Graduate Entry Medicine
Graduate entry medicine is a second-degree route into the medical profession, designed for people who have already completed an undergraduate degree in any subject and are seeking to qualify as a doctor. Medicine is the discipline of diagnosing and treating illness, preventing disease, and improving the health of individuals and populations. It demands not only deep biomedical knowledge but the ability to communicate clearly, think under pressure, make sound judgements in conditions of uncertainty, and work effectively within clinical teams.
Graduate entry programmes typically combine the core medical curriculum into a compressed and intensive format, drawing on students' existing academic skills and maturity.
At the University of Chester, this four-year MBChB programme leads to a qualifying degree in medicine and surgery, preparing you to enter the Foundation Programme as a junior doctor. You will develop the medical, clinical, and research skills needed to practise in any field of medicine. The curriculum integrates the basic sciences, including anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and pathology, with early and sustained clinical experience in hospital and community settings.
You will develop clinical reasoning skills, patient communication abilities, and the professional judgement that responsible clinical practice requires.
The programme includes a year abroad, providing international clinical or educational experience that broadens your medical perspective and develops adaptability in different healthcare systems. This international exposure is increasingly valued in a profession that operates within a globally connected healthcare landscape.
On completing the degree and registering with the General Medical Council, you will enter the Foundation Programme and begin your career as a junior doctor. From there, medical careers branch into an extensive range of specialties, from general practice and emergency medicine to surgery, psychiatry, paediatrics, and academic research. Medicine also provides a platform for careers in global health, medical education, healthcare management, and policy.
Some graduates pursue postgraduate research degrees alongside or following clinical training.