Login
Login

Medical degree

{{Short description|Degree awarded to practice medicine}}

{{Globalize|1=article|date=July 2021}}

{{Refimprove|date=April 2017}}

A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into specialty training with the end goal of securing a license to practice within their respective jurisdiction. Medical graduates may also pursue non-clinical careers including those in basic research and positions within the healthcare industry.

A worldwide study conducted in 2011 indicated on average: 64 university exams, 130 series exams, and 174 assignments are completed over the course of 5.5 years. As a baseline, students need greater than an 85% in prerequisite courses to enrol for the aptitude test in these degree programs.The BMJ — 13 August 2011, Volume 343, Number 7819{{failed verification|date=April 2017}}

Undergraduate medical degrees

The MBBS is also awarded at the graduate level, meaning the applicant already has an undergraduate degree prior to commencing their medical studies (graduate entry).{{Cite web |title=Medicine (Graduate-entry/ Accelerated) |url=https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses-listing/medicine-accelerated |website=University of Oxford}}{{Cite web |title=Medicine (Graduate entry) |url=https://www.sgul.ac.uk/study/courses/medicine-graduate-entry |website=St George's University of London|date=28 November 2024 }}

Graduate medical degrees

Comparison of allopathic and osteopathic medical degrees

class="wikitable"

|+

!Medical degree type

!Undergraduate

(Post-secondary)

!Graduate

(Post-baccalaureate)

!Graduate

(Post-baccalaureate)

!Graduate

(Post-baccalaureate)

Degree name

|Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery;

or

Bachelor of Medicine

|Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery

|Doctor of Medicine

|Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

Degree abbreviation

|MBBS, BMBS, MBChC, MBChB, MBBCh;

or

MB, BM, BMed

|MBBS, BMBS, MBChC, MBBCh

|MD

|DO

Admission

|Follows secondary education (standard course)

|Follows an undergraduate degree (graduate-entry)

|Follows an undergraduate degree (professional doctorate)

|Follows an undergraduate degree (professional doctorate)

Duration

|5 to 6 years

|4 years (accelerated)

|4 years

|4 years

Countries offering the degree (not exhaustive list)

|United Kingdom, Ireland, India, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Australia, and China, Saudi Arabia{{Cite web |date=2023-06-16 |title=Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) {{!}} College of Medicine {{!}} Alfaisal University |url=https://com.alfaisal.edu/en/mbbs |access-date=2023-07-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616103451/https://com.alfaisal.edu/en/mbbs |archive-date=2023-06-16 }}

|United Kingdom{{Cite web|last=Paul|date=2021-10-14|title=Graduate Entry Medicine|url=https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/graduate-entry-medicine/|access-date=2022-02-08|website=The Medic Portal|language=en}} and Ireland{{Cite web |title=BMBS Programme {{!}} University of Limerick School of Medicine |url=https://www.ul.ie/medicine/programmes/bmbs-programme |access-date=2022-05-23 |website=www.ul.ie|date=3 May 2018 }}

|United States, Canada, Israel, UAE, Australia

|United States

Some countries, especially Eastern European and former Soviet republics (Russia, Ukraine, Armenia) offer post-secondary, undergraduate, 6-year medical programs, which confer the title Doctor of Medicine as their medical qualification.

Post-graduate medical degrees

Alternative medical degrees

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Academic degrees|state=uncollapsed}}

{{Medicine|state=uncollapsed}}

Category:Medical degrees