the opportunity to study in the United Kingdom, Grenada and the United States. The program's goal is to broaden the participants’ understanding of the different cultures of the three host countries, while giving them insight into cross-cultural medical practices.
The program of study leading to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree is discipline based. The program is delivered in two phases: a three-year preveterinary medical program and a four-year veterinary medical program. This enables students flexible entry points depending upon their academic backgrounds. Generally, students from the North American model of education who hold a baccalaureate degree enter directly into the four-year veterinary medical program.[31]
Three years of the four-year veterinary medical program core curriculum is in the form of lectures and labs completed in Grenada, and the fourth clinical year is completed at American Veterinary Medical Association-accredited 35+ veterinary schools in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, or Republic of Ireland. Students apply to these schools in their third year and are accepted based on academics and professionalism. url= http://www.sgu.edu/school-of-veterinary-medicine/affiliated-universities.html [33]
The School of Medicine and School of Veterinary Medicine, together with the Graduate Studies Program and Undergraduate Programs, offer professional students a variety of dual degree opportunities.
Those who enter the University in the early stage of the premedical program (the first or second year of the premedical program) may earn a bachelor’s degree upon acceptance into and completion of the first year of the four-year medical program if the qualifications for a bachelor’s degree are met.
Students who wish to enhance their educational experience and broaden their career opportunities may simultaneously earn a graduate degree in Public Health, Anatomy, Microbiology, and its related concentrations, or scientific research in specific disciplines. These dual graduate degrees require the student to study for at least one extra term in Grenada.
The dual degree offerings include: BS/MD Dual Degree, BS/DVM Dual Degree, MD/MPH, DVM/MPH, MD/MSc Public Health, MD/MSc Microbiology, MD/MSc Clinical Anatomy, MD/PhD Clinical Anatomy, DVM/Master of Science (MSc). SGU is now offering an MD/MBA program as well.
St. George’s University’s School of Arts and Sciences offers several professional and degree programs. The undergraduate program is taught in conjunction with T. A. Marryshow Community College in Grenada. The degree program offerings are:[34]
The Graduate Studies Program at St. George’s University is offered within the School of Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, and the School of Arts and Sciences. Students benefit from the University’s community of over 100 full-time faculty members and the opportunity to participate in research projects in conjunction with the Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation, an independent research institute located on the True Blue campus.[35]
Through its Graduate Studies Program, the School of Medicine offers master’s degree programs in Public Health, Microbiology, and Anatomy. The School also offers PhD programs in Microbiology and Anatomy.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program, established within the School of Medicine in 2007, is offered in two phases. In the first phase, students obtain the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), which is completed in two and a half years. Successful graduates are eligible to apply for licensure as Registered Nurses. The second phase is the ADN/RN to BSN program, which is completed in two years. In this phase, students will continue to evolve and learn disciplines that employ critical thinking to integrate increasingly complex knowledge, skills and technologies, and client care activities into evidence-based nursing practice. Graduates receive the Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Nursing.[36]
Established in 2008, the AIM Centre seeks to advance St. George’s University’s mission of improving health care across the world, through the development of innovative business programs that address the economic and fiscal health of the broader community. With a guiding principle of “One Health – One Medicine,” AIM prepares leaders in the sciences and business better manage their organizations and contribute to community wellness. St.George’s University has been designated by the Peter F. Drucker Institute as the founding site for the Drucker Society of the Caribbean.[37]
Founded in 1994 with funds granted by the University, the Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation, an independent non-profit organization located on the True Blue campus, seeks to advance health and environmental development through multidisciplinary research and education programs. Currently, the Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation carries out short- and long-term studies in epidemiology, anthropology, virology, conservation ecology, marine biology and other topics relevant to tropical climates and developing nations.[38]
The Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation strives for program excellence by promoting collaborative relationships between internationally recognized scholars and regional scientists, by adhering to the highest ethical and academic standards in the design and conduct of research, and by maintaining computer links to the world’s scientific community.[38]
St. George’s University’s True Blue campus is located on the southwest corner of Grenada overlooking the Caribbean Sea.[39] The campus city has recently been expanded with over 50 new wireless-enhanced structures including a library, anatomy labs, dormitories, lecture halls, and administrative facilities.[40] The University is home to nearly 50 student-sponsored organizations that range from science-oriented to sports to cultural interests.[41]
The students of St. George's University are represented by the Student Government Association (SGA) as well as the Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA). The associations are active not only on-campus, but also in the local Grenadian community donating hundreds of student work hours per term and tens of thousands of dollars per year to local causes.
In 2009, the SGU Research Institute was established networking research endeavors throughout the New York/New Jersey area.
As published annually on SGU's website,[42] the tuition rates for St. George's University are:
Premedical/Grenada
Per Term (15 credits or more) $9,720 USD
Per Credit $675 USD
Preclinical/Grenada
Term 1 $22,414 USD
Term 2 $22,414 USD
Term 3 and 4 combined $30,660 USD
Term 5 $24,755 USD
Clinical Program
Term 7 $22,625 USD
Term 8 $22,625 USD
Term 9 $22,625 USD
Term 10 $22,625 USD
Term 11 $22,625 USD
Malpractice Insurance, Terms 7-11, Per Term, Each Term: $357 USD
Oral Examination Fee: $1,050 USD
Graduation Fee: $564 USD
Books: Approximately $800 USD per term
Graduate Studies Program Per Credit: $649 USD
Alternate Curriculum Students who change mid-semester from a full to alternate pathway at the direction of the Dean of Students receive a full tuition refund and are re-charged at $896.00 per credit, plus full administrative/student fees.
Basic Science students who repeat courses at the direction of the promotions and/or Appeals Committee are not charged tuition for the repeated courses; however, in all these cases, full administrative/student fees are charged.
Of total cost to attend St. George’s University School of Medicine, 18% represents administrative/student fees.[42]