Medicine

Medicine is the science and practice of diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease, and it sits at the intersection of natural science, human biology, clinical skill, and the complex reality of caring for people through illness, uncertainty, and vulnerability. Studying medicine requires intellectual rigour and scientific depth alongside the interpersonal and ethical qualities that make a good doctor, and the degree is one of the most demanding and rewarding in higher education.

At the University of St Andrews, the five-year full-time MBChB programme provides a thorough grounding in the biomedical sciences that underpin medical practice alongside the clinical skills, professional development, and patient contact that prepare you for the reality of working as a doctor. St Andrews has a long and distinguished tradition in medical education and research, and its programme is recognised for the quality of its scientific teaching and its integration of early clinical experience with academic study. You will develop an understanding of anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathology, and the social determinants of health, learning to apply this knowledge in the context of patient care and professional practice.

Medicine graduates register with the General Medical Council and enter Foundation Training, which is the structured two-year postgraduate programme that begins the transition from medical student to practising doctor. From there, doctors proceed into specialist training across the full range of medical and surgical specialties, including general practice, hospital medicine, surgery, psychiatry, paediatrics, and many others. The degree also provides a foundation for academic careers in medical research, for roles in medical education and teaching, and for health policy and public health medicine.

The typical entry tariff for the programme is 232 points.