Medicine and Surgery MBChB Graduate Entry Course

All applicants must:

• Apply through UCAS
• Offer acceptable academic qualifications (see below) 
• Sit the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) in year of application
• Attend for interview if invited

In summary an applicant must offer a Life Science degree. The degree result is important but we will also consider secondary school qualifications as well as the development of personal qualities in our assessment of an application. Furthermore, we will take into account certain contextual information.

International Students

This full 4-year Graduate Entry Medicine and Surgery course is open to home/EU students only.

Applicants must have excellent written and spoken English. In line with the requirements for applicants from the UK, normally we expect grade A in English at GCSE (or equivalent). Please note that the university’s Standard English language requirements are minimum standards, which are likely to be raised through competition.

Depending on your chosen course of study, you may also be interested in one of our foundation pathways, which offer specially structured programmes for international students whose qualifications are not accepted for direct entry to UK universities. Further details can be found on Birmingham International Academy web pages.

As a student at Birmingham Medical School, you will learn from passionate researchers, academics and clinicians in world-class settings to support you throughout your studies.

Your learning will take place in a variety of forms: lectures, seminars, tutorials, practicals, bedside demonstrations, clinical experience and a small component of problem-based learning (PBL). We adapt our methods to the subject matter, for example, offering role-play and video feedback on patient–doctor communication.

Much of the student selected component uses enquiry-based learning, a form of active, student-led, learning which asks you to find answers to problems through your own research rather than being given information and memorising facts. This learning style is supported by group work which develops your skills in team-work and will provide you with the vital skills required to practice as a doctor in a lifelong learning environment.

A significant part of your learning experience will take place on clinical placements. These are structured to allow you the maximum number of contact hours with patients as this experience is vital to your learning. You will have regular time with your Senior Academy Tutors (clinical tutors) as part of your placement experience where feedback on the development of your clinical skills and knowledge base is given in small groups. This form of learning is in addition to your formal structured teaching sessions.

Our Academic Skills Centre also offers you support with your learning. The centre is a place where you can develop your mathematical, academic writing and general academic skills. We aim to help you to become a more effective and independent learner through the use of a range of high-quality and appropriate learning support services.

A typical week in year one might involve:

• A period of self-directed learning
• Presentations to the group on the results from the previous week’s problem and discussion on the problem for the next week
• Group work in anatomy, clinical skills and basic science
• Time for meeting experts and meeting your group tutor
• Lectures covering the context and concepts that underpin the themes of the blocks
• Time in primary care with direct patient contact to obtain the necessary communication and clinical skills  

A typical week in year two might involve:

• Lectures
• Small-group clinical teaching sessions
• Clinic sessions
• One day in primary care
• Attendance with the on-call medical or surgical team
• A period of self-directed learning  

After your first clinical year, you have the same knowledge and skills – having achieved the same learning objectives – as students who have completed the third year of the five-year MBChB course. From this stage both routes share an identical course.  

Find out more about learning at Birmingham Medical School and see example timetables

Facilities

You’ll have access to excellent physical facilities and technologies and will also benefit from the considerable learning resources of the Medical School, including our extensive library (electronic and physical) and information technology-based material.

Learn more about our facilities

Teaching Staff

At Birmingham Medical School you'll learn a hands-on approach delivered by our passionate researchers, academics and clinicians. During your placements, you will be taught by senior clinicians and dedicated Clinical Teaching Fellows (junior doctors) to ensure you receive excellent training in each speciality. You’ll also work with Senior Academy Tutors who will be a senior doctor, to ensure that you are fully supported in your learning.

For more information about staff in the school, their qualifications, publication history and specific areas of interest, visit the Birmingham Medical School key staff page.

Student Support

We work hard to support you through good times and bad through our welfare services. You’ll have access to a comprehensive support system that will assist and encourage you, including personal tutors, mentoring programmes, welfare tutors and wellbeing officers who can help with both academic and welfare issues. If there are particular areas where you need support, rest assured that we will be here for you.

Discover more about the support available at Birmingham Medical School

As a Birmingham Medical School graduate, you will thrive in the workplace as you begin to apply your knowledge and skills in real life settings, to ensure that patients are cared for safely, effectively and with compassion.

Whether you have a clear idea of where your future aspirations lie or want to consider the broad range of opportunities available to you once you have a Birmingham degree, Birmingham Medical School and our outstanding Careers Network can help you to achieve your goal.

After graduating from Birmingham Medical School and completing two foundation years, you’ll be in a position to apply for posts within your chosen speciality. For most of our graduates, these are hospital and primary care posts in the NHS, however there are also opportunities in laboratory-based disciplines, research and commercial fields such as the pharmaceutical industry, politics and medical journalism and the media.

At the end of your undergraduate course you will receive your MBChB degree, which is a primary medical qualification (PMQ). Holding a PMQ entitles you to provisional registration with the General Medical Council, subject to its acceptance that there are no Fitness to Practise concerns that need consideration. Find out more about the General Medical Council registration and licensing.

The GMC has introduced a Medical Licensing Assessment – the MLA – for all students graduating from 2024 onwards to demonstrate that those who obtain registration with a licence to practise medicine in the UK meet a common threshold for safe practice. Applicants should be aware that to obtain registration with a licence to practise, medical students will need to pass both parts of the MLA and demonstrate their fitness to practise.

For summary information about the design of the MLA, please see the joint statement by the Medical Schools Council and the GMC.

For further information on the Medical Licensing Assessment please visit the GMC website

Please also see guidance from the Medical Schools Council: After medical school.

An advantage you will have as a Birmingham student is access to our unique careers guidance service where we help you to develop your career from the moment you arrive. Working closely with academics, alumni, Royal Colleges and the NHS, Careers Network focus on providing you with advice and guidance on the recruitment process for both the Foundation and Academic Foundation Programmes, including support with applications and interview preparation. Find out more about Careers Network.

In addition to this, our employer-endorsed award-winning Personal Skills Award (PSA) recognises your extra-curricular activities, and provides an accredited employability programme designed to improve your career prospects.

To see what some of our students have gone on to do after completing their degree, visit our alumni profile page. 

Professional Accreditation

Our graduates are entitled to provisional registration with the General Medical Council, with a licence to practise, subject to demonstrating to the GMC that their fitness to practise is not impaired.