Why not step aside from your degree for a year to study an intercalated degree? Combine your medical background with final-year level study outside of science and gain new insights that can change your practice and understanding of people.
Modern medicine requires professionals who understand humans as more than just a body or a series of symptoms. BA Medical Humanities will allow you to specialise in a chosen discipline, acquiring the ability to analyse and interpret research papers while gaining significant, hands-on experience in innovative research. Whilst challenging, this degree promises to be both interesting and enjoyable.
Want to know more about intercalation? Discover why students choose to intercalate and register your interest to receive more information about our intercalation opportunities at the University of Birmingham.
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Expand your horizons. Step away from your degree and choose a new avenue of study for a year.
An amazing opportunity to leave the medic bubble and learn a whole new way of analysing the problems the world and future healthcare face.
As a Birmingham student you are part of an academic elite and will learn from world-leading experts. On this course, where you will be working in a completely different discipline to medicine you will have to be an independent and self-motivated learner.
You will be assessed in a variety of ways. At the beginning of each module, you will be given information on how and when you will be assessed. You’ll receive feedback on each assessment within four weeks, so that you can learn from and build on what you have done. Assessments methods will vary with each module and could include:
The modules listed for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods.
The optional module information listed for this programme is intended to be indicative, and the availability of optional modules may vary from year to year. Where a module is no longer available, we will let you know as soon as we can and help you to make other choices.
You will take 120 credits over the year. 40 credits will be taken up by your research project with 20 credits normally distributed in each term. You will take 20 credits in interdisciplinary study through our in-house masters level module. This leaves you with 60 credits that you may take in modules of your choice.
The following must be taken:
| Module Title | Credits | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Humanities Independent Research Project | 40 | Full Term |
| The World of Interdisciplinary Research | 20 | Term 1 |
The medical humanities intercalated year is a uniquely flexible course allowing you to combine arts or social sciences with your medical background. You might specialize in a single subject like philosophy or study complementary subjects like politics and human geography. Optional language modules are available.
Lecturer
Staff profile for Dr Jennifer Marshall Lecturer in the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Medicine and Health and Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences at the University of Birmingham.
Our Medical Humanities graduates have delivered a range of excellent research projects combining their science and medical interests with what they have learnt throughout their intercalation year.
Below are some examples of past projects from recent Medical Humanities graduates:
You must be in year 3 or 4 of your medical degree, or year 2 in your Dental degree.
You must have obtained >60% in the second year of MBChB or BDS to be eligible. You will be ranked on your year 2 mark and answers to the questions on the application form.
Please note: if you have failed to achieve 60% may still apply, but are required to demonstrate a significant upward academic trajectory or excellence in specific areas related to the proposed intercalation.
We are always happy to discuss our programme with students from other universities and we would welcome applications. If you have any queries or wish to discuss the opportunities available to you in Birmingham please contact the LANS medical humanities administration team - lans@contacts.bham.ac.uk. Due to the module selection process please get in touch in January or February to ensure that you have the widest range of options available to you.
Full-time
You are entitled to reclaim up to £500 project expenses for conduction of their research. Claims must be accompanied by original receipts. Further to this, any travel costs incurred are eligible to apply for an Arthur Thomson Travel Award (up to £500). Applications for these awards will be considered at the end of the programme of study and are not guaranteed. These sources of funding are available to all students irrespective of their primary University of study.
If you are registered on the MBChB or Dental Programmes at the University of Birmingham, you are eligible to apply for a bursary to support you during your period of study. The intention to apply should be indicated on the application form. Bursaries are currently set at £3,000 and are limited. Students with an overall mean mark of <65% in year 2 of their programme of study are unlikely to be awarded a bursary.
Our funding sources mean that we are unable to offer bursaries to students from outside of Birmingham.
To help with the cost of studies, undergraduate students from the UK can apply for student finance through the Student Loans Company. The support available is made up of a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan which helps to cover living costs.
This programme is open to internal and external applicants. Please note, the programme may not run in any given academic year if there is insufficient student interest.
For any enquiries and details on how to apply for 2026 entry, please email our Intercalation team on cmhintercalationenquiries@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
If you wish to apply please email cmhintercalationenquiries@contacts.bham.ac.uk and we will send you our standard application form. External applicants must provide a transcript of marks from your current institution. Should an offer of a place be made to you we will send you any other paperwork you need to complete.
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