Skip to site navigation

MBBS Programme Information

The six-year curriculum is managed by a dedicated team of academics, clinicians and administrators. Students spend five years studying medicine and normally an additional year pursuing an intercalated BSc. The medical degree programme (MBBS) is systems-based and integrates basic medical science and clinical science with professional skills and competencies throughout the programme. It incorporates all of the General Medical Council's recommendations in 'Tomorrow's Doctors'. Right from the beginning, we emphasise the importance of professionalism by students having opportunities for clinical contact with patients, doctors and other health professionals on the three main clinical sites and in community placements. The curriculum at UCL leads to the award of the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and an additional degree of Bachelor of Science (BSc). The five-year core medical degree programme is divided into three phases:

PHASE 1 (Years 1 and 2) SCIENCE AND MEDICINE
PHASE 2 (Years 3 and 4) SCIENCE AND MEDICAL PRACTICE
PHASE 3 (Year 5) PREPARATION FOR PRACTICE		 Students

The additional Intercalated BSc year provides a choice from at least 20 different BSc programmes and students will normally intercalate after Year 2 of the MBBS. UK graduate entrants to the course are exempted from the BSc but may choose a period of additional study to a higher level.

The Professional Development Spine is a core part of the curriculum that runs throughout the five years of the medical programme. This includes clinical and communication skills, ethics and law, evaluation of evidence, health promotion and community orientated medicine. Similarly, three ‘vertical modules’ are part of the core throughout the five years:

  • Society and the individual
  • Mechanisms of drug action and the use of medicines
  • Pathological Sciences

Xray

In addition to the core curriculum, a choice of Student Selected Components in a wide variety of topics (including arts and humanities) form a compulsory part of each Phase of the degree programme.

The Medical School Prospectus (pdf format) contains further information about the MBBS curriculum.

This page last modified 17 February, 2010 by Medical School Web Coordinator