Medicine Degrees
Students with a keen interest in science, and a good understanding of its main fields, would be well suited to studying a course in Medicine at degree level. Entry level Medicine Degrees are available at almost 40 universities in the UK, and are hugely sought after.
Studying Medicine
One of the main advantages to studying a Medicine Degree is the number of career prospects open to you once you have graduated, and the amount of skills gained throughout the course. The course itself can take up to six years of full time study, and is awarded as a Bachelor of Medicine or a Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB & MBBS).
Topics Covered
Medicine degrees are usually split into two main stages which are awarded different degrees. The first three years will earn you a BA Degree in Medicine, and upon completion of this you are allowed to progress to the next stage of the degree; Clinical practice. Clinical practice takes place in the final 2-3 years of the degree and once this has been completed you will be awarded the full Bachelor of Medicine/ Bachelor of Surgery degree.
Throughout the first half of the degree students are introduced to a range of medicine related topics such as physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, the nervous system, circulation and breathing, nutrition, global health and human reproduction.
Entry Requirements
Entry requirements to a Medicine Degree can vary depending on the university that you are applying to, and you are advised to check with the university you are applying to for a full list of entry requirements.
At these universities the entry requirements from A Levels range between A*A*A – AAA with Biology being a specific A Level requirement. Some universities will also only accept students with A Level qualifications in other sciences and mathematics.
Additional entry requirements to Medicine Degrees also apply such as entrance interviews or exams. The most common entry exams include the BMAT test and the UKCAT test, where the applicants are tested on their generic problem solving, mathematics and science knowledge.
Career Prospects
After students have graduated from their medicine degree, they then have to apply for a provisional registration with the General Medical Council to take part in the Foundation Year 1 programme which takes up to 12 months to complete. Once this has been completed, full registration is given to the graduate. Full registration is needed for those graduates wanting to work in a medical practice or the NHS.
Common job roles for medicine graduates include GP doctor, hospital doctor, specialist surgeon and physician, with 99% of graduates landing this job within just 6 months of leaving university. A medicine degree was noted as the most employable degree in 2016 based on the destination of leavers from higher education survey 2016. You can read more about the most employable degrees with our article: Top 10 Most Employable Degrees.
